Do your children drink pop/soda?

[Blondie]

I don't keep soda in the house, so the only time we drink it is if we go out to eat.

 

[CEDmom]

DD is much younger than your son but we don't let her have soda except very special occasions. At 4 1/2 she's probably only had it a 1/2 dozen times. She also drinks mostly water and calcium fortified OJ. Maybe once a week she'll have a juice box. I think the longer we can hold off allowing her too empty calories than more likely she'll make better food choices when she's older.

 

[Beast fan]

Our DS's (3.5 and 5.75) are allowed to have "pop" as follows....
1) At Birthday parties (for themselves or childhood friends)
2) At a movie "theater"
3) When flying while on vacation, but only while flying.

Any other time............ NOT A CHANCE.

Luckily, my DS's absolutely love milk and orange juice.

Now..... if only I could practice what I preach.



Dave

 

[Alice28]

My kids are 6 and (almost) 3. I usually drink diet Coke or Pepsi and the will come and take a few swigs from a can several times a day. Sometimes we will buy Sprite (maybe once a month or every other month) and I will let the two of them share 1/2 a can or so. I don't think it's a big deal. They drink either milk, water, or calcium enriched juice 90-95% of the time....I don't think soda will hurt, nor do I want them growing up thinking soda is THAT big of a deal...I had friends in junior high & high school whose parents were very strict about soda at home and you should have seen how much they chug-a-lugged at school. And when I take my kids to McDonalds or fast food, they get to choose their drink- every once in awhile they choose milk, but usually they choose the orange Hi-C stuff. Chuck full of sugar, but at least it has some vitamin C. Since fast food is only once a week, I don't mind.

 

[Dancind]

It's never been an issue here, and DD is now 13. She never liked it, always chooses water. Doesn't drink juice either, but will drink chocolate milk. Oh, and Peeps, any chance she gets! I didn't say she was perfect, did I?

The child that drinks the Coke with her afternoon snack at school may be using that as a way to control hyperactivity. Caffeine, even the small amount in Coke, works that way for kids with ADHD. My nephew did it for years until it quit working for him, now he takes medication.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

My kids are both big water drinkers. The younger one (5 1/2) does not like soda and won't drink it even if it is offered to her. She likes juice, chocolate milk, yoo hoo, regular milk and water.

The older one (9) likes soda and is allowed it upon occasion -- as a treat. The rest of the time she will have the stuff I listed above -- mostly water with dinner.

 

[DMickey28]

I am not sure what is so wrong with soda. Everything in moderation of course!

I am 25 and I don't remember ever being limited to what I drank. I don't remember drinking a ton of soda but I wasn't a huge water drinker either.

I find it interesting all the different things that we did as kids are now soooo taboo.... It's a wonder we made it!

I need to start reading up and researching all this stuff before we have kids. I certainly don't want to have that one child that all the other mothers talk about and wonder what in the world their parents are thinking!

 

[sue1013]

When I grew up we always had soda in the house. As an adult I might drink 3 glasses a year. DH who never had it growing up unless holiday or birthday, is a soda junkie. Since we live with a soda junkie its always been in my house but my kids both over 18 are not big soda drinkers. Sometimes when you restrict it, it give it makes it more desirable.

 

[TalkisCheap]

If I want soda, I can always have it but I never do. I drink soda maybe once every 2 monthes. I drink milk after I have something sweet and in the morning. For the rest of the day, it's water. When I exercise, I don't drink any of the gatorade or powerade or what not, only water. My head track coach is a total health wacko and says if he ever sees us drinking soda, we're off the team...He is a teacher...and has kicked some kids off .

On occasion, I make kool-aid with equal. Me and my sister(shes on the South Beach and can have it with Equal) have a couple glasses each maybe once a month. It really is only when I need a little switch from my usual milk/water drinking habits.


-Caroline

 

[Pin Wizard]

Nope! DS has never liked soda. He sticks with milk and water.

