Energy drinks, caffeine & soda/pop not good for kids : (

[Shwa Girl]

Last August, I saw a display in the grocery store for back to school. The usually school supplies, pencils, paper, backpacks lunch containers, energy drinks...

Back up.
Energy drinks for back to school?!? Whaaa???

Then at the cashier's desk, a nice glass front mini fridge displaying water, pop and energy drinks, nice and cold, to quench your thirst. A 9-10 year old boy asked his father if he could have an energy drink - Red Bull. Dad said sure? Dad said whaaaa?????

I have also seen parents give their little children a nice ice cap cappuccino from Tim Horton's, to cool them off in the summer. That little body is consuming a nice amount of sugar and caffeine. That may be too much for a little child, IMHO.

Now, what the experts say....

Energy Drinks, caffeine and children:

One expert agreed that all this caffeine intake by children is worrisome. Dr. Marielys Rodriguez Varela, a pediatrician at Miami Children's Hospital, said caffeine's potential effects include a rapid heart beat, high blood pressure and anxiety.
Varela said she is also concerned about how much the added sugar in coffee, soda and energy drinks will contribute to obesity. "You create a habit that will be difficult to cut off," she said. "It's not just caffeine, but all the side effects that come along with it."
"Caffeine doesn't have a place in the diet of any child or adolescent," Varela said, echoing policies set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/...-kids-cdc-says


Adults make adult decisions. Children, especially their brains, are still developing and energy drinks are not a great choice for them, IMHO.

[Candini]

Preach! So many of my family members give their kids way too much sweets and crap. One of them even giving a 3 year old pop.
Am I the only one that thinks its crazy? My dd's 3 and she hates pop, fruit gushers and dunkaroos. She loves cheese strings and fresh apples (without the skin)

[Shwa Girl]

Preach! So many of my family members give their kids way too much sweets and crap. One of them even giving a 3 year old pop.
Am I the only one that thinks its crazy? My dd's 3 and she hates pop, fruit gushers and dunkaroos. She loves cheese strings and fresh apples (without the skin)

I saw a dental hygenist have some pics about babies getting Coke in their bottles. There were pictures of the first teeth coming in, rotting, from the acid in the Coke.

Occasionally, I will have some Canada Dry ginger ale, flat/defizzed, when my tummy is upset.

Your DD is a smart little girl!

[Candini]

I saw a dental hygenist have some pics about babies getting Coke in their bottles. There were pictures of the first teeth coming in, rotting, from the acid in the Coke.

Occasionally, I will have some Canada Dry ginger ale, flat/defizzed, when my tummy is upset.

Your DD is a smart little girl!

A woman I know gave her baby pop after she turned one, and thats all the kid wanted and would cry for it. So she gave in all the time and gave it to her - like the bottle sized from the dollar store. Yeah her kids teeth are like pegs. So brutal.


To me, it just seems like common sense. Coke can clean your car tires but you want your infant/toddler/kid to drink it? End rant. No more comments.

[Shwa Girl]

A woman I know gave her baby pop after she turned one, and thats all the kid wanted and would cry for it. So she gave in all the time and gave it to her - like the bottle sized from the dollar store. Yeah her kids teeth are like pegs. So brutal.


To me, it just seems like common sense. Coke can clean your car tires but you want your infant/toddler/kid to drink it? End rant. No more comments.

Thanks for the story about the baby and the pop.
Sad.
A 1 year old may think that they know what they want.
But the parent or adult should be able to gently and lovingly guide the baby to better choices in beverages, that will help the baby grow and mature into a great parent or adult.

[francine1985]

my oldest loves chocolate milk its probably his favorite drink in the world. he will have pop once in a while if we are eating out and buying a 2 litre bottle but if we are eating at a restaurant where everyone gets their own drinks he always has chocolate milk. my youngest had a bit of water, milk, or chocolate milk but is still mostly nursing. (I don't want opinions on this. the world health organization recommends nursing for 2 years minimum and he wont be 2 until june. aside from that I will let him self wean or cut him off completely the day after his 3rd birthday. and it is much healthier than any other drink out there!!!) they have both tried pop which I was against but they are their fathers kids too and at least he is taking care of his family. (he works hard so I can be a stay at home mom.)

