should toddlers drink lucozade

Lisha

HI,

Does anyone know if it would be bad for toddlers aged 2-4 to drink lucozade?? My sil gives it to her 2yo and if I call with my nearly 4yo she gives it to him too. I dont like lucozade myself and especially as my husband father was a diabetic Id be very slow to give normal kids isotonic drinks.

Am I overreacting??

Thanks

Das Kitty

It's up to you what you want your child to have. As far as I know Isotonic drinks have salts in them and lots of sugar. Possibly not the best thing for anyone to be drinking every day.

A lot of breakfast cereals have similar amounts of salt and sugar in them.

I'd ask my sister in law not to give it to him if I didnt want him to have it. If you don't want to put her nose out of joint you can tell her that he's always hyper afterwards and that's why.

Arnold Layne

I agree with Das Kitty.

At 2 & 4 my kids had the odd glass of Lucozade, as well as Pepsi. I find they don't get hyper as other kids do who have never had a fizzy drink or sweets.

If you don't want them drinking isotonic liquids, just let people know in the way DK said

The Lovely Muffin

Das Kitty wrote: »

I'd ask my sister in law not to give it to him if I didnt want him to have it. If you don't want to put her nose out of joint you can tell her that he's always hyper afterwards and that's why.

+1 to this.

I was babysitting kids last weekend (over night) and on Saturday they were drinking Diet Coke it was nearly 2am before the kids settled down fully for the night.

I brought them to bed at 11pm, they stayed there for a while, watching a movie and then got up again and wouldn't settle down until 2am. Took them a good 30mins to fall asleep, when it normally takes about 15 and they are usually in bed between 9-10pm.

On Sunday the kids weren't giving any fizzy drinks, they were only allowed to drink water. And they had very little sweets as well.

Never again will I give kids in my care coke or any other fizzy drink and definitely not lucozade.

On Saturday the older kid told me his mother allows them to drink coke all the time and I believed him (I know, I know!), then when she was here on Sunday she said she never gave them coke and they aren't allowed it.

They drink water or miwadi or something, but never coke.

Baraboo

A 12.85 ounce bottle of Lucozade contains 46 milligrams of caffeine. I would not have thought this was safe for a 2 or a 4 year old to drink.

Marty_Orr

I can't quite remember but i'm almost sure the lucozade bottle says not to give to children 3 or under or at least says something similar. i could be wrong though

xzanti

I suppose in theory you probably shouldn't seeing as it's chocked full of supposed excellorants and is generally marketed to adults who need energy..

Having said that I have a vivid memory of my Mother feeding it to myself and my Sister when we had tummy bugs as very small kids.. (under 4 definately) and it didn't do us any harm.

I guess it's not ideal, but it's not going to do too much damage once in a while.. imho.

whatdoicare

My granny used to boil it and give it to us when we were sick. We loved it! Never did us any harm - we all still have our teeth I wouldn't be too worried about the odd glass.

Hobbitfeet

People always think about things like this, is it safe for my toddler?
I like to think of it this way, does my toddler NEED this?

Does your 2-4 year old need Lucozade or Coca Cola or any other caffeine rich, sugar rich and artificial additive loaded fizzy drink or sweet? If you think about this yourself and come to the conclusion your child does NEED it then thats your choice give it to your child, if you think they don't NEED it then why would you give it to your child?

My opinion most definitely not. Your 2-4 year old needs a mixed diet of fresh fruit and veg, wholegrains and cereals, protein and dairy. Drinks and sweets like this contain no nutritional value what so ever for your toddler.

There is so many delicious alternatives available now, you don't need to give your child drinks and sweets loaded with sugar and artificial chemicals.

xzanti

Hobbitfeet wrote: »

you don't need to give your child drinks and sweets loaded with sugar and artificial chemicals.

She's not, her Sister in Law has been giving it to him.

thesimpsons

I recently came across my 8yr niece hyped up on coke after a family dinner. she had at least 2 glasses of it, the last one at about 8pm. child was up and running around the house till midnight - just couldn't settle down. she's normally a good child, we've minded her for weekends before so I'd know her behaviour pretty well but I was fairly gobsmacked at the mum giving her coke so late at night and then the subsequent effects. Kids definitely don't need fizzy drinks and certainly not at night time. The odd glass her and there at special occasion does no harm but definitely not a regular thing.

Hobbitfeet

xzanti wrote: »

She's not, her Sister in Law has been giving it to him.

Apologies. I meant it as a broader statement rather than directed directly to the poster.

Lisha

Hi

Thanks for all the posts, I'm not opposed to kids getting small ammounts of sweets at all but i totallyfeel that isotonic drinks are designed for adult athletes, ie people using large ammounts of energy in short time frames.
As my childs paternal grandad was an insulin dependant diabetic, I'd be concious (but not militant) about sugar and general diet principles. I feel that some sweets belong in a child's childhood experience. But for me isotonic drinks and caffiene are a no go, and TBH I find the marketing behind lucozade and red bull type drinks bloody annoying.

