DISCUSSION: Kids and Soft Drinks
Parents used to avoid giving their children red cordial for fear it would cause them to transform from angels to demons, but now cordial is mild compared to other things we are putting in our kid’s mouths. Often we see young children and even toddlers with a can of soft drink in their hands, it may be convenient but is it the right choice?
This week’s reader discussion is whether kids and soft drinks really mix. Another common offender is the sports drink (think Powerade), so how young is too young?
First, let’s think about some of the health risks associated with giving your children soft drinks –
- Soft drink contains empty calories and sugar and is a contributor to childhood obesity and tooth decay
- Many soft drinks also contain phosphoric acid which takes the calcium from their bones in a time when they need it the most.
- Caffeine is addictive and can have a range of adverse side effects such as headaches, trouble sleeping and an increased heart rate.
- Drinking soft drinks means they are missing out on other important fluids like water and milk.
- Diet soft drinks may not contain as much sugar, but they contain artificial sweeteners, which is a controversial issue in itself
Personally my son is almost three and we have never given him soft drink, but then again we don’t give him lollies either. When did or would you first give your children soft drink and are you concerned about the health risks? Do you believe everything in moderation? Are sports drinks OK and where do you draw the line?
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I never offered my kids things like lollies and softdrinks when they were little. These things all creep into their lives in time anyway. It wasnt that I had banned them from having these things but I simply didnt want them to experience them at an age where they were too young to understand the concept that even though lollies might taste yummy they are not something we can have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When my kids were babies I did not give them the baby juices to drink either. They dont need them and will be quite happy if you give them water.
Thankfully my eldest tasted soft drink at a party when she was 4 years old and she hated it. She wasnt one to drink flavoured drinks of any sort and disliked orange juice also. I can honestly say I have never purchased cordial of any type so my kids have never had cordial at home. My eldest has always loved water and even now as a 23year old is still a good water drinker. The amazing thing was other people…adults that would ask her if she wanted a drink and she would say “Water please”…they would then ask her if she wanted a soft drink or a juice…she would say “No…water please”…then they would often look at me and say “Cant she have some juice?” …I would then have to explain that she didnt like juice and would simply have water. It was amazing how adults used to look at me as if i was the “Big Bad Mummy” and then they would question her as to why she didnt like juice.
Child number 2 was exposed to lollies earlier then child number one but again didnt experience soft drinks until she was about 5 and the same goes for child number 3.
When my kids were growing up they didnt have cordial, softdrinks or juices in the house on a daily basis and the only time i purchased softdrinks was when we had a birthday party. So they had them at home 3 times a year with sparkling grape at Christmas time.
They of course could have them if they went to a birthday party at someones place. I never banned my kids from having these things because i have them from time to time also.
Its never been an issue with my kids. Ive never been strict on what they can and cant eat or drink but i am and always was in control of what was on hand at home to consume as I was the one buying the groceries.
When we would go to McDonalds my eldest would always want a happy meal with water and no soft drink. In those days McDonalds would still charge you for the drink. Im not sure if that has since changed.
Now that my kids are aged 23, 20 and 15 they are all good water drinkers and not one of them has weight issues.
The best way to teach a child is to lead by example. Its no good telling them they cant drink a can of coke because its not healthly or good for them while you sit there with your girlfriends drinking your 2nd glass of white wine. Everything in moderation. If you show them that you know how to moderate your intake of these things then it helps them to follow in your footsteps.
Miss 5.5 has been having soft drink as a treat for quite some time now. While she mainly drinks and asks for water, we do allow her this from time to time. She started drinking lemonade from about 2 years old when we went out for a meal. This was watered down 50/50 and served in a shot glass so she didn’t spill much if it did get knocked. We would refill it as a reward for eating her meal, so it was a real treat. We’ve maintained the same attitude that it is a treat and mainly for special occasions. Even now, she’ll still ask for a bottle/glass of water over soft drink, so I’m hoping we’ve done the right thing by not being too strict but reminding her that some things are special.
My kids both have soft drink, but only certain types. Coke is still a no go zone unless we are at the movies and we all share one coke (simply to save on buying 4 drinks). Generally it’s just lemonade.
They take water to school/day care and that’s all they get there but at home they do get cordial or juice. i’m not a big water drinker, more a fan of coffee but they don’t get that of course. We do have cordial and juice at home. My first was an extremely fussy drinker right from the beginning. it was hard enough to get her to have her bottle let alone anything else. When they do have cordial i only buy the No Added Sugar one.
my kids are both active and energetic, they will play out the back or run around the house so they are definitely burning off what they eat.
We drink Pepsi max and will occasionally give our children a little bit, i think everything in moderation as my worry is if they dont get any when we are not there they could go crazy on things we dont let them have. My kids are really active and eat really healthy so i dont think having an occasional treat is a issue.