[Shwa Girl]

And now,

Teen energy drink consumption linked to depression, substance abuse: study

We also found something very interesting,” said principal investigator Sunday Azagba, a researcher at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo in southwestern Ontario.
“The more intense users tend to be more likely to be depressed, they’re more likely to have substance use,” he said, referring to alcohol and marijuana.
Sensation seeking — taking part in novel activities that provide excitement — also was higher among those who reported consuming energy drinks compared to those who don’t imbibe the caffeine-charged drinks, the researchers found.
“While it remains unclear why these associations exist, the trend is a concern because of the high rate of consumption among teenagers,” said Azagba. “These drinks appeal to young people because of their temporary benefits like increased alertness, improved mood and enhanced mental and physical energy.”
The study, based on data from the 2012 Student Drug Use Survey of high school students in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, found that younger teens were more likely to consume energy drinks than their older peers.

http://o.canada.com/health/energy-dr...drunk-stoners/

[Tinkerbella]

I agree 100%, but also keep in mind that cheese strings contain a LOT of chemicals that makes it stringy, many of these chemicals being carcinogens, and unless your apples are organic, they contain very harmful pesticides.

Preach! So many of my family members give their kids way too much sweets and crap. One of them even giving a 3 year old pop.
Am I the only one that thinks its crazy? My dd's 3 and she hates pop, fruit gushers and dunkaroos. She loves cheese strings and fresh apples (without the skin)

[Tinkerbella]

my oldest loves chocolate milk its probably his favorite drink in the world. he will have pop once in a while if we are eating out and buying a 2 litre bottle but if we are eating at a restaurant where everyone gets their own drinks he always has chocolate milk. my youngest had a bit of water, milk, or chocolate milk but is still mostly nursing. (I don't want opinions on this. the world health organization recommends nursing for 2 years minimum and he wont be 2 until june. aside from that I will let him self wean or cut him off completely the day after his 3rd birthday. and it is much healthier than any other drink out there!!!) they have both tried pop which I was against but they are their fathers kids too and at least he is taking care of his family. (he works hard so I can be a stay at home mom.)

I am nursing as well, and my daughter is 2 years, and 2 months old Way better than any other drink you can offer.

[Arca]

Would you be upset if I also add juice to this list? It's not as bad as others of course, but the only thing kids are getting from juice is sugar. You might think juice can provide vitamins, but amount of it is really negligible.

[Candini]

Would you be upset if I also add juice to this list? It's not as bad as others of course, but the only thing kids are getting from juice is sugar. You might think juice can provide vitamins, but amount of it is really negligible.

Depends on the juice right? Like I never give my daughter Fruite or any 'fruit drink' as it's pure sugar. No nestea, fruitopia etc.

Allan's juice (Dark blue box) doesn`t have added sugar. Some Oasis juices have no sugar added. It's all buyer beware.

[anisa]

^ to me, juice is junk food. Juice is simply all the sugar and water of the fruit with most of the good stuff tossed away. IT is a processed food, and therefore terrible for anyone's metabolism.

I don't think i's any coincidence that there are 3 whole sections in the grocery store dedicated to juices. The tetra packs, shelf juices and fridge juices. It's big money and the companies selling it do an amazing job at convincing parents that it is a nutritionally sound product.

[Peachykeen2007]

to each their own

i have 2 kids (3 & 6) and honestly my kids drink pop and have had a ice cap from Tim's

I guess it really depends on how much you let your kids have!! Its not like those "BAD" things are all they drink all the time, it is a treat and honestly I don't see a problem with it

Both my kids are healthy and all their teeth are perfectly fine

Moderation is the key

[anisa]

^ definitely, part of being a kid is getting those yummy treats once in a while

[sun_shine]

I used to work at Tim Horton's and once had a customer ask me which was better for children between an iced coffee or an iced latte. I was a little thrown off by that question