My SIL has an eating disorder and she definately uses lucozade as an energy boost for herself and I believe that she has deluded herself to thinking that lucozade is 'a healthy alternative'. And so is acceptable for her child. Her child is truly the centre of her world, and I know that his general diet is excellent. So Im not worried in that regard.

I'm not interested in getting into a confrontation with her, as that would open so many cans of worms it would be a nightmare.
So I think when I call there I'll have drinks for my kids with me and hopefully that will nip this in the bud.

I really appreciated all your posts,

Thanks

cynder

My daughter has to drink lucozade, as she is an insulin dependent diabetic since the age of 7 (type 1). Its the best on the market to bring up her blood sugars when they plummet........ and advised by the top endocrinologist in the country, along with all the other diabetic nurses and doctors in the country....


Drinking sugary drinks would increase the risk of type 2 diabetes if one was already overweight. It in no way causes or increases the risk of type 1 diabetes.

Each to their own, of none of my kids ever got/get hyper from drinking sports drinks or coke/fizzy drinks.......

I dont see the harm of a glass here or there for the average child or toddler (not all day every day). everything in moderation, however isotonic drinks aren't just made for adult athletes....

Tayla

I don't give Lucozade to my kids but blue powerade is absolutely brilliant if kids are sick with a vomiting bug.

Tabnabs

Purple_Bobbin wrote: »

+1 to this.

I was babysitting kids last weekend (over night) and on Saturday they were drinking Diet Coke it was nearly 2am before the kids settled down fully for the night.

I brought them to bed at 11pm, they stayed there for a while, watching a movie and then got up again and wouldn't settle down until 2am. Took them a good 30mins to fall asleep, when it normally takes about 15 and they are usually in bed between 9-10pm.

Very odd as Diet Coke is sweetened by aspartame (Nutrasweet) instead of sugar. However, the caramel flavouring does contain a small (negligible) amount.

So their behaviour wasn't sugar related.

Baraboo

Diet coke is very high in Caffeine. This is a powerfull stimulant.

Akrasia

Isotonic drinks are excellent if the kid is dehydrated due to illness (or even on a really hot day if they've been running around a lot) as they contain electolytes and are quickly absorbed

While fizzy drinks and sweets shouldn't be given to excess, there is a lot of preachyness and hysteria about it.

There's just as much acid and sugar in fruit juices as there is in coca cola. Some people look down on the parent who allow their child the odd biscuit and the odd sugary drink while giving their own little darling a beaker full of orange juice to carry around with them all day long.

Everything in moderation. I think it's best to have a relaxed attitude about these things while making sure that the child gets enough nutrition at meal times and doesn't get spoiled by getting sweets and fizzy drinks on demand. (let them throw a tantrum) but don't be fooled into thinking that a strawberry is any less sugary than a jelly bean...

Hobbitfeet

Akrasia wrote: »

Isotonic drinks are excellent if the kid is dehydrated due to illness (or even on a really hot day if they've been running around a lot) as they contain electolytes and are quickly absorbed

While fizzy drinks and sweets shouldn't be given to excess, there is a lot of preachyness and hysteria about it.

There's just as much acid and sugar in fruit juices as there is in coca cola. Some people look down on the parent who allow their child the odd biscuit and the odd sugary drink while giving their own little darling a beaker full of orange juice to carry around with them all day long.

Everything in moderation. I think it's best to have a relaxed attitude about these things while making sure that the child gets enough nutrition at meal times and doesn't get spoiled by getting sweets and fizzy drinks on demand. (let them throw a tantrum) but don't be fooled into thinking that a strawberry is any less sugary than a jelly bean...

I agree with your post but I think there is a huge difference between the natural acids and sugars in fruit and synthetic ones in sweets and fizzy drinks. There is no doubt that fruit is better for your child than sweets with all added preservatives and additives of which we don't fully know what kind of effect they have on us or what they even are.
I agree kids should not be given beakers of pure juice to drink a watered down version is much better than fizzy drinks or dilutables.

DM addict

I would go with no. Way too many additives for a toddler.

janmc

If I drink a can of coke/bottle of lucozade after 6pm, I can't sleep! Can't imagine a toddler/4 yr old on that much caffeine. Definitely would try to find a polite way to tell her not to give it to your child. Maybe they 'had a dodgy tummy afterwards' or something?

angelfire9

I drink Lucozade fairly regularly and drank it continually through my first pregnancy and to a lesser extent my 2nd without any side effects
Lucozade has miniscule amounts of caffeine
Its ingredients (from the bottle beside me) are:
Carbonated water, Glucose Syrup (25%), Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Flavouring, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Bisulphite), Caffeine (0.012%), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Colour (Sunset Yellow)
The label then goes on to say:
Sunset Yellow may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children

That ^^ kinda says it all!

cynder

janmc wrote: »

If I drink a can of coke/bottle of lucozade after 6pm, I can't sleep! Can't imagine a toddler/4 yr old on that much caffeine. Definitely would try to find a polite way to tell her not to give it to your child. Maybe they 'had a dodgy tummy afterwards' or something?

