What Age Did You Introduce Soda to Your Child?

My daughter is 8 and does not drink soda.
But then, neither do we.
We drink organic stuff like tea, water, milk, RARELY juice, and only fresh squeezed, no sugar added stuff.
No reason to drink calories and rot teeth.
Not to mention all of the perseratives and artificial colors and chemicals in them.
YUCK!
We do organic or homeade on pretty much everything, we avoid added anything. Try to only have ingredients that we know what they are, can pronounce them.
No high fructose corn syrup, no growth hormones, no colors or dyes.

Never. I mean, mine is 7, and we don't allow soda in the house. He's had a few sips at friends' houses and the like, and he hates it -- his taste buds, nerves/whatever, haven't adjusted to the carbonation.

I think soda is about one step up from cigarettes, in terms of health "benefits." I wouldn't "introduce" it any more than I'd introduce smoking.

I can't remember when my kids first tasted soda. It isn't something we usually have in the house. Parties are a special occasion though, so I don't find it unusual that you saw it at the birthday party.

Lemonade is not better than soda. It often contains even more sugar. Fruit juice is liquid candy with little nutritional value. I'm not judging you, just pointing out that you're not able to take the moral high ground on this one.

i can't remember, and i doubt i consciously 'introduced' it. they probably had a sip of ours at a ball game or horse show, and that was that. from 4 or 5 on they would have an occasional soda, on a trip to mcDs or something.
i'm a little amused by the puritans on either end.
yes, lemonade and fruit juices have lots of sugar. but i think naturally occurring sugars are a butt-ton better than added white sugar and cane syrup. i wish i'd been stricter about making my kids drink water, but they had mostly milk (chocolate only on special occasions) and real fruit juice.
as far as children's parties go, there's just no good answer for the poor parents putting it on. the no-juice nazis will be outraged if you offer pure organic fruit juice, the casual-about-sugar parents will snicker behind their hands if you DON'T have kool-aid and soda available for their sugar-hyped perpetual motion machines, half the kids at the party will be lactose intolerant, and the water purists will kvetch that your water isn't BPA free or has too much city chlorine in it.
:) khairete
S.

Wow, too many people are extreme one way or another.

Soda is not the devil.... it's a treat, and just like other junk food, is fun and acceptable in moderation.

I am a strong advocate for promoting health and good nutrition in children; however, I realize that moderation is the key to a wholesome diet.

We don't keep soda in our house, but if we are at a special event, it's ok.
My kids (6 and 2.5) chose to share a soda at the local fair this summer instead of cotton candy. No big deal.

My son understands that chocolate milk, lemonade, soda, and other sweet drinks are counted as his treat for the day, and he makes good decisions about what to drink based on that.

I had a number of friends growing up whose parents made soda/treats taboo, and once they had the freedom to choose what to eat they went overboard on the things they were not allowed to have.

Never formally "introduced" soda.

It is a treat...it is fizzy and delicious. We don't ban it from our home. We drink it on special occasions or sometimes out at a restaurant.

Our kid's grandparents ALWAYS have soda and sugary drinks at their home for the kids. I personally have fond memories of being at my own grandparent's home and them always having glass bottles of RC Cola. Mmmmmmmm that stuff was good after a hot day of playing outside...and I got my very own ice cold bottle to boot.

Fast forward 30+ years. I drink soda in moderation...love..love...love drinking ice water,eat healthy homemade meals and produce from our garden and exercise 5-6 days a week. That early "introduction" to soda didn't ruin my potential for a healthy lifestyle.

Kids are smart....teach them smart food/drink choices and let them choose for themselves as they gradually get older. My kids often pass up a dessert or sugar filled drink because they know what it does to their body. We try very hard not to make food or drinks a battle.

I think it's fine in moderation. I'm surprised by so many extremes here as well. It's not alcohol for gosh sakes! Our kids have soda on occasion...big deal! They also get ice cream, cake and cookies on occasion as well. It's a treat! They were all pretty young when they first had it, probably between 1 and 2. I think my youngest (4) probably had her first taste when she was 1. We go out with her much more often than the other kids because she's ours together, so we always have her and we usually don't eat out with all 6 kids. We save it for when they are at their other houses. Anyway, we always allow her to get soda if we go out, but she rarely makes a dent in the cup. Often, she'll ask for water too, and drink that. If your child was drinking it all the time, I'd worry. But an occasional drink is harmless.

