What age did you first let your kids have soda?

[MrsJ Henry]

I'm pretty against our daughter having soda. My thought was maybe when she is around 5. Well we have had friends and family giving us a bit of a hard time about this. When did your kids first have soda?

By the way my daughter LOVES water and would have that over juice and milk any day. So we do mostly milk and water.

 

[Stephres]

I don't remember when but I didn't give it to them! Probably over at one of the grandparents' house. They used to give them coffee (both sets!). You can only control what goes into them until a certain age unfortunately. With the good habits you set at home you should be fine. My kids drink water most of the day with milk at dinner and they are 5 and 8.

 

[Mkrop]

I want to say both boys were probably around 3 but it was a treat kind of thing. I didnt want them to have it a lot but I also did not want to make it this forbidden treat that they would be searching out. Well I lucked out sort of, neither of my kids like it, DS10 does not like the carbonation at all, (neither does DH). But the hard thing is that I can control what they drink at home but it is so hard I find when they go to oustide birthday party places to find something they like to drink. All the bowling alley, grand slam places serve pitchers of soda and most parents are ok with this bc it is a party so DS10 always asks for a glass of water (some places have actually said NO ) but if not I always provide him with a couple of extra dollars to buy bottled water.

 

[ntink]

My daughters are 9 and 5 and have never had soda up until this year - it is only the 9 year old and I let her try it at a party. Now I give her a choice - soda is one of the treats she can select from. So, for example if she is at a party and they are having ice cream she can have soda or ice cream but not both. She consistently chooses the ice cream and will have water to drink as it is always available and generally our drink of choice.

I can't understand why friends and family would be giving you a hard time. You are the parent, you are responsible for what your child consumes.

Now if you said you only gave your child soda then I could understand why friends and family would be giving you a hard time.

IMHO soda is a treat, not a beverage. It is pure sugar, or if you go the diet route, pure chemicals.

 

[scorpad99]

I think my DD was 2? I know I have her on video drinking soda out of a playtex sippy cup, which sometimes exploded! LOL Anyway it was only a once in a while thing, and we never keep soda in our frig now, unless we are having a party! My kids are 10 and almost 12 and drink only water daily, milk only with cereal (except with cookies as a snack) and Sunny D once in a while. I dont think soda is a healthy thing to have even for an adult on a daily basis. JMO

 

[theparsons]

My girls were 8 when their grandfather gave them both soda and a piece of cake (their first sugar laden food). It was grandma's birthday, but before this they both knew and respected (even if they didn't agree) with our decision to limit their junk food. Everyone in my and DH's family have weight issues and we were hoping to keep the kids healthier. I was livid.

BUT....they're 11 now, and water is their first choice, even at restaurants. Desserts...well, we've kinda lost that battle a bit, though my kids eat a lot less than most and are satisfied with one cookie instead of a whole bag, lol.

You might want to do some internet searches on the affect of carbonated drinks on bones and teeth. Children drinking this young and/or too much can actually have osteoperosis (spelling?) by their 20s because it leeches the calcium from their bones. And bad teeth for the same reason.

Now...obviously a can of soda or two when they're with grandma isn't going to subject them to a life of bad health.....so you probably want to balance your decision with the tension it might cause. What I did was offer the girls water before the grands could offer them juice or soda.....and offer them a piece of fruit (which I usually brought with me, lol) before dessert or snacks were offered. Intervention.

Keep doing water and other healthy alternatives when you are home...but if the situation will turn bad then let them have a little soda, but be sure they know it's a super duper treat, something special, like a trip to WDW....we want it all the time, but we can't have it. They'll thank you later in life!

 

[brergnat]

There's no reason to give your child soda. My 3 year old wanted to try some of my orange soda once, so I let him, but he HATED it (the carbonation, I think...he wasn't expecting it). Anyway, he has not wanted anything to do with soda since then. I'm very glad about that. But anyway, as a family, we never have soda in the house. We just don't drink it much, only when we go out to eat (and really, only my husband does regularly, and he only drinks diet).

Soda is something that is a hard habit to break once you get started with it. I hope to keep our home soda free for the long haul. I certainly won't just begin buying it because my kids want it. It will be a treat, saved for when we go out, and even then, ONLY once in awhile. And to be honest with you, I'd much prefer my kids drink diet soda when they do drink it. I fear excess sugar MUCH more than artificial sweetners...

My kids don't even like juice, only real Orange Juice, which I'm fine with, but I see no reason (and neither does their pediatrician) to give them apple juice or grape juice or any other of the myriad of juices marketed towards kids.

Young kids really just need water and milk.

 

[jodifla]

I let my son have soda this year, at 5.

It's a special treat.

 

[Mom-2-2Princesses]

My older DD is 3.5, and she has not had soda yet. She is happy with water and milk, and juice (diluted) is a treat for her. She has started showing a huge interest in orange juice with her breakfast, but this is a new development. I am hoping to keep her away from soda for a while yet. She has a lifetime to develop her own bad habits-- she doesn't need me getting her started with this one!

 

[Hannathy]

6 weeks! It was flattened sprite. That was an unusual circumstance but it worked.

Normally around when they started drinking out of cups.