Good question! Mine are 4 and 6 now and still only have lemonade or flavoured mineral water when we are out or special occasions like birthdays and Christmas (and never coke or caffeinated drinks). We just don’t keep it in the house and then they won’t see it and ask for it. Miss 4 is even turning down weak cordial and asking for water which is great! And like Michelle, ours only have water for school and childcare. I told them they are the rules and they go with it. In our house, they can have a juice or weak cordial but when they finish, they have to have a glass of water before they get another cordial or juice. They occasionally get a decaf tea when I have one. My problem is that mine want to drink coffee because that’s what I always drink… Now I have to order them hot chocolates in the same take away cup as mine. It’s our compromise =)
As to sports drinks. I would only give them to my kids if the doc said to. After a bad bout of gastro, when you give your kids stuff from the chemist like hydralite, it’s the same as a powerade only with less sugar.
haha, mine love the idea of coffee because I’m such a fan. It’s babycino’s and now moved up to hot chocolates.
or milo’s at home when I have coffee.
They call it their special coffee.
I never would have thought about sports drinks
On the very odd occasion my toddler has been given soft drink (by very well meaning people / family) she has bounced off the walls and had horrible tantrums … like a come down off the suger high. I will avoid soft drinks until she’s old enough to buy it herself.
My boys have grown up loving milk and water. They won’t even drink juice or soft drinks.
Our son has never had soft drink, but then again he is only 2.5… he is offered water throughout the day and has a few cups of milk at various times (after lunch and dinner). We don’t have juice in the house all the time, but will sometimes have a bottle in the fridge, and if it is there and he asks, he is allowed a small cup (half juice half water) once a day. Today we were at the shops and because he was a good boy he got a popper – this was a massive treat and an easy bribe!! He is also very partial to a ‘cappuccino’ (ie bubbaccino) when daddy makes himself a coffee, and will regularly have a cup of tea with me (I drink decaf green tea and so does he!).
Our sons are 5 and 2 and neither have ever really had more than a sip of soft drink if we’re at someone’s party or a special occasion because we don’t have it in our house. While at home the boys drink milk, water and occasionally watered-down juice and if we go out they share a milkshake.
They have both tried milky tea, as we drink tea, but they weren’t keen so I guess they’ll revisit that when they’re ready. They do have lollies as a treat sometimes, but they are rationed because we notice an almost instant effect from placid to nutcases! They both prefer to eat fruit, which we’re quite happy about right now.
My kids never bothered with soft-drinks unless i put them in the fridge ,they would drink soft-drinks when they had special occasions like birthday parties.my kids prefer flavored milk with is better for them or cordial with no added sugar.But if the temptation is not their they really don’t bother,so it is really up to the parent and what they put in the fridge.
Soft drink like lollies is a path best avoided for as long as possible as once you start on it its really hard to stop. I have 4 children (7,5,3 and 4 months) and rarely do they get soft drink at all. If they are super lucky its a mouthful once a month and the general rule is not at all. I have been weak (and probably will again) when we are out for a special occasion/meal they may be allowed a small glass of ‘bubble’ but that so rarely happens.
Sports drinks are a definite no no. What amount of sports are they doing that require that kind of drink??? Water is our favourite and on really hot days we put in ice (which sounds boring but the kids love it). A shot of lemon juice is always good too.
They dont need soft drink and if its not around (or as a general rule you dont let them have it) then they get used to not having it. Even on the odd occasion that we have McDonalds (again dont go down that path for as long as you can hold out), its water or nothing!
I don’t have children but would like to have a say! I have friends with children that visit often and I always have softdrinks and sweets around. I always ask the parents first before offering them. One friend particulary doesn’t want their children to have anything sweet. They say “Oh’ it’s alright for you. You don’t have to try and get them to bed later!” etc. I do think they should be able to indulge when they are out or on special occasions, I mean, don’t we!
Although I understand it from the parents behalf I think I should alert you all to another side.
My mother was like this when I was young, no sweets, softdrinks etc, I didn’t even like chocolate and I lived a pretty normal existence. I was also a normal weight. Now, later in life I have discovered what I had missed out on many years ago and now I have a very sweet tooth and I am not a normal weight. So all you parents out there who think you are doing the right thing! BEWARE!
I don’t believe sports drinks are ever good for you. I’m a martial arts instructor and do a lot of exercise but even I don’t drink it. There are better alternatives to replenish your electrolytes. So, if athletes shouldn’t be drinking it, why would you give it to kids or casually drink it at a desk? Sports drinks have as much sugar as soft drinks, don’t contibute to childhood obesity.
