Do Your Kids Drink Soda?

I'll let my 8yo son have coke occasionally (although he prefers coffee). I have to be careful with these... because they make him super sleepy if he has too much, or too much too quickly.

We have rootbeer floats in the summer.

Sparkling Apple Cider for special occasions (aka adults have champagne, kiddo gets sparkling cider).

My son is too young for soda right now, but like you, I plan to keep it from him for as long as I could. Its not healthy and he won't die it he doesn't have it. I'm just trying to keep him on a healthy track. Hopefully he will stay that way when he is old enough to make his own decisions.

NO I never gave mine ANY soda and my relatives didnt interfere with that. so then they didnt acquire a taste for it and always asked for something different when they got older. Now my 22 year old will drink a little soda but not much and my 19 yr old doesnt like it and my six year old hasnt tried it. To me it is one easy way to start them on a healthy lifestyle

At home - NEVER, b/c I never buy it....except diet coke for hubs.

At parties - they choose, so yes, they drink sodas.

At restaurants - water, unless it's a kids meal and I've only allowed milk or lemonade...but my DD recently and politely asked if she could try root beer, and we had been outside all day, so I said yes.

It's such a terrible sugar habit to start a meal with and then they fill up on that.

Also, my dad was a #1 sales manager for an industrial adhesive company and we used to get tours of beer and soda plants as kids if we were out with him. OMG, when I learned that the FDA ALLOWS 1-2 DEAD RATS per vat of coke/pepsi/any soda syrup - I have not drunk the stuff since. Rats love sugar too. So it's a compromise.

I have a 2 and 3 (almost 3 and 4) year old.
They are allowed "sparkle juice" or naturally flavored and sweetened soda once a week or so. It's a special treat for all of us. Reed's *extra ginger*, ginger brew is tasty as all get out. Lot's of sugar, but darn, sometimes the small things in life are worth the extra teeth brushing and empty calories that they provide.

Once in a while, within reason. With food, drinks, and treats, everything in moderation is my approach. My daughter does not want or ask for excessive candy, soda, or other treats, so it hasn't been much of an issue. She'll stop eating cake halfway through a piece at a Bday party because it doesn't make her feel good, for instance. She might be the only kid who doesn't like french fries, won't even eat them if they are sitting in front of her!

One thing I hate about drinks at any restaurant, though, is the size of the glasses! Huge! Whether it's lemonade, tea, soda, whatever, it's still sugar and what happened to 8 oz being a "serving"!!

No soda right now (our oldest is 3) But when they get older, soda will be a special "treat". My husband and I rarely drink soda anyway so it's never in the house. It's bad for teeth and just sugar water, so we see it in the same light as candy.

Nope not on my watch. The only soda I have in my house is diet Coke for the nanny to drink otherwise I wouldn't have it at all. Even at McDonald's they get lemonade or powerade. On special occassions or holidays they may get sprite or Root Beer, but that isn't very often.

We allow soda if we go out to eat and for "special occasions". Visiting grandparents would be a "special occasion" for us, so I allow that. If we were constantly visiting grandparents, I'd have to rethink it!

Never gave my girls soda. Most have phosphoric acid that cause osteoporosis. Many have sodium benzoate that is normally safe unless it is combined with carbonated water....the rest is just artificial colors and flavors. Now that they are making their own money I can't control them as much. they both went hog wild at first but now have realized Mom was right and have backed off. My eldest only drinks water now and my 15 year old, well, she's 15. She doesn't get it at home and she will choose tea over soda but when the only option is water or soda....soda it is!

A soda every once in a while is okay absolutely NO CAFFEINE- this is rule I refuse to back down on. We buy soda but the boys are allowed to have one a day maybe two if it a special occasion just because I am not a fan of soda in general. But never allowed caffeine- my older one is allowed in now ever now and then but he is 15 and never at night.

Luckily for me, my kids never liked sodas. Juice, water, milk (one drank soy), weak tea, but thats it. I never allowed it when they were small & they never aquired a taste for it.

No, our child doesn't drink soda. Milk, water, occasionally juice mixed w/ water. Sometimes I buy Hansen's soda w/ cane sugar for my husband, but that's about it. (I don't drink it myself; talk about empty calories)

My MIL is always trying to push it on her when we have family occasions and I've said no. Then she found out that I buy Hansen's for my husband sometimes, so she started buying that and wanting to offer it to our daughter. My reply was, "She's not asking for it, so why?"