I let my daughter have sips off mine as soon as she was old enough to ask for it.
Most of the time she drank whole milk, undiluted fruit juice, or water.
A soda once in a while didn't do her any harm.

I absolutely offered soda at my kid's parties when they were aroudn the age of 4. If it was at a jump yard, bowling alley, movie theater, etc...that was the biggest option. If people didn't want it, fine, but 95% of the people took it every time.

It's a treat - not something you grab to quench your thirst.

So my kids were pretty young, before 4 for sure.

I see no reason whatsoever why kids (or anyone else) need to drink soda. It's just about one of the worst, nutritionally useless things you can put in your body and serves no purpose. We won't do soda here. Obviously I can't control what they may have outside of the house when the time comes, but we talk a lot about good nutrition and avoiding things that can make us sick.

Good for you and don't feel pressured...soda is hardly a rite of passage. =)

ETA: We don't do juice much at all, either, but it is far preferrable to soda. Think about ingredients when considering health value, not just calories or sugar. Does it have chemical additives (linked to migraines, chronic inflammation and behavior issues ), how processed is it, is the sugar naturally occurring or added...? We strive for "real food" bc that's what our bodies recognize and process most efficiently. Also, we don't forbid. We educate and guide toward better choices so our kids learn how to do so themselves. Not a puritan, I just think kids deserve better than the plethora of artificial food-like products sold today. =)

Have no idea, but my kids are 8 and 6 they've both have had soda at this point.

But they only drink it at parties, a restaurant or sometimes on rare occasions I let them have some with pizza. I try not to make it a big deal.

Call me the devil, but my kids were about 3 or 4 (oldest, I was more strict...my youngest is 3 1/2 and drinks it sometimes). We don't drink it just any old day though, it's for special outings like the movie theater. If we're going to the movies, we share a popcorn and they can have either rootbeer or Sprite. Also, if we're going out they have a choice of milk, water, rootbeer, Sprite, or lemonade. Lemonade almost always wins out. We drink milk and water all the time at our house, 1 glass of juice a day, and I don't have a problem with them drinking something as a treat for a special occasion or outing. I feel like if I strictly forbade it, they'd want it more once they DO get it. And no, I'm not giving it to them everyday. I try for a healthy all-around lifestyle, but I don't see anything wrong with having a small soda once every month or so. Especially considering how active they are, how the dentist brags on their teeth, and how well they do with better choices on a daily basis. It wouldn't cross my mind to serve it to kids at a children's party though, unless they were more like 10-12....just because....it wouldn't have crossed my mind to do so at my kids' ages.

ETA: some moms seem all up in arms about it being unhealthy and therefore shouldn't be given. I say birthday cake (or much more importantly, cheesecake, yummmmm) are N O T healthy foods. But I'd think someone was a little off kilter if their child never got a slice of birthday or cheesecake because of that. A treat is just that: a treat. Keep your kids healthy, active, and making right choices on a daily basis, and a fun treat will be nothing to be afraid of!

Good for you! It's awesome that your child's guilty pleasure is juice! It's been a long time but my kids had soda by four, I know. Times are changing, choices are better and that's a great thing.

I let them have it at parties and restaurants, probably starting around 4. We don't have it at home so it's like candy, it's a treat, not a way of life.

My boys started having soda when they were 5-6 at birthday parties, the movies and restaurants. Now they are 8 and 11 and they are allowed to have a soda on the weekend. They had Kool-Aid type drinks when they were younger because those are the drinks usually served at birthday parties, school parties and church events. At home they drink mainly milk, water and sometimes juice. Moderation is key.

Meh. Soda isn't a big deal in our house - it's allowed at parties and restaurants, which aren't often enough to be an issue. I would be surprised to see soda at a child's party though - at every little kid party we've hosted or attended, the beverage choices were water or juice boxes/pouches. My kids all had soda by age 4 though.