 

[speedi-deedi]

My kids don't get soda unless we're eating out or ordered in. So, maybe once or twice a week. However, I must admit that I drink soda every night for dinner. My oldest (8yo) DS does occasionally ask why he doesn't get soda like mom and dad, and I just explain that growing bones need milk and water.

Thankfully, both DSs love milk, so it's not been a huge issue. I wonder, though at what age I'll begin to give on this rule. I agree completely with the earlier poster that controlled items (candy, soda, etc.) become only that much more appealing to kids. Maybe high school?

 

[nuke]

I had a friend that gave her babies coke in their baby bottle! I vowed not to give my child pop until they were at least three. When my DS tried it about that time he hated it and still to this day has never drank pop. Not that it would really bother me if he wanted one now and then but he loves water and milk and a capri sun occasionally.

 

[ptcruisermom]

It is available and has never been a big issue. If they want it they can have but I do moderate the amount. We go thru an awful lot of milk around here and tehy are big water drinkers, especially after we got the new fridge with the filter and cold water. DS 17 probably drinks the most-Mt. Dew, but also drinks plenty of mild, water, gatorade. DS 13 drinks some but alot of water and mild, DD 9 says she likes but I don't thinks she does takes a few sips, drinks a lot o f mild and water. Juice has just as much sugar in it. A lady I work with when she started to work with me has a DS my DD daughters age and she just had a fit on the fact that pop was available to my kids anytime, but yet she was giving him juice by the tons and capri suns and hi-c and chocolate milllllllk which has lot of sugar ( my kids won't touch chocolate milk) I think the bigger issue you make of it the more the kids want it. JMHO

 

[CamColt]

My kids drink mostly milk or water, and occasionally juice.
They do have diet coke a couple times a week(at Grandmas and when eating out) and I let them have it on vacation or special occasions. Being the diet cokeaholic that I am, I cant really forbid them from having it.

 

[Beanie]

My DD drinks Milk and Water and once in awhile she will have soda. My DS is allergic to milk, so he drinks mostly water. When we are at Disney, my parents house or on vacation, they can drink soda, but limited, not a free for all! LOL They can have juice if they want it, but neither of my kids likes it, so it is hardly ever in the house.

 

[disykat]

Only when eating out. We only buy pop for parties. That's the way I grew up too. To me having pop in the fridge all the time would be like always having birthday cake in the house - just strange.

 

[Evil Princess]

Wow, I was never restricted, and I think I turned out okay. Never knew that soda was so Taboo...

I definitely wasn't allowed to have any in my lunch until 8th grade, my mother always gave me some kind of juice, but I always had a glass with dinner. She didn't want me drinking too much, but it was okay with one meal.

I will admit, I have an obsession with Coke from the fountain. I like it so much better than the bottle or can, at college I love going to the dining hall, sometimes I'll take coke back to my room in a coffee cup to go, lol.

Growing up I drank alot of calcium Tropicana OJ or Caffine free Coke. Being a guest in someones house when I was a teenager, I would never expect anyone to restrict me to just a can of coke. I do believe I would have been a bit offended if anyone tried.

Perhaps it's where I live, but I never heard of anyone doing that. At parties it was always readily available, with no one cutting off the supply.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by Roemama1
My name is Rosemary and I'm a diet pepsi-aholic....

........................

 

[slo]

My DD is 5 1/2 yrs old and I finally started allowing her to drink Sprite or Siera Mist once in awhile (generally weekends if we are having pizza or hamburgers).

Outside of that she drinks milk, water, or Juicy Juice (this is the only juice) oh, I almost forgot, lemondade too.

Because she has never been allowed to drink pop she never asks for it or craves it - and I hope it stays that way.

 

[4greatboys]

We do keep coke (soda) in our house. The boys can have one if they want but they cant just drink that. I dont really have a problem with them (mostly me ). Ds 1 likes to drink juice and milk, ds 2 likes lots of water and the 2 little ones really drink mostly milk and juice. If they do ask for some Dr Pepper I do give them a little in glass.