What do American 4 yr olds drink?

I've read the entire post and now feel like the worlds worst parent. My girls are healthy, happy, beautiful teeth, and are always in the average range for weight.(the youngest is at times below average) They drink root beer, sprite, and shoot me dead, an occasional Pepsi. They also love milk, both white and chocolate, hate orange juice, but love cranberry juice. When out for dinner they order water as we always have water at dinner. I can remember my oldest daughters pediatrician telling me that many juices have more sugar than soda and restaurants tend to serve the "