The other day our daughter came home from school and said, "Mom, did you know that soda is really bad for your body?" I replied, "Yes, I do know that. Did you learn that in school today?" And she replied, yes, that her class is studying healthy foods/drinks. Although I've also told her this in the past, I think it made more of an impact that her teacher discussed it in school. (she's in kindergarten)

I allowed my daughter to have it when she was little, as well as milk, water, and undiluted fruit juice.
I went by the rule that pretty much anything was fine in moderation, rather than forbidding certain foods.

My kids are 5 and 7 and don't drink soda. My 7 year old has tasted some and didn't think much of it. My 5 year old has not yet had any. We have Mt. Dew and Pepsi in our house because my husband drinks it. I don't drink any soda, so I think my kids are used to drinking what I drink which is mainly milk and water. They have never asked for any soda. I wouldn't let them have it very often if they were interested in drinking it.

I do not give it to mine (they are 5 1/2 & 1). I drink it occassionally and my husband never. My mom & dad & FIL respect this decision. My MIL does not. She took it upon herself to give my son a little bit of Coke with a meal one day and he was hyper as all get out later. From then on we said "You can do it ~ if you are willing to deal with him afterwards", it hasn't happened again. I love the stuff, but it is not healthy and my son has weight issues ~ not enough weight. If he is going to injest calories we need them to be as healthy as possible. He is 5 1/2 and weighs 35 lbs, but healthy, just small. I am more concerned than the doctor, because he is advanced for his age and energetic. When they are older I do feel it will be their decision to make, but hopefully by then they will not have a taste for it. Right now my son is a wonderful water drinker and loves lemonade.

We don't have soda at home, but they do occassionally have it when we go out. They are 7 and 13. Caffeine and sugar do not seem to effect them at all, but I don't see the need for them to have the extra sugar in their systems. I sure don't need the sugar either. :) Once in awhile when we go out to eat I don't mind them having it as a treat, though they will usually choose sweet tea instead.

No soda in this house. My husband and I don't drink it either so it isn't even in the house. My parents live nearby and luckily they don't drink soda either so I don't have to worry when the kids go to their house. My kids are 6, 4 and almost 2. We don't really go out to eat either, so it hasn't been an issue yet.

My guys are 4 and 17 months. Occasionally when we go out, my eldest can have a kid's cup of sprite. When we go out, I mean like once a month. My youngest does not. I don't think the oldest would argue if we gave him juice or something instead, it's just a little treat. It doesn't really come up because at school and his sporting events, everyone drinks water or apple juice or whatever. My youngest became obsessed (last month) about drinking soda when he stole some from a rootbeer can I had left on the desk. I didn't realize he could reach it and I came back in the room to him with rootbeer all over his face and shirt and a "WOW" look in his eyes. I have not bought more, because I want him to see me drinking water and lemonade instead. (He would reach and scream for my soda, so....we don't need to buy that again for a little while....which would be better for me, too). We do have ginger ale, and occasionally my husband will give the oldest a sip of that. We DO have rootbeer floats a couple times during the summer as a special treat, but that's no caffeine and just goes over the ice cream.

No, never. Not at home, not out. She can make her own choices later, much later. No one in my family, none of our friends drink it. Funny, I don't have a problem with alcohol, but soda just seem pointless.

My six year old has never had a sip (other than a jello salad I make that uses Coke instead of water). My 3 year old grabbed what was left of my watered-down Dr. Pepper and took a sip once. We never even offer it to them. We describe them as "adult drinks" just like we would an alcoholic drink. They don't question it. Also, our kids pretty much only drink water and milk. The oldest will drink lemonade, but no other juice. She just doesn't like it. The youngest will drink watered-down apple juice at breakfast and sometimes watered-down V-8 Fusion juice. I believe that soda plays a huge role in childhood obesity. It is empty calories. If they don't develop a taste for it when they are young, they may never be interested in it.

My boys are 5, 3, and 9 months and have never had soda. I don't really drink it, so it's just not around the house. A few months ago I took my 5 year old to a birthday party and they served all the kids Sprite. My son brought me his cup and said the water tasted funny. I told him it was soda and he said he didn't like it. I dumped it and gave him water. I definitely hold off as long as possible.

My son, 8, has always (maybe not before 3-4) had soda occasionally. Moderation.