 

[Erin1700]

I dont remember when she had it, but at 6 yrs old, I think I can count on one hand the number of times she has had it. She prefers water so it is never an issue. Sometimes at the movies is when she might get Sprite.
Her best friend's mom who is WAY over protective, lets her daughter drink soda all day long, everyday.

Now, my 7 month old little boy is another story. Last week we were coming in the house from McD's and I had my hands full, trying to hold him, his panty bag, mail, and get the key out to open the door. Well he leaned over as I was unlocking the door and took a sip of my root beer. He said "MMMMMMMMM!" So I think we will battle when he gets older! But it will only be a special treat and not very often!

 

[thepeach80]

My kids take sips of ours when we have it, but have never had their own. I take that back, I have gotten them sprite before at restaurants when lemonade wasn't an option, but it never gets more than 1/8 drank from it.

 

[Minnie824]

My 5yo tried soda maybe when she was 2 or 3, but rarely would drink it. Now shes 5 and when we go out to eat, she'll normally drink lemonade or root beer out at the restaurant. She's tried colas but doesn't drink them. My other DD is 3 and has had root beer, but prefers juice or lemonade. She rarely drinks it but I'm not opposed to her having it once in awhile.

 

[kt_mom]

I don't remember exactly how old she was. I'm thinking maybe a sip when she was very little. Now at 4 she can chose sprite or sweat tea when we go out to eat or get CHikfila or something. And we share a coke usually at the movies. But at home she just wants Milk. And many times in restaurants she will chose chocolate milk.

I always have soda in the house. I drink Diet Coke all day. I know its bad for you, but I've been addicted to soda since I was in highschool. We always had it in our house growing up although it was limited until I was a teenager. My DH doesn't drink soda at all. He always drinks water except when eating out he drinks sweet tea.

DD is not allowed to have the diet soda though, and I don't keep regular in the house. So it is just a treat when we're out usually. I don't want it to be this forbidden thing that she will go crazy over when she gets older, nor do I want her drinking it all the time. She never asks for it at home, so I think we're doing okay.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

I just started letting my son have gingerale this year, at 3 yrs. He can have it when we go out to eat, or when we are on an airplane. We do not buy any soda OR juice in our house. Ever since I was pregnant, gingerale has calmed my tummy when I was nauseous, so I always get it when on a plane, and the last time we flew, I let him get some too, just in case he felt queesy. When we eat out, if I order tea, then he gets milk, but if I order gingerale, and he requests it, I let him have it. He calls it coke, and I don't correct him. You can't be overly strict b/c the minute they leave your sight they'll be itching to try everything you don't let them have. I wouldn't be upset if he had soda at a party or something, just as long as he understands that it will never take up residence in our fridge Besides, he goes through 4 gallons of milk a week, he has bones of steel.

My kids take sips of ours when we have it, but have never had their own. I take that back, I have gotten them sprite before at restaurants when lemonade wasn't an option, but it never gets more than 1/8 drank from it.

Usually, lemonade (especially bottled) and juice have just as much (sometimes more) sugar in them than soda. I used to get my DS lemonade when he didn't want milk. One day at the mall, I got him a lemonade and myself a gingerale. I looked at the label and the lemonade and 10 more grams of sugar and more calories, so I switched with him. As long as the soda is sans caffeine, depending on the brand, there is no difference between lemonade or juice and soda. Granted you get a few vitamins from some juices, but the sugar kinda cancels out any benefit, IMO.

 

[tlbwriter]

Who cares what your friends and family think? I'd ask them why they think she "needs" soda.

 

[nessz79]

My kids take sips of ours when we have it, but have never had their own. I take that back, I have gotten them sprite before at restaurants when lemonade wasn't an option, but it never gets more than 1/8 drank from it.

Us, too. Our DS's are 4.5 and 3. They occasionally have sips of ours at restaurants, but that's about it. We don't keep it at home. I try not to drink it myself. I wasn't allowed to have coke/soda except as a treat when I was growing up...when I was a teenager and young adult I drank a ton of it, but then I got over it, and I'm back to the habits my parents instilled in me. I'm hoping to do the same with my own kids. They might rebel when they get older and try to drink a bunch of it, but I figure they'll probably get tired of it eventually.

 

[KimWDW]

My son's 5 and hasn't had a sip of soda yet. He sees me drink soda all the time, but never asks to have any. He assumes it's yucky, I guess. Also, he's an only child so he doesn't see older siblings drinking it. I think he thinks it's a grown-up thing.

 

[NemoMOm]

I know it's fruitless, but I hope that mine never have it. I'm so addicted to coke I have to have it everyday. We don't buy it for the house so I end going out and getting a can. It's awful. I have a medical condition that I should not be drinking but every time I fall off the wagon.

 

[Dawniell_Willingham]

My daughter is almost 4 and she doesn't get any pop. I told her she could have Sprite when we go out to eat and for the first couple times after that she ordered Sprite but after the novelty of it wore off she's back to water. I also catch crap for it. I guess other people just don't know how to mind their own business.
My in-laws put Pepsi in my neice and nephews bottles since they were just a few days old each. So they both drink pop nonstop. I don't think I've ever seen my nephew drink anything but pop and he's almost 6. Not surprisingly both of them had to get all of their molars pulled when they had their first dentist appointments. Now they have 8 silver teeth each cause their molars were rotted. I wonder why....