My boys are now 10 & 12 and when they were younger, they never had soft drink, cordial or fruit juice unless at a birthday party, it was always water or milk in our house. However as they get older, it gets harder to say no – my boys can choose any softdrink they like when we dine out (even the dreaded Coke) which is not that often and recently we’ve introduced a weekly tradition of letting them share a large bottle of softdrink (usually lemon or lime, I won’t buy Coke) over Fri/Sat nights, as an end of week treat. There is no point banning it, everything in moderation, I keep reminding them there is a lot of sugar in softdrink so hopefully they will keep that in mind as they enter their teenage years. But ideally the longer you can keep them away from it when they are younger, the better.
When I was a child, we were allowed to have a soft drink with our roast meat and vegetables lunch on Sundays. Nowadays, it is usual practice for soft drink to be consumed at any time of the day with or without food. Children should be allowed a limited amount, or else as previously stated in another reply, they will go “all out” and drink too much when they are not in parents’ company or allowed as a special treat at some event, eg. Sports drinks I feel are not for the young child as they appear to be strong in their constitution and would ultimately make them sick if they drank too much. Children should be encouraged to drink a lot of water, with milk also being top of their list of recommended beverages for their growth and development.
Everything in moderation? No, that’s way too liberal. There is no safe dose of caffeine for kids. And the fact that such drinks – Coke, sports drinks and particular energy drinks (like Red Bull) – are marketed to kids is despicable. If youngsters think these are alright, they’ll become teenagers who down too many of them. Banning is not the answer. Education is – that these products, although widely available, are only suitable for a small percentage of the population. Another answer is consumer advocacy. We must insist “food” manufacturers have better standards – no more poisons on our shelves! Stop developing “foods” that, whilst cheap and fun, have little nutritional content and could actually harm some people’s health.
I don’t drink soft drinks my self, okay, maybe vey occasionally a Diet Coke, so we don’t have them in the house. My kids looooove them though so if we are out and soft drinks are available they will drink them. They understand why I don’t like them and I notice the older children now choosing water at parties more often. All that nagging does work.
Wow I really find it shocking that parents still buy softdrink for their kids. It’s so bad for their bones (it softens them, making them weak!) and it also packs the weight on – we really don’t need to do that to Aussie kids!! What a bad set-up for bad habits for life. We personally have it only at parties – that’s it. I think my kids now tend to naturally choose the healthier options anyhow because they find natural water is all that really quenches their thirst. They like water.
Cola is the worst because it’s also addictive (I’ve been addicted to it when we were given a carton of it for christmas once many years ago!!) Lovely thoughtful gift!! (sarcasm there!). I got off it by deciding not to buy further cartons and go walking/jogging three mornings a week. It worked. The excess weight dropped off within the first week and I got fitter and not fatter!! : )
Having 4 kids I learnt fast when the first was young that cordial, soft drink and too much juice is no good for them. From then on they only get soft drinks on very special occasions or if we go out for dinner. We never have cordial in the house and I cringe when other people offer it to them! They all love their water, the youngest is 2 and will have a small drink of apple juice in the mornings and then ask for water. Other than that all they drink is milk! When they get McDonalds as a treat they have chocolate milk or juice, my 4yr old won’t touch soft drink even if it’s offered to her! She has tried lemonade once and hated it.
The last thing our kids need is more sugar and preservatives in their diet, they get all they need from water and milk and the occasional juice, the longer we can avoid the sugary soft drinks the better. I figure that soon enough my eldest will be out with his friends and I will have limited control over what he eats or drinks when I’m not around. Teaching them what is good and not good is the best that I can do until those dreaded days arrive!
I am a 19 year old who doesn’t drink softdrink. When I was allowed my first softdrink in year 1, I took my first sip and I hated it since then. It was a coke. I just don’t like the taste of soda. Never. I have 2 younger siblings though, aged 15 and 12 who really like drinking softdrink. They drink softdrink almost everytime we dine out. I have told them again and again about the bad effects it has on health yet they don’t seem to be afraid.. Most of my friends told me, “your parents must be so happy to have a child who doesn’t like softdrinks”
When I’m older and have kids later, I will not give them softdrinks! When they’re a bit older and might ask why they’re not allowed, I’ll list all of the health risks associated with it until they are bored.
I believe in ‘Everything in moderation’, but softdrink is an exception. That’s a big no-no in my life.
Sportsdrinks are okay to have when.. well, when you are about to play sports or after sports. It is not for regular consumption because the sugar level is high. I prefer vitaminwater myself, though it also contains a high level of sugar thus should be consumed in moderation.
I really wished all parents understand more about what they give to their children, it’s for their own good anyway right..
🙂
We never allowed any of our six children to have lollies, cordial, soft drink etc before their 1st birthday. After that it was only for special occasions like birthday parties. They are all happy to drink water most of the day, and they have milk for breakfast and at dinner time. As they are getting older (the eldest two are in their teens now) they push more and more for the unhealthy choices but I don’t supply them with soft drinks or fruit juice. If they want it badly enough they buy it with their own pocket money.