My kids didn't know soda until this past year or so, LOL!! I don't drink it, it's not in the house, they never even knew it existed ;) Now, the only time they can have soda is if it's caffeine free and we're eating at a restaurant, which rarely happens so it's kind of a special thing. I'm not anti-soda, like if they were at a friends house or something, I'M not going to be the one to offer or give it to them ;) It's about moderation. I think if they didn't have it once in a while, they'd go nuts with it when they could!!

I let me kids have soda if we are out and nothing else is easily available but only Sprite or 7UP. Or if we have pizza or are at a party. Otherwise it is juice, milk or water. However, if they have a chance to have soda, they don't go overboard and stop with 2 or 3 cups at most. I have watched to see what they do so I know they make the right decision without me prompting.

My son is 5 and the only soda he gets is Sprite and that's with a happy meal at mc d's. Other then that he doesn't get soda:)

My oldest does but she is ADHD and the caffeine helps with hyper activity. She s 9 and is given coke zero on the weekends when she's off her meds

My son is nine years old and has never had an interest in soda at all. I gave him a sip of sprite at a birthday party when he was in kindergarten and he made the most aweful face and wanted to spit it out. Hasn't had anything carbonated since. He used to drink apple juice when he was younger but doesn't want that either now. Only white milk and water is what he will drink; no chocolate milk either. I have to say that I am very happy about that. :)

They only get it when we go out to dinner with g-pop and g-mop. Or if they are being baby sat by the same two grand parents.

We rarely see them and my kids tend to behave better if they know they are going to get soda:) I only allow sprite/ seven up.

When our daughter was about three, my mom offered her a sip of her beloved Coke. I was out of the room. My daughter immediately yelped, "Hot! Hot!" and ever since she thinks of any carbonated drink as "spicy." And since we don't keep it around the house anyway and don't get it when out at dinner, she doesn't have any desire for it. Just as well because it's so unhealthy and she now sees it as awful tasting too.

My girls are 4 and 21 months. They don't drink soda. We let our oldest try root beer when she was about 3 and she hated it. My youngest snuck a drink of daddy's pop the other day.She LOVED it! LOL! But, we don't and won't give it to her. We prefer that they drink water.

About once a month or less (mostly special occasions) they can have it. The 14 and 15 year old are allowed a coke or pepsi. The 6 and 9 year old still have to stick to sprite or rootbeer. I am not a big soda person myself. My kids are happy with chocolate milk as a treat :)

I never buy soda for the house when I go grocery shopping, if we go out to dinner or to the movies I'll let my daughter get whatever drink she wants. She is 8. At home we have milk and water and occasionally juice.

I don't want my daughter (2) to have soda. When she was about 15 months she wanted to try what mommy was drinking. She tried my coke and hated it. She's tried my soda one more time at 17 months and hated it. Now she won't even try it, which is great. When on vacation, the only rules I really stick to are behavioral rules. Both times she tried soda we were on vacation, with an anything goes when it comes to food. Luckily for me, my daughter, even at such a young age, understood we don't eat and drink like that often. What I have to watch out for is Gatorade. Thinking she hated soda, when my sister offered her some Gatorade she would have the same reaction to the sweetness. She didn't and she loves it. As a result no Gatorade.

My DD will be 4 in August and she's never had soda. She likes orange juice and chocolate milk but that's it as far as sweetened drinks. One time she got thirsty while playing at the park but she had already drank all the water in her sippy cup so I offered some of my Coke instead (I don't keep soda in the house but I will have it sometimes when we're out) - she took one sip and hated it! Said it was yucky! I can only hope she stays that way!

I didn't want my daughter to have soda just juice but when she is at my parents they give her soda. Really made me mad since I was against it. Now she always asks for soda. I give her ginger ale or sprite. These don't have caffiene. When we go out and she asks for soda that is what we get or I talk her into getting Vitamin Water or Gatorade. My dad wants to send soda with her to preschool and I tell him NO! She gets a juice box and doesn't complain. Besides I don't think the teacher would let her have it anyway. Don't you just love parents that do what THEY want instead of what YOU want???

We try to limit our son to one cola a week.
He knows it a 'sometimes' treat that's not good to have all the time.
The rest of the time he drinks milk, water or juice.

