Do your children drink pop/soda?

[shortbun]

Lately DS, age 8, has been asking for soda all the time. It seems
his friends drink a lot of it and their parents think nothing of
giving it to him too. To me, pop is a bad choice for a child's diet-
full of empty calories and carbonation leeches hard to earn
nutrition. I rarely allow DS to drink it, it's a treat like candy -
another post, lol. Just wondering what you all think about it.
DS drinks water mostly around home. He's got mild lactose
intolerance so milk is never pushed or suggested, he chews a
supplement for calcium. Juice isn't usually a choice around here
either but offered as an option other than pop - same empty
sugar calories in most juices. Am I being to cautious?

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

No, you're not being too cautious. I agree that soda is just empty calories. My daughter also drinks mostly water. Sometimes she has juice, and she drinks a few glasses of milk each day. She gets perhaps one or two sodas a week...and I don't care how many her friends get! I won't allow to drink diet soda either. I'm a firm believer that aspertame is not a good chemical for children or adults.

 

[Nutsy]

My two drink LA Maxi Ice & juice & milk

 

[dzneelvr]

Be careful that you aren't limiting choices too much and making soda an unnecessary temptation.

For juices, Juicy Juice is a brand that's 100% juice; the Gator ade drinks are another option.....and a rule I have for my teen age DS and DD is that for every can of pop they drink, they drink a glass of milk.

Communicate with your kids--tell them the reason they need to drink calcium in their beverages and what sugar does not do for their bones. I find that the more they understand, the better decisions they can make. An example I used was: don't you want to grow taller than me? well, if you drink only X and Y, your bones won't have anything to feed them and you may not grow.....that did it for my 2 kids!!

WDW on JUNE 24

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughter gets soda with dinner. She drinks so much milk during the day and evening that I have no problem with giving her a glass of caffiene free coke with dinner. My weight lose surgeon told me last week that drinking juice is as bad as drinking soda...both loaded with sugar so I have to stay away from juice unless it is 1/4 juice and watered down with 3/4 water!

 

[Roemama1]

My DD's have caffeine free pepsi or other non-caffeinated soda once in a while. But mostly drink water/milk or apple juice.

 

[Kermit]

Jacob is only 15 months, so he obviously doesn't drink soft drinks, but I can tell you right now without any question in my mind that he will not drink soft drinks regularly. We don't even have them in the house. I think that establishing a habit of drinking water is a wonderful behavior to give your child. We don't really drink juice, either. Occassionally we have calcium-fortified OJ in the house, but so far, Jacob doesn't care for it.

 

[joshsmom]

DS was born with kidney disease and has only been allowed to drink white sodas as a treat on a VERY limited basis. Pre-transplant, he drank a gallon of water a day by choice. He's lactose intollerant, so milk is out and most juices negatively interact with his meds (anything with grapefruit juice in it). Post transplant, he has been asking for cola products, probably because they have been taboo for the last 8 years!!! I allow him to drink 8 oz a week. He seems fine with that. He doesn't ask for it at other times and water is still his best friend!!

 

[powellrj]

we always have a house full of pop (because of DHs job),but because my kids know its always available, they drink very little. I would say we drink maybe one or two cans a week each. A case will last us a month. We don't order in resturants because most don't have the kind that pays the bills at our house. Other people, thats another story. People expect us to have pop in our house, so we usually keep several cases of several different kinds. Kids go wild. "can I have a pop.....can I have a pop" I keep dixie cups and will open one and make them share. It bothers me to see little kids drinking an open can of pop, but a little 5oz dixie cup is just about the right size. Teens are another story. I don't make them use dixie cups, but I TRY to limit them to one per visit.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

My DDs are 5 and 2, and soda is a very rare treat in our house for them. They drink water, milk and apple juice (which I cut about 50-50 with water).

Their main "treat" for a drink is a juice bix since it is not watered down! Usually they get those at parties. Even I serve them at parties at my house since they are easy.

So to answer your question, you are not being overly cautious.

 

[pjlla]

It is also a "once in a while" treat for my children, like candy. I am just amazed at the people who blindly let their children drink endless soda, even some with caffeine in it. DD had a child in her class earlier this year who would bring a can of regular Coke for her afternoon snack to go with her fruit roll-up. UNBELIEVABLE!!

But this also applies to people who let their kids drink things like Hawaiian punch and think that they are drinking "juice". But as a previous poster mentioned, even endless real juice is not healthy..... too much sugar! ..............................P

 

[meeshi]

I usually only buy soda if we're having company and I end up dumping out whatever's left because the bottles just sit around. We're not big soda drinkers anyway, we've always just had water, milk and sometimes orange juice on hand. We keep water in the fridge so it's cold and the kids just got used to drinking water. Once in a while I'll buy juicy juice or another kind of juice as a treat, but it goes pretty fast when I do get it. The oldest 2 are 16 and (almost) 14 and complain once in a while that there's only water or milk, but that's usually when their friends are here.

 

[grinningghost]

My DD loves it, but I'm trying not to buy it so often anymore. The real problem is ME. I am absolutely addicted to cola. Especially Coke Classic. If I go without it for a few days, I crave it intensely. Is there a 12 step program for this?

 

[Roemama1]

Originally posted by grinningghost
Is there a 12 step program for this?

I don't know if there is but I need to find out, too! My name is Rosemary and I'm a diet pepsi-aholic!!!

 

[tw1nsmom]

My children mostly drink water or milk (DS will only drink those two). DD will occasionally drink watered down juice or some gingerale...ussually when she's sick. I also keep the gingerale that's sweetened with Splenda in the house. The doctor said it was fine for DD to ingest on a limited basis. Since she only drinks approx. one can a month I feel pretty comfortable giving her that kind of diet soda.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

My kids are never given soda in our house with the exception of ginger ale when sick. Occasionally, when we are out to dinner, we let them have a sprite. But for the most part, they drink water and milk.

But I know alot of my 7 y/o friends drink soda daily Just not my thing. We never have soda in the house.

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Soda is allowed on special occasions (birthdays, family gatherings, etc), or as a rare treat, and on vacations. That doesn't stop them from asking nearly every day if they can have one, though. My older son drinks water almost exclusively, and my younger son drinks mostly milk and orange juice, when we have it.

I think you are right on target with restricting it for him.

 

[Disney Ella]

My DDs (both eight) drink water, milk and juice mostly. Maybe once or week they'll have soda. They didn't even like soda until a year or two ago, which was great. They aren't allowed any juice at night unless they've finished all their milk at dinner.

 

[Oh Kay!]

DS5 got a taste of cola a year ago and found it yucky. He hasn't asked for it since and I am hoping he won't for another 5 years. He used to drink apple juice very rarely but since starting kintergaten he's come to like it. Mostly, I think it't the novelty of drinking out of the box. He sticks to soy milk, orange juice and water, otherwise.

We buy soda only in glass bottles. Since they are hard to come by around here, DH and I don't drink much.

 

[Cruisin]

Yes my kids drink all of the pop that they want.

We are on the other side of the fence.........if they want it they can have it.

They are now 16 and 20 but they have pretty much had free access their entire lives.