My kids (15,12 and 10) have had soda several times in their lives, but generally, it's not something any of us choose to drink. Water is the beverage of choice in our house. I think they were around 4 or 5 when they were first exposed to soda. My son nearly choked on his first sip of Coke (he was around 8 or so) - spat it out and made a hideous face. Lol!

If you can avoid introducing your son to soda at all, do so. There's absolutely no reason to put that poison into your body if you can avoid it.

Not til they were 12. (No, that's not a typo...) I watched one of their friends drink sodas everytime we were with the family. I just wouldn't allow it with mine.

my daughter had it once at daycare and I got pretty annoyed, she was 5, I think, and I didn't realize they'd give kids that young soda at a party. I send juice with her now on party days.

She's almost seven now and we've let her have sprite once. There's just no reason a kid that young needs soda. My sister gives her 3 year old soda and then wonders why he's so crazy hyper all the time. I'm like, duh, you gave him sugar and caffeine, what do you expect?

My daughter who is 3 gets a root beer every once in a while as a special treat. I think totally banning something only increases the exotic factor of it. I wouldn't keep it in the house so it's not a constant battle, but at a party or something special, it's no big deal.

My son will be 7 in a month, he has only had a taste of soda. He liked the bubbles ... we found that carbonated water did the trick!

His father and I plan to keep him away from soda as long as possible, there is no need for it. My two nephews can polish off a 2liter of Mt Dew in like two hours (each with their own) they have had soda since they were young. As a kid I too had soda at a young age and regret that my mother let me - now if soda is an option I usually go for it. That's why we do not keep it in the house regularly. My fiancé did not have it too much growing up, but his Mom gives it to the grandkids all the time, he is not a big soda drinker. Sometimes we will get a glass bottle of a Goose Island Soda, real sugar and all, that is better tasting and more satisfying to be honest.

So, we bring "fizzy water" with us all the time to parties and such where we know soda will be served.

They got some when they were old enough to grab my cup and take a sip from the straw, so the age varied by child but most had some by the time they were 2.

It's like any other drink in my house, and I've never had to monitor them because they are good at drinking a variety on their own. My house drinks more tea then anything (I control the sugar), but they have the same access to that as they do the soda, juice, milk and water.

I am ashamed to say my son drank soda very early. His father and I both drank Mountain Dew and his dad was horrible about leaving cans sitting with just a little left in it. He started drinking that little bit and my family that babysat wasn't good at telling him now.

My daughter is 6.5 right now and doesn't drink soda. She has had sips of Pepsi and Ginger Ale (with my cousin and my hubby) but when asked what she wants her first answer is always "chocolate milk" or "water". Her other choices are juice, tea, or lemonade but she prefers milk or water. We were even at a Pepsi event and she chose a hot can of their tea rather than drink a regular soda (so I must be doing something right).

I am always surprised when we go to kids events and soda is the only option (so we have to ask for water because she really doesn't want the soda).

I do not remember the actual age, but I wish it had been never.

My first son had a taste around 1. And he always got a sip or two from my husband (I refuse to let kids sip my drinks and then backwash...blech!) when my husband has some.
My second son probably tasted around the same time. Same thing with the husband.
My third....she had a taste around 9 months. Oh man. She loves it! BUT...again...only sips when papa has some.
My kids don't drink a lot of soda but they do have some. I figure it's a thing called moderation. At home they don't have any. If we are out and about at a party or something they can have one.
And really? I have some pretty amazing kids. They are well behaved. They are in good shape. They play outside on sports teams with their friends. Their teeth are fine. And they have sips of soda! GASP!
L.
Mira....seriously? Smoking compared to soda? That sounds a bit cray cray.....you do know that right? Maybe you were just trying to make a point?

Never, and she is almost 5. People look at me like I'm crazy. Even before she was diagnosed ADHD/ODD, it was never an option. It provides no health benefits at all. It blows my mind to see kids drinking it at restaurants. I'm tired of defending my choice and arguing with people about it. I also work in an Endocrine clinic and see 200+ lb kids, I'm sure that has made me a little jaded. I'm terribly addicted to coke and diet mountain dew. I'm also a raging insomniac and have terrible anxiety. I remember being given coke at an early age, thanks dad.