My kids are 15 (spec needs so she NEVER has it), 11 and 8. The 2 youngest only have soda when we go to McD's (maybe twice a month) or if they are at a party. On occasion we let them have it on the weekends. Otherwise they only drink milk and water (no juice). I don't want to limit it too much because then they will just chug it the first chance they get!!! :o)

Mine is 4. He can have a small amount if he wants, but it counts as his one "treat" for the day. So far he has never opted to have soda over desert. We don't drink it either. I used to get it when we had company, but our guests have stopped wanting it so I don't buy it at all now. I hope to impress upon him that it is really the equivalent of eating candy (as opposed to being a thirst quenching beverage) but at some point he will get old enough to make his own decisions on that.

Nope, and its because we don't buy it. I indulge in a Pepsi once in a while, and my kids have all tried soda but none care for it, and they've never had more than a sip so its not a craving for them. Its just canned junk, no reason for it.

My 5 & 6 yo prefer water or milk. Occasionally they'll have chocolate milk and rarely juice. My eldest picked pop by mistake and gagged. You can not convince her to have it. My youngest never showed any interest even when people and other kids drink them marshmallows on the other hand... let's just say we try not to get those.

My son is now 14 and I let him have one or two Coca-Cola per weekend - it is the weekend treat. If I buy soda for a special event (party etc.) I purchase caffeine free Pepsi....his friends have all adapted very nicely to this. LOL

However, my boy did not have soda until he was 5, and then it was because his dad gave him some. Arrggh The "Well, I just figured he drank it" comment was rather annoying. But it has never been a common drink for my household. I don't drink it either. We normally drink lots of water, milk, and juice.

Anyhoo, my son is the same boy who did not know chocolate milk existed until he was in pre-school and they had chocolate milk Wednesdays - he came home from the first Wednesday of pre-school, at age three, just amazed that such a thing existing.

I think the food choices we give them when they are toddlers help establish adult eating patterns. So, I kept it uber-healthy then and now I find that although he likes junk, he makes many healthy choices on his own.

God Bless

DS is 5 and no soda. I don't drink it, it is full of sugar/HFCS (bad for teeth, great for obesity, bad for the environment). I just do not see any reason for it.

My son is 3 and obviously, he doesn't drink soda. He has asked to try my husband's, but he didn't like it. If he does decide that he likes it (which I hope he wont) I wouldn't make it off limits since I don't believe in that unless has lots of chemicals. It would be for special occasions like parties.

DH & I don't like soda so our kids (9YO twins) never really saw us drinking it and never became curious about it b/c it wasn't around our house. They've tried it at friends' birthday parties and day camp and decided on their own that they don't like it. It's a texture issue with one of them (she doesn't like any 'fizzy' beverages even things like Martinelli's sparkling cider) and a taste issue with the other one (she thinks it tastes "too artificial" - she *does* like Martinelli's sparkling cider or "fizzy juice" when we mix fruit juice with some sparkling mineral water)

My kids rarely drink it. They are both runners and the coach has banned it from their diets during training, which for cross country and track is pretty much all year! They choose not to drink it except for very rare treats. When they were younger they would get it if we went to a restaurant and maybe here and there at home, but never on a regular basis. They don't drink much juice either. We go through a ton of water and probably 1 1/2 gallons of milk per day, so they definitely are doing ok without the soda!

My oldest is almost 4, and she has soda and lemonade (which has just as much sugar as soda) every now and then. It is almost always when we go out to eat. However, she does NOT get anything with caffeine in it. My husband and I are very sensitive to things like caffeine, so we figure our kids are likely to be too. That's just what I need is a child with MORE energy. LOL

We don't keep soda in the house either because I have a horrible sweet tooth and find myself drinking it all the time, so my husband and I are forced to set a good example anyway. Like other posters, I don't want to forbid it and make it a big deal, so I leave it as a special treat.

I was horrified once when I went to Costco and saw a little 2 year old boy carrying around his 20 oz Coke and drinking freely from it. I thought maybe he was borrowing his parents' drink, but the rest of the family each had one as well. It was in the evening too. I didn't envy his parents at bedtime. LOL

Mine are almost 4 and 15 months. Very rarely do they have soda. My youngest has had a sip a handful of times. My oldest will have it if we are somewhere and everyone is drinking soda and he asks for it, like a party. The "bad" drink around here is sweet tea. My MIL uses a lot of sugar and my son will practically guzzle it. Usually, they are just offered milk or water.