I could drink 5 cans of coke or have 5 cups of coffee and sleep soundly yet if i have 1 glass of wine im awake all night......


Depends on the person! Ive never ever seen caffeine/soda have any effect on anyone.

cynder

angelfire9 wrote: »

ISunset Yellow may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children

That ^^ kinda says it all!

hi anglefire long time no see, quick question.

would sunset yellow be in all lucozade brands ?

angelfire9

grindelwald wrote: »

hi anglefire long time no see, quick question.

would sunset yellow be in all lucozade brands ?

I haven't a clue to be honest grindelwald
I'd imagine its only in the original one though as that's the only one with the "sunset" colour
I only drink the original stuff
The other flavours are gross IMHO!

implausible

grindelwald wrote: »

Ive never ever seen caffeine/soda have any effect on anyone.

Now, that's unusual. Everyone has a different tolerance to caffeine and/or sugar....and teaching a gang of teenagers after lunch break makes it very easy to spot the ones who it affects. I've been giving out for years about the crappy drinks they're getting out of the canteen. I couldn't take more than 2 cups of coffee in an hour myself or I'd be jittery and coke is even worse as I never drink it.

OP, if your kids aren't used to sugary drinks, Lucozade will probably have an effect on them.

hoodwinked

My toddler would have a glass of Coke or lucozade every once in awhile. and when she does i have never noticed a difference in her behaviour after wards,

her cousin was never allowed anything like them, while in her grandmothers she gave them both a glass of coke and my daughters cousin went mental, while my daughter was the same as always,

i think you need to give them everything in moderation rather then banning things outright. after all we all grew up eating and drinking these things and we are all perfectly healthy.

ballsymchugh

Hobbitfeet wrote: »

I agree with your post but I think there is a huge difference between the natural acids and sugars in fruit and synthetic ones in sweets and fizzy drinks. There is no doubt that fruit is better for your child than sweets with all added preservatives and additives of which we don't fully know what kind of effect they have on us or what they even are.
I agree kids should not be given beakers of pure juice to drink a watered down version is much better than fizzy drinks or dilutables.

hobbitfeet is giving some pretty good broad ranging advice in the two longer posts.

once kids develop a taste for sweeter drinks, then they'll want them. it's easier to keep them away from them in the first place, or if they're already drinking them a fair bit, dilute them progressively.

the thing about lucozade is that it's a fairly sticky drink. it does a hell of a lot of damage to teeth, as does coke etc. if you look up nursing bottle caries, you'll see what fizzy drinks do to baby teeth. very common in kids who have beakers of anything other than water or milk, as the prolonged exposure to sugar allows increased acid attack on the teeth, but it also happens to kids who drink fizzy stuff regularly from a glass.

cynder

deemark wrote: »

Now, that's unusual. Everyone has a different tolerance to caffeine and/or sugar....and teaching a gang of teenagers after lunch break makes it very easy to spot the ones who it affects. I've been giving out for years about the crappy drinks they're getting out of the canteen. I couldn't take more than 2 cups of coffee in an hour myself or I'd be jittery and coke is even worse as I never drink it.

OP, if your kids aren't used to sugary drinks, Lucozade will probably have an effect on them.

Ive seen many teens take more than coke/lucozade on their lunch break...... if you know what i mean!

cynder

ballsymchugh wrote: »

the thing about lucozade is that it's a fairly sticky drink. it does a hell of a lot of damage to teeth, as does coke etc. if you look up nursing bottle caries, you'll see what fizzy drinks do to baby teeth. very common in kids who have beakers of anything other than water or milk, as the prolonged exposure to sugar allows increased acid attack on the teeth, but it also happens to kids who drink fizzy stuff regularly from a glass.

You will also find that eating apples oranges and other fruits have the same effect!

qwertytlk

Lucozade has two warnings rwgarding children on the bottle, the first refers to one of the ingredients, which is the colouring-sunset yellow and it says sunset yellow may have an adverse affect on activity and attention in children. Then on another part of the bottle it says not suitable for children under 3. Apart from the above, lucozade is full of sugar... I mean FULL of it! I spilled a drop of it on my kitchen floor a while back and when i went to clean it up the next morning it had gone rock hard and crystalised. I could actually see littlw sugar granuels sticking out of it!