Honestly, mine were very young. (Older ones were around 2, younger ones, closer to 1). It was started because we'd be out at the mall, get lunch, and I was only buying one drink for everyone. So we would all split a soda. Now I don't even do that anymore. We split a water. They can have it at home once in a blue moon. I do let them have it at parties.

Our oldest is 8. He has never had soda.

The only time my dd has soda is when we go out to eat (1x per week), if it comes with the kids meal we let her order it. Otherwise, no soda in our house. She didn't even start to order her own meal until she was six (very picky eater...doesn't eat much)

My kids haven't had it. While yes there is sugar in juice, cereal, fruit snack, etc etc Why get them "hooked" on any more bad stuff.
We rarely drink it ourselves. My kids haven't even had chocolate milk! Don't ruin a good thing!

My kids are 5 & 2, Never had soda. We offered home made root beer to my 5 year old.. he did not want it.. I do not feel that soda is a necessary drink. His drink of choice is juice, yogurt smoothies, water. My 5 year old can not drink cows milk, we are working on getting him used to cocounut milk- he will take it in his cereal and yogurt smoothies (drinkable yogurts that I make by adding milk to it).

my kids are 6 and 8 and they still do not have soda. I am trying to quit it myself actually. I will let them have a small amount like once a year but they really don't like it that much anyway

I don't remember the exact age I gave my kids soda. I drink it.

What is the typical age? I've seen kids drinking it at age 3...yeah - at restaurants...

Juice has high fructose corn syrup.
Juice has sugar in it....
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/juice-380483-calories-...

then we can talk about all the sugar your (in general - not YOU) kid might via cake, ice cream, lemonade (how much sugar is used to off-set the tart of lemons?), brownies, candy, etc.

Milk even has sugar in it. Skim milk has 12GRAMS of sugar....
http://www.livestrong.com/article/232080-can-milk-raise-g...

shocked yet?

Do NOT give in to the perceived "need" to push soda on your son. Our kids were not introduced to any kind of soda until around age 4, and neither of them liked it (thankfully). They didn't like the carbonation.

It took our son until he was probably around 4th grade, to come around and like it ok. And then we limited his consumption of it (only with take out meals) never at home. In fact, we pretty much have never kept much of it in the house anyway. So it just wasn't on the radar...

Daughter, still isn't a fan. She is 12. She liked lemonade when she was small (age 4 ish) and then went a long time where she said she didn't like even that. She always has gotten water where ever we go, and has sat with nothing to drink a few times during school "parties" where the moms putting it on only brought juice boxes or soda (she didn't like juice boxes either). She had to learn to be proactive and ask to go get water in a cup from the fountain outside the classroom.

She recently rediscovered lemonade, but still doesn't care for soda. She "will" have a few sips of sprite if she has to, and "will" drink grape soda... but that's it. She prefers water, lemonade or sometimes Gatorade/Powerade (depending upon the flavor).

Soda is bad for the teeth. Not just the sugars, but the acids. And that makes the sugars that much worse... Keep them away from it as long as you can.
Good luck.

I'm like most of you in that we don't consume sugar sodas, except my husband drinks a lot of diet coke, and I like Fresca. My kids will drink it at parties and probably had their first sips at parties from relatives. Unfortunately, my 2 youngest kids love the stuff. I too only give them milk, water, hot cocoa or lemonade/juices.

I gave soda in the same amounts and at the same ages I gave her anything other than milk and water. So I would say around pre-school.

I treat everything except milk and water the same as any treat. Juice, soda, candy, cookies. Everything is an "in moderation and only after you've eaten something healthy" proposition.

I would treat drinking soda the same way I would treat eating too much pasta and not enough protein. Balance, moderation and variety.

I'm confused by all the comments about juice being better than soda, however. It's really almost the same thing, from a sugar standpoint.