DH and I drink diet soda, so we have a variety of diet sodas in our house, or varieties like Diet root beer, Diet Coke, Sprite Zero, etc. We cannot stand the taste or amount of calories in full sugar regular soda, so we never, ever buy regular soda. We give our girls juice, water, or milk with breakfast, milk with lunch, and milk with dinner. Every once in awhile they will ask for a diet soda after school, in the evening, or on the weekend. And I am fine with that. They don't even ask for it all the time, really. My oldest will often take 1/4 of a can and be done. We have plenty of caffeine free varieties, which I do insist upon in the evenings, but they almost always gravitiate towards caffeine free kinds anyway. My philosophy is moderation, not forbidding.

I once met a friend at McDonalds when our kids were preschool age. She kind of freaked out when I allowed my girls to have a Sprite with their meals. I didn't know I committed a faux pas, but it seems I did. Her kids were fascinated by my girls sodas and she was clearly uncomfortable. She said her kids had never had soda, she does not allow it (I didn't know) and they allow milkshakes at McDonalds instead of soda. So that is what her kids had. It turned out fine, but I realized we had totally different ways of parenting when it came to soda.

No soda in the house- ever. But when we are out and they're getting a kids meal that includes a drink, we allow Sprite or Root Beer.

my daughter is only 2 and a half so she doesn't drink soda. We don't keep it in the house though because I really don't like it and don't like how unhealthy it is. Her dad likes some every once and a while but we get hansens when he really has that craving. I have never been a fan of completely banning a child from something though because I feel like they will later go crazy with it when they can go get it themselves.

My kids only drink soda at special events like birthday parties, holidays or when my in-laws are coming over. I hate taking back cans, I have little room in my fridge and my kids are not very active, so they do not need the extra calories. My kids drink capri suns, sparkling water, milk and kool-aid--and it's just fine.

I grew up with soda in the house and we could drink it whenever we wanted. Probably like lots of the people on here. I don't drink it anymore and I think it's not good for kids. Our son (7yrs old) sees other kids drinking it and BEGS for it. He sees the older middle and high school boys on our street drinking it and he looks up to them...of course this means he really really wants soda. We don't buy soda and have none in the house. However, we have the rule that he is allowed 1 soda a week if we go out to eat in a restaurant. We don't go out every week so maybe it ends up being 1 or 2 a month.

not everyday but when we go out (saturday lunch after dance rare evenings - like once a month) my 12 yr old will. she'll choose sprite if it's evening w/o me telling her. She used to only have milk until probably schoolage and then it wasn't always up to her. My 19 month old only gets milk/pediasure - no water or juice. But she knows my diet coke is something special and i have to keep it out of reach!!

Never on a regular basis, but rarely as a holiday treat, maybe one. (Fortunately, I have never like them, and think of them as an unhealthy waste of money.) I think my daughter began drinking sodas with her friends in high school, but never expected it at home. Now her son (5) doesn't drink soda, except as a rare treat.

Oh, I actually saw 2 little kids drinking soda last weekend, both around 4, different parents and places.
I don't give the little one soda at all (3 years old), the older one only drinks soda in special occasions, normally no coke but sprit, but every once in a full moon she would have coke, little bit.

My kids are 7 and 9 years old. I allow them soda occasionally. They split a can, so that's only half a can each for the day. My son would be happy to have more if I let him. My daughter sometimes doesn't even finish hers. I don't see a problem in a little soda once in a while. They know it's not healthy enough to have all the time.

We did not introduce soda to the kids until recently...and neither one of them like it. YAY!

It is like someone said below the one food/drink rule we are strict on. We took the kids bowling one afternoon and my husband bought a pitcher of Root Beer...thinking the kids would love it...they poured their pop back into the pitcher and went to the water fountain to fill up with water.

"it's gross"....that's all they said.

YAYA!

The only time my kids will drink soda including the caffienated kind is family parties,the occasional out to eat at a buffet,my in-laws don't drink sodaso they won't get it there,my parents are on a limited soda intake so they will hardly get it there unless it is leftovers from a family function.I feel that it is empty calories that will add unwanted weight on a child if consumed daily & not regulated,they don't need the extra sugars,don't need the carbonation to rave havoc on their tiny bladders causing UTI's,the caffeine stimulant they can go without.SO all in all they will get maybe 3 cups in a month & that is mainly ice to water it down they will not guzzle it either after a cup they are ready for milk or water.
I will regulate what they eat or drink I will not force them to eat or drink something they don't like nor will I completely t ake foods or drinks away from them just becasue it is bad for them I will do things in moderation I don't want my kids to think that everything is bad or harmful to their health I do tell them what is or isn't plus I don't want them to fell ashamed of being over weight when it is something that can be controlled through diet & exercise,I wnat them to make the right choices as they get older I don't want them to become yound obese children having adult health issues,nor do I wnat them to hoard foods/drinks becasue they were never exposed to it as a child casuing health related issues.

