At what age would you allow your child to have caffeine?

[~clover~]

I forgot to mention, DD3 doesn't like juice or milk! I'll give her a bottle of water to carry around through the day & she'll usually finish it by the end of the day (she has boob on tap too!)
I gave her watered down juice 2 weeks ago & 3 days later it was still 3/4 full. Milk is the same (only I don't let her have it for 3 days! )
She joins the kids in a watered down lemonade for dinner on occasion though.

I actually get told I'm too strict on that stuff all the time

[Trillian]

Yeah, we're a 'minimal juice house' too. But it comes down to water being better for hydration more than anything else. I know juice had a shedload of sugar in it, but because I let them have most things in moderation I only buy the no added sugar ones and only let them have a small cup of it because it's just not necessary to have more.

It's more important to me to not create food wars and let them develop a healthy relationship with food as opposed to keeping things completely off limits as I said before. I'd like to think that by doing what we're doing, that we're creating future adults who will be able to stop at a glass instead of having the whole bottle kwim? By rigidly enforcing a no juice/cordial/softdrink rule I don't think they learn anything - some people will disagree with me about that I'm sure - but I'd rather have a child that has some level of autonomy over what they eat and some knowledge about WHY it's not good, rather than one who gorges because they've never been allowed to have it so it's still a novelty kwim? I have two friends who are sisters and they are both at either end of the spectrum - one has a house full of processed foods and stodge, and the other has none of it. Guess who's kids go ape**** and raid the panty when they visit their Aunty's house? I'm not saying that the sister with all the junky food is setting a good example either because her kids do eat far too much of it, but just pointing out that when given an opportunity, kids who have not had these food even in moderation do not know how to self regulate what they eat if they are given a choice and free reign over their food choices. I know that some kids will be fine and able to learn this on their own anyway and still make healthy choices, but I think that is more due to them choosing foods that they are familiar with as opposed to knowing the differences between junk and healthy food. I'm not saying that what anyone is doing is wrong, but I am saying that at some point our decisions may come back to bite us on the bum because sooner or later we are not going to have full control over our kids and we have to try to instill in them the knowledge to make good choices for themselves.

[megs]

Trillian I agree with your method, and that is the one I have basically adopted.

My boys haven't been banned from softdrink, juices ect but it has been explained to them what is healthy and what should be a sometimes food/drink (which has been reinforced by the school.) My eldest son isn't a huge fan of dairy never has been so he will have a small amount of juice with his breakfast, maybe a 1/4 of a glass. My 2nd son loves his diary so he will quite happily drink a glass of milk. I don't make my eldest son sit there and drink mild just because it is better for him when he doesn't like it. He is on the school bus at 7.55am so I feel he needs something more than water to start of his day.

My 3rd son will often ask for a cup of coffee ,,,,, he is given a small cup of milo, which in winter goes down like a treat.

I too think moderation is the key, and I have also witnessed a child virtually devour a bag of McDonalds chips (that was my sons) must say I found it quite amusing that the mother wouldn't buy them for her son but she quite happily watched him eat a small packet in the space of 3 mins.

And it has been rewarding to hear my eldest son now talking about what is a healthy food, and that the education is paying off. They now that they are allowed an ice cream after tea on a Friday night for a treat, but on school nights they have yoghurt.

But everyone has to parent according to what they feel comfortable with, must say it is making me more aware of what I eat, guess I have to practice what I preach now.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

My girls have cola on special occasions but I don't allow them coffee & definitely not energy drinks, every now and then they have a very milky tea.

I bought dandelion tea recently which has no caffeine so they might get a sip of that!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

[Beach Mama]

I bought dandelion tea recently which has no caffeine so they might get a sip of that!

DD asks for camel(chamomile!) tea with honey when she's sick!!

[Traveller]

mine have a cup of tea (98% caffeine free) usually once a week and have done for a while now. In fact my twins got mugs for their 4th birthdays so that they would have their own special mug for cups of tea. They also occasionally have a soft drink, not diet because of the sweeteners, but either a small glass of coke or some fanta. Coffee is a long way off, I would probably say about 16 or so before I would be letting them have any here. If they get any at a friends house I wouldn't be over the moon but that is the risk you take when you let someone else care for your kids I suppose.

[Jennifer13]

I agree with moderation and giving kids autonomy with education. At the end of the day, if you don't want your kids to drink or eat something, don't buy it or have it in front of them. I have never had an energy drink, I don't think it's good for you.. I don't drink soft drink much at all, so it's not something I feel bad about not buying. We have juice with meals and I'm fine with that. All of us have water the rest of the time.

Same with processed food and takeaway, we limit what we buy and it's a non issue. It isn't that it's not allowed, it's just not something we have around much because there are foods that are healthier and a bigger part of our diet. No big deal.

[briggsy's girl]

DD gets a bit of everything - but always watered down probably 80% or more water. DH has cordial made up in the fridge all the time - DD has it watered down more than it already is. we have coke or other softdrink sometimes, so she gets it watered down. 90% of the time she drinks water (so do i! lol) but i do have one sweet drink a day, with my lunch, so i share that with her if i'm home (again, very watered down) - and if that happens to be coke, then she gets coke. it hasn't impacted her at all (my niece used to go crazy on a sniff of sugar! DD is fine....).

if we're having drinks with friends in the arvo or evening, she has something watered down then too. the day of Lucy's anniversary, DD got skittle flavoured lemonade watered down - so that she was like us as we drank the vodka.

i believe everything in moderation - i'm not going to deny her stuff so that she goes and scoffs behind our back. she mostly drinks water, rarely has juice as she'd prefer actual fruit, eats a balanced diet - i guess we're just striving to teach her to be able to have everything in moderation kwim??

[Butterfly Dawn]

For sugar value- flavored milk from the supermarket has just as much as lemonade etc
Caffeine- my kids are allowed a cup tea once a week. sometimes DS1 steals a sip of my coffee lol. Cola is allowed but its for sharing, so they dont get much- its a real treat- and normally somewhere where they can run it off. too often I see kids getting sugar/ caffine drinks and then getting told off for being hyper- grrrrr
we also thing moderation id best. Teaching kids about what is healthy and how to balance things is the best way

[Sunny Love]

Oh dear, they'd lock me up and throw away the key!!
DD gets, every morning that SHE asks, some of my lemon tea and she has one cup of cordial a day, she's not a fan of fruit juice though (I think its TOO sweet and acidic for her liking).
As a child I was allowed most things, and I turned out ok. Im not too worried personally about what she intakes caffeine wise (and within reason of course-I don't want people to think I don't give a rats!) but more concerned about WHEN in the day she consumes it......not sure why though. Im more of a moderation type parent-that uses lots of dialogue to explain things, and lots of expression to demonstrate....*imitates holding a sore tummy from TOO MUCH juice*