What age did your kids start drinking soda?

[grlpwrd]

At around age 5 for my older kids, but our rule is we can have soda only with pizza or tacos or when we go out to eat so we rarely drink the stuff. It's usually sweetened iced tea or cream soda which I read has the least amount of phosphoric acid.

Then again there's also too much sugar that we have to worry about when they drink sweetened iced tea, fruit juice, cream soda, or fruit punch. I'd rather have them drink natural sugar, though, rather than soda or sugar substitutes.

If it were my choice, though, and if I could control my kids 24/7 (lol) then I would ban it altogether, but I am also realistic. If I make soda a "forbidden fruit" then it would be detrimental in the long run. I certainly don't want them to think it's common to drink soda daily and go hog wild.

 

[aprilgail2]

Every kids birthday party we have gone to in the past few years have always had soda as the drink at the party....what do your kids drink at birthday parties when the party place only serves soda if you don't allow them to have it? I can't imagine every kid drinking soda and one parent not letting theirs have a cup of soda...

 

[Miller1412]

My DD hates the stuff. Too spicy.

My poor DS got hooked in the womb I think. He loves diet Pepsi!

 

[Bob Slydell]

DS1 was probably 2 or so years old when we'd let him take a sip or two of our pop (Diet Coke). He decided he didn't like it, which was our goal. But since then, he's had Sprite and orange soda and likes those, so he'll have them every now and then.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Oh, boy. I guess I'm a bad parent. I gave it to DD once in awhile in her bottle when she was about two. She seems fine. Good teeth.

I have also given my children soda in the bottle. When my oldest son was a baby, he was a severe asthmatic and milk would make him get all "flemmy" in his chest area and cause a lot of coughing. So actually the pediatrician suggested Pepsi diluted a little with water in the bottle. He loved it!
Unfortuantely, we go through a LOT of Coke and Pepsi in this house. None of them have a weight problem and they drink it with a straw so there have not even been any cavity issues.

 

[DwarfMaster]

I think my DD4 has been hooked on Coke since birth.

On the other hand ~ DS9 wouldn't drink any pop if we paid him. He only drinks milk & water. He won't even drink Juice.

 

[Nancy]

DS1 was probably 2 or so years old when we'd let him take a sip or two of our pop (Diet Coke). He decided he didn't like it, which was our goal. But since then, he's had Sprite and orange soda and likes those, so he'll have them every now and then.

I think that is what happened with my kids...they decided they didn't like the fizz in it and they don't drink it too much. We always have it in the house but they all choose other drinks. Pop is a last resort if there is nothing else.

Story with my youngest..she won't drink any juice but "real" juice (no Hi C or punches) at her nursery school's Mothers Day tea she was drinking hot tea like the Moms and all the other kids were drinking the punch. The Mom's were horrified that I let her drink tea...I saw nothing wrong with it and she still drinks it to this day. (now almost 13) She still won't touch fake juices or any kind of pop.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

My kids were about a year old when I started let them take sips of soda. Now, they usually drink it if they are at a party or we go to McDonalds.

 

[beattyfamily]

We let our older DD try it at about one; DH thought it was funny. Not me. But that was it till about 4 maybe. She always liked it but we limited it to parties; special occasions. Now she's 9 and she's always trying to have some of mine and DHs and sometimes orders it with McDonald's and has it a Disney World. But she doesn't have it on a regular basis.

Younger DD now 6 hates all sodas. She cannot stand the bubbles. She still remembers drinking some soda by accident on our DCL cruise and brings it up once in awhile. Luckily she loves water and sometimes chocolate milk and sometimes apple juice but for the most part, water.

 

[grlpwrd]

I'm revisiting this thread because something struck me... there were 2 people who commented that even if the parents don't allow soda they let their relative drink it despite knowing the family rules for them and get a good laugh out of it.

I don't mean to cause trouble or flame, but I just had to say something as I wonder about it and how you (DMRick and Buckalew11) feel about disobeying their rules without regard to what the parents want for their child(ren). Do you do this to "spoil" them?

My dad does this and it grates me yet I realize he may just be trying to "spoil" them. Then again he and my mom have diabetes.

 

[welovedisneyx4]

My kids have pretty much always had soft drinks. I'm sure we didn't give it to them when they were small babies, but I would say from a year on, they drank it fairly regularly. We do control how much they drink and won't let them have it all the time. They also drink milk, o.j., tea, kool-aid and water. They haven't had any problems w/ cavities or weight issues.

I would think it was kind of strange for the waitress to ask specificly about soda.

 

[MamaLema]

My 9, 7, and 2 year olds don't like it. Like a PP posted, they say it tastes "too spicy" I don't drink any kind of soda either. Maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

My 7 yo does not like it. My 3 yo recently started tasting it and she does like it. I drink it only once in a while. She is allowed a little bit when we have it. I stopped buying it and unless DH goes shopping I won't be buying more. I'd rather they and me too drink water.

 

[ElizaB39]

DD11 and DS8 both do not like it, it "burns" their mouths. I, on the other hand, drink at least two cans a day, with sugar! However, only with a straw and I usually drink water after the soda and swish it around my mouth to rinse off the sugar. Bad!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

My 2 DD ( 11 & 14)would have it a few times when they were small. By first grade they drank it at dinner instead of juice. Now they drink more water, Propel etc.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I allowed my dd to have her own can or glass around age 6. Before that it was just sips here and there of mine. Same goes for my youngest ones now.

 

[Hillbeans]

Every kids birthday party we have gone to in the past few years have always had soda as the drink at the party....what do your kids drink at birthday parties when the party place only serves soda if you don't allow them to have it? I can't imagine every kid drinking soda and one parent not letting theirs have a cup of soda...

Hmm, every party i've gone to in the last few years has had juice boxes, no soda. I know my son wouldn't like it, but he's only 4 and only really likes water, juice and milk. I guess he'd just have water then.

It's not that I don't allow him not to have it, but he has no interest in it. I'm sure he'll get a taste for it at some point.

 

[daisyduck123]

DS7 has never tried soda & doesn't want to. He also won't try any candy...not even an M&M.


DD11 won't try soda either. (She says she did take of sip of Sprite once & didn't like it).


At parties, they usually just drink water.

 

[becobscot]

My DS8 won't drink soda! He tried Sprite once and hated it and he won't even try cola. He's a big fan of milk!

 

[ladypoo]

Bad mommy here, both of my kids started drinking Coke around 2 years old because I drink it. They only get a drink of mine, they don't get their own.

Occasionally I will let my 4 year old have a small Sprite, but she hardly drinks it.

Count me as another bad momma here. Mine started drinking soda around 12 months old. LOL...