My daughter will take sips of my soda and my husband's. My husband is a diet soda adict and I try not to let her drink that at all due to the chemicals. But I will never give her her own cup of soda - unless she is sick. Then I use ginger ale and Coke to get fluids in.

She does, however LOVE coffee. If I put my cup down, she will drink 1/2 of it. But I drank coffee from about 4. But I only do one cup a day now so it never made much of an impact.

We do not. They have never heard them ask for it, but I do know on occasion they have been with friends of ours and they were given Sprite. They told the adult they do not drink soda but the friend just told them it was ok to drink it b/c modmmy and daddy were not there. I wasn't too irritated by it b/c I know it was like a 1 or 2 time type thing.

I hope as they get older they continue not to drink it but all I can do is not buy it for the house. I can not control their time outside of the house at friends homes.

Nope. No soda for anyone in our house. I don't think my four year old girls have ever tried it. Sometimes we'll have ginger ale in the house - my husband likes it when he's working outside and wants something with more calories than water.

If we go to a party in a few years where it's being served I won't forbid my kids from drinking it, but I will suggest they drink water instead.

They get it extremely rarely. They like it a lot but we just don't buy it very often. It's a sometimes treat.

If we get them something it's either made with real sugar or stevia since my son can't have any artificial sweeteners. And they never get anything that's caffienated. They'll usually get something like 7-Up or Sprite. Every once in a while it's rootbeer. They usually only have it on special ocassions (like a bday party etc.). And when they do get it, 2 of them will usually split a can so they don't get very much.

I don't encourage soda drinking. My daughters are prone to UTI's and bladder infections, and the "liquid candy" that is soda/pop is one of the worst things you can give a child. The high fructose corn syrup and other sugars are very bad for the urinary tract and can also promote yeast infections because yeast like to feast on sugar (one reason we had to cut juices out of the girls' diets as toddlers... juice is just "pre-soda"). The acid and fizzy bubbles in the sodas isn't good for teeth enamel or for the digestive system lining either.

In our house, the HFCS is a major problem as well since my girls have a food sensitivity to it and it causes behavior disruptions. Luckily my child with Autism hates soda because of the bubbles and overly-sweetness of it for sensory reasons. She says the bubbles burn her mouth.

Soda also promotes tooth decay, Type II Diabetes, and obesity. A child that drinks cola and other sodas frequently is more likely to drink it all the time as an adult which raises the health risks even further.

BUT all that said, I don't make soda The Forbidden Drink. I will not buy it unless we're having a party with guests, at which time they're allowed to have a couple of ounces to satisfy their desire for it. If we go to a party they're allowed a couple of ounces and then know to ask for water or something else to drink. The girls have no problem with this and very often, they choose the healthier drinks over soda on their own without me saying a word nor giving a look.

I do not give my 3 year old any soda. I don't want my son to have the caffeine and/or the empty calories. I do however sometimes let him get a "kiddie cocktail" if we go out to eat and he's being good. We really don't drink any in our house except for a diet coke every now and then.

No, except once in a while. We don't keep any in the house but buy a few for family get-togethers. When my daughter was three and we were at my dad's, my step-mom asked if she would like some pop and my daughter said "No, we're not at McDonald's." lol we landed there perhaps 1x/month.

A friend of ours had to have their son's baby teeth capped, surgically to the tune of $2k at age 4, since the teeth were ruined from soda and to hopefully allow his adult teeth to make it. He did get his adult teeth but they aren't that great looking. The child would not drink anything other than soda and they allowed it from the time he was one.

I don't let my daughter drink soda normally. The only exception is when she has an upset stomach, I'll let her drink some gingerale. It's not good for you. She's most likely going to suffer from migraines when she gets older, as both my exhusband and myself (and all of the women in my family) do; caffiene helps get rid of a migraine, and if you cut out caffiene from your diet (so soda for example), you lessen your tolerance and when you take in the caffiene for your migraine, it works faster. Abby also does not have any enamel on her teeth (heriditary issue on her fathers side), so we've been to the dentist a lot and don't want to cause any cavities.