Maybe our son had his first soda around age 5. He was 5 when our daughter was born...so she had soda much earlier bc she wanted what her brother was having. We don't buy soda so we never have it at home. But if we go out to eat the kids are allowed to have a kiddie sized sprite or non-caffeinated soda. Once a week is the rule. We don't even go out to eat every month, so it is a rare treat. Sugar is so addictive! I grew up having 1-2 sodas every day and we always had a pitcher of kool-ade ...yuck. No wonder why I had cavities. Now as an adult I never drink soda. I mostly drink water. I worked for many years in a small Yupik village in Alaska and the kids in that village were so addicted to soda. They always had a can of "pop" in their hands. When I would ask how many they had had that day, they'd answer 8 or 9...and this was only by early afternoon. It is not surprising so many people there have diabetes and other health problems.

My kids are in HS and college now, but I'd say I started allowing soda at age 3, at parties or restaurants, so we're talking less than once a month. We didn't keep soda in the house as a drink, never have, just for parties/holidays/
company coming so my kids never drank soda often. My 14 year old loves soda (as do I) and while we do not keep it in the house, he'll drink it any occasion he can, where as my 18 year old doesn't care for soda, other than seltzer, and pretty much never orders it or drinks it, her choice.

My daughter was 18 months when MY MOTHER tried to give her some soda! I was like, are you kidding? Really? Fortunately DD did not like it and my mother never attempted it again. DD is now 6 and has never liked soda, doesn't like lemonade either. She is a big chocolate milk fan though and we allow it in moderation - she will drink plain milk too. She does take a juice pouch to school with her lunch (usually fruit punch, berry, or apple) and has some orange juice in the morning, otherwise it's just milk or water. She usually just has plain water with dinner because otherwise she fills up with milk too much.

My oldest is 7 and she has never had soda outside of the occasional Sprite with an upset tummy

i am not sure but i think it was maybe at a kids party. My son (8) does not like soda at all, if they dont have lemonade at a party then he prefers water. My daughter (11) she likes soda but she only gets it at birthday parties. We typically do not have soda in our house. My hubby likes diet soda now and then.
many blessings

My daughter probably did around 6 or 7 (she is now 11) but only gets it when we go out to eat, and doesn't always choose it (will go for lemonade instead). My son is almost 9 and can't stand soda (the bubbles), but is a fiend for Gatorade, which isn't much better. I don't keep any of it in the house - at home it's only milk or water.

2 or 3? I'm not sure. It's not often, but it's not never. They've been getting small tastes of our Diet Coke, and we will now get them root beer or sprite sometimes for a special treat. As long as it's not their regular beverage, I'm okay with that.

With my Son who's the oldest he didn't get soda until last year when he was 6. My daughter who is going to be 3 on Friday got her first sprite a couple months ago at a birthday party.

In the house the kids never drink soda (or juice) we keep it to water or milk but if we are out of the house at a party or out to dinner and they want to order a sprite or a rootbeer I personally don't see anything wrong with that.

Everything in moderation!

Around four years old was when our son could have soda- and it was usually a bottle he had about 1 cup of, we shared the rest. Now he's six and 99% of the time, it's an IZZE (fruit juice, cane sugar, fizzy water) when we go out for pizza. He knows it is a treat, so if he's had some other sweet earlier in the day, then we just ask for soda water. We don't buy soda for home at all; husband and I don't drink it. We do have fizzy water on hand as well as almond milk.

When both of my little kids were aged 3, they saw me drinking a soda and wanted to try it, they both HATED IT! Now they are 6 and 4 years old and still will not touch it! They both cried when i gave them a sip. My youngest said "it burned his mouth" I assume because of the carbonation. They both tried it one time and to this dad will not touch the stuff. We dont drink soda very often at our house bc it is obviously not good for anyone, but on occasion i will but a 12 pak if it is on sale. I give my kids water, milk or Sunny D to drink. My special needs child loves gatoraide too!

DH let DS try root beer at a party when he was 6. He is almost 8 now and has never had it again. He didn't like it and why on earth would I want to encourage it? Empty sugar calories, acid that eats dental enamel and a HUGE carbon load due to the petro fuels used to truck the stuff around the country plus those used to raise all the corn. I don't drink soda either. DS drinks milk or water. If he and DH are 'working' outside in the heat, they will come in and make lemonade from actual lemons.

