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We don't really drink it or order it at restaurants, but that said she does drink ice tea out of our cups when we order that at restaurants and has since she could drink out of a straw. I wouldn't be adverse to letting her try soda if she had an interest and it was available somewhere.

A friend of my son's was drinking a Sprite last year, and he was curious so I let him have try it (he was about 4 1/2). He loved it! But it hasn't crossed our paths since then, and he hasn't asked for it.

We weren't allowed to have soda until high school and I plan to do the same. We could have sips here and there, which is fine. My mom is bad about giving LO sips of her sweet tea but it's not often enough to worry about.

I'm cautious of sugary drinks due to potential tooth issues...so we don't have any in the house as we don't drink any. I've had my share of visits to the dentist & I really, really don't want LO to have the same dramas if I can help it. He's never tried juice or fizzy soft drinks. He does like fizzy water with lime squeezed in it though - so that's his fun drink for now! I'd probably have no issue with e occasional drink at a party, just not at home on the regular.

Neither DH or I are coke drinkers, so hopefully we can avoid it as long as possible. We have several friends whose children are avid coke drinker anywhere from 3-7 and up.

I have a serious Diet Coke habit (I keep it in the house) and DH orders Sprite when we go out to restaurants a lot... So I imagine it will come up sooner rather than later.

I would be okay with her having a Sprite at a restaurant or party occasionally when she is in elementary school, but I don't want her to drink anything with caffeine until high school.

She's already had some sips and she's 2.5. We don't usually have it at home and rarely order it when we are out so I don't see it as a big deal. I really don't like the idea if forbidding any food or drinks, I feel that they have a greater chance of going overboard with it later in life.

Good question. We don't buy it for the house and only order it at the movies, well I do and my husband gets water or Gatorade. I can't imagine this coming up for a while until maybe junior high when there may be vending machines. Or perhaps sooner at parties where the host only has sodas. I don't see harm in this being a very irregular indulgence. I doubt I will police soda intake since our kids may request the alternatives they are already used to at home or eating out like milk or lemonade (which is just as bad w/ all the sugar).

Well, i feel like one of the very few soda drinkers or something, heh. DH and I drink soda sometimes, especially carbonated waters. We always have some kind of unsweetened carbonated water around. We let E have that if she wants some and I let her have a couple cups of of fruit punch soda when we were potty training her.

We had a tonnnnnn of soda growing up, so I'd like to avoid that. And as long as my kids continue to choose water most of the time, I'm not opposed to letting them have some fun drinks sometimes.

DH is a heavy soda drinker so once in awhile DS gets curious and asks for a sip. Fortunately, he never likes it after a sip so we don't mind "sharing" for now.

DS is also great about sweets. You can give him an entire tub of ice cream and he'd only eat a scoops worth. We don't actually give him an entire tub, obviously, but when we share ice cream, he always has a threshold and he'll say no more even though there's some left and goes off to play.

At 3, E has had a sip of my diet coke here and there. I've never really thought about what age I'd let him have his own. Right now, he'd rather drink juice as a treat beverage, which happens maybe 1-2x a month. I don't think soda in moderation is the devil.

Not yet. Sprite not until at least Elementary school (I figure by then, birthday party's wont have juice boxes anymore).

But we did have some carbonated water (La Croix) in cans at a party not too long ago so we let her (age 4) have one. She didn't drink much but thought it was fun. We had to explain it was Soda water and she still was Not allowed to have soda.

Next up, trying to explain to my MIL why giving her (age 4) sweet tea isn't acceptable either. More from the caffeine and sugar perspective.

@BabyBoecksMom: I've seen babies in Walmart drinking Mountain Dew. Gah!

I really don't know the answer to this one yet. She hasn't had soda yet but my Dad really wants to give her a root beer float someday. lol. I think it would be fun for her first soda to be something like a Shirley Temple at a restaurant for a special treat. I really don't want her to start drinking soda in elementary school, though. I think this is one of those things where we will just see how it goes...

We normally don't have soda in the house. DS, age 4, recently started having the occasional Sprite, but only at the movie theater. I figure that it may be healthier/less sugar than the "fountain juice" that they have (which contains 0% juice), and his grandparents insist on giving him snacks/drinks when they take him. We also let him taste some sodas in the tasting room at the Coca Cola Museum. We've also recently begun allowing him the occasional sweet tea. He has enjoyed the occasional coffee drink (mostly milk, actually) too. He definitely has a preference for bitter flavors (like coffee) rather than sweet flavors.

We don't drink soda at home, but DH does drink sparkling water and an occasional ginger beer. LO1 dislikes bubbly drinks and steers clear. LO2 loves the bubbles, and DH will share his sparkling water with him.

DH's nieces have been drinking sodas since they could drink from a cup. It's pretty bad, and that's all they drink with their meals. I've seen soda given in a baby bottle before too. I tried to give one of his nieces a water bottle to keep hydrated while they were playing outside. She insisted that she did not need it. When her mom came with a soda, she guzzled it down right away.

@youboots: You know I'm picturing you with a tiny robe, reading the paper, and sipping on coffee at the age of 5. Love it!

We don't drink soda at home, so I don't see it being an issue. I would say until LO is a teenager, and she's out with friends. DH thinks the rare soda treat (caffeine free) at the movies is totally fine, and I probably wouldn't oppose. Sooo maybe when she's 6 or 7?

My parents wouldn't let me have soda. EVER. Once I sneaked a Pepsi, and had the WORST nightmare that night. Who knows if they were connected, but it basically scarred me until college.

We don't buy soda for the house so we only ever have it when we're out and even then it's usually only DH that drinks it. As long as I'm the one ordering for them, they will drunk water but LO1 has already tasted soda while we were out. I can't see myself giving her her own to drink for a long long time. Like others have said, I may let her have coffee though she's only 2 but she already sneaks sips on my coffee and I don't even use sweetener! She's a girl after my own heart

i drink san pellegrinos and TJ's sparkling lemonade and she's had some of that. we call it sparkles. usually it's a few sips or watered down with plain sparkling water. i don't want her to have her own because it is a lot of sugar, but now she thinks it's a fun treat.