We occasionally give our 3.5 year old a sip or two of Dad's soda when we are at a restaurant, but that is it! Doesnt drink much juice or anything like that either. He seems to prefer water now!

S.:

My kids didn't start drinking soda until the past year. And ONLY when I say it's okay....my youngest - ALMOST 9 - says it's OKAY and really didn't like the bubbles...he still enjoys milk, lemonade and kool-aid. My oldest, 11? HE LOVES Dr. Pepper....I let them have things in MODERATION....and my idea of moderation when it comes to soda is once a week...MAYBE!!! :)

I do NOT make it "forbidden"...as I perceive "forbidden" things just make you want it more...so moderation is OKAY.

My daughter is not quite two but no, she doesn't get soda and like you I don't relax that rule. I don't feel she needs the sugar and caffinee in it yet.

They drink soda about as much as they drink chocolate milk, which means rarely.
My husand and I aren't huge soda drinkers either. We used to be pre-kids and gained so much weight because of it. Diet gives me mingraines due to the artificial sweetners. So when I do it's real sugar (like Hansens) or when we're out somewhere sometimes.
We don't forbid it but we don't have it every day. Same with anything that's not all that healthy for you. Moderation ;)

When my kids were young, they were allowed to have soda if we went out to eat (this was rare, maybe once every couple of months) or if they were at a party or it was a holiday. Occasional soda, from preschool age. My youngest is now 11 and he does like soda, but again, only gets it occasionally, we dont' keep it in the house. My oldest is almost 16 and doesn't love soda. If we go out to eat, she'll be just as likely to chose water rather than soda, same if she buys a beverage at an event.

They're aloud caffenine free soda when we are out to dinner or at a birthday party sometimes. We don't keep it at home though. My kids are 6 & 5 and just started allowing it within the last couple of months. Although I think we will be rethinking that decision. We went out to dinner a few nights ago and they had caffeine free root beer, but were still totally wired when we got home. So the new rule is, no soda at dinner time, maybe for lunch if we go out, which is rare.

No my daughter does not drink soda, she will cry if you try to make her. We never gave it to her when she was little(er) so now she has no taste for it at all she is 6. At daycare last summer they went to the movies and got all the kids, a kids snack pack and they got her a sprite and she came home and cried to me that they had given her a yucky soda and she didnt get water (what she drinks when we go to the movies). My husband drinks coke non stop, I think he would bleed coke if he was cut open, I drink soda, but not often. If she wanted to drink a soda I think I would allow her to, atleast once..haha

No, but I have diluted Ginger Ale for her when she was sick. Otherwise, I don't give her soda. Like you, I will not relax that rule, I will not relax the no candy rule either.

No, no soda here , much less chocolate milk or juice.. we try and stay away from the extra calories and or sugar..

My son is only two, but we plan on not allowing it. Now, we he gets a little older...I don't see allowing a soda at a party of something, as a big deal. I don't believe in refusing junk for a kid. I don't believe in allowing it often, but we plan on keeping a treat, a treat. We don't drink soda, so it's not in the house.

What I will NOT get lenient with, is caffeine. When he is old enough to drive and purchase his own things, he can drink caffeine if he chooses. As long as it's my choice, he will not be drinking it.

No. We don't allow our 7 year old. We didn't allow our 25 or 21 year old when they were younger either, and now they choose not to drink soda. Unfortunately I am addicted to Coke Zero! My parents allowed me when I was young.

I only let them have 1 pop on Saturday & 1 on Sunday or if there is a vacation I will let them have one. Soda is not good for growing bones....is what I tell them which is true. They really don't mind, and honestly they have usually only 1 pop on Saturday.

I don't buy soda for my family.

My 2 1/2 year old does not get soda at all, it really hasn't come up. Occasionally she will take a sip of mine or my husbands if we are out to eat (rarely) or it's sitting around. She doesn't do it because she wants soda, she does it because she wants to be like mommy and daddy. I guess it should inspire my husband and I to drink more water (which we do, but sometimes my headaches just require a caffinated drink!)

The biggest treat we let her have is watered down apple juice occasionally when we go out to eat. She LOVES juice, so we don't keep any in the house, ,so tha we don't have to take it away. We will very rarely let her have a juice box if we are spending the day out somewhere and need something easy. I don't want her to have all the sugar in the juice, and she loves eating an apple and drinking a glass of water almost as much.

At her age there is no reason for her to have a soda.