Juice only has HFCS in it if you buy the stuff with added HFCS. But yeah, juice sugar calories aren't any better than soda. Whole fruit is MUCH better - a big part of the sugar issue is the context/milieu - naturally occurring fruit and milk sugars eaten unprocessed as part of the fruit or milk are handled differently by the liver than processed sugars. And no - there really is not a difference between regular table sugar and HFCS in metabolic handling. There is a HUGE difference in their impact on the environment. Raising mono culture corn is one of the worst things we can grow.

well growing up in my family my aunt would put diet coke (DC) in her kids baby bottles. While I knew that was right I never really knew soda was BAD for you until I was in HS. and while I have quite soda from time to time, I dont think I could ever live without dr. Pepper. Any who I think my older daughter had it around age 2. I dont remember it being an event. My younger daughter though was different. We were at carl's jr. and I had taken my older daughter to the potty. My husband and mom were at the table talking. My 9 MONTH OLD daughter grabbed my 22 oz cup of Dr. pepper (it wasnt full) and started sucking on that straw. My mom and husband finally noticed. her eyes were huge and watery but it was if she couldnt stop. a little funny. I would not have chosen to give it to her at that age but it happened. I do not make a big deal about soda with my kids. They mostly drink water, milk, sometimes chocolate milk, and juice. we do keep soda in the home and sometimes I will let them have some. I talk with them about how too much soda is bad for their bodies. it has too many things we dont need and really nothing we do. SO if they want some, occasionally they can have some. When we go places, even if they are given permission to choose soda, they will choose milk or water. Soda is not a taboo thing.
I went on a week long out of state field trip with school in 8th grade. My friend who was never allowed to have anything sweet went CRAZY. for the first 2 days anywhere we went she only ate sweets and a lot of it. She almost had to go home because she was so sick. when you forbid things and make a big deal out of it that is what happens.

My 5 and 3 yr olds get Sprite as a treat. It's been that way for about a year now.

I think my kids were about six. They still rarely drink soda. When we go to the movies they have it. Occasionally if we eat dinner out, I'lll let them have it. Sometimes we have rootbeer floats as a treat.

Mine are now 8 and 9.

My son would taste my soda when he was young but he never really got into drinking it a lot. (When he was 2 my mom let him taste ice coffee). Most of the time he drinks water or milk. Sometimes juice, sometimes gatorade (he's 10 now). If he drank soda, it would be Sprite or Seven Up. If your son is interested in trying soda, let him have a taste so he doesn't feel deprived but tell him it is only for special occasions. If he is not interested then don't worry about it.

My mom always let me try things (even if they weren't good for me) so I wouldn't go sneaking around to try them.

Hope this helps!

My child just tried it this year - 5 years old. I had always told him it was bubbly and he wouldn't like it. Somehow, that satisfied him until an older kid was drinking it while we were camping and showed him how it can make you burp. Great, so now, not only does my kid want to drink the worst drink you can put in your body, but he wants to do it so he can burp. Now, not only do I have to reinforce how bad it is for you (and will take away muscles), but I also have to harp on good manners even more. YAY! (I say with sarcasm).

At birthday parties, I always provide the most natural juice box with no artificial anything and only natural sugar.

We just started allowing it in the past year or so - 9 and 11 years old. And only if we're out to eat. We don't have it in the house.

I gave my daughter 7-UP as a small child when she had tummy upsets. We didn't have Pedialite back then. Parents gave their kids coke, 7-UP, root beer, stuff to help them feel better.

Kids today have a lot more access to pop than before. I let them have a small pop per week. If we eat out and they get a kids meal. One will almost always have chocolate milk and the other will always have Dr. Pepper.

We don't drink it. I've heard terrible things about it! We don't drink milk, either. My son's constant ear infections cleared up when we quit milk.

We let our oldest try it at 2. She hate it. Our 3.5 year old son hasn't tried it, nor does he want to. He thinks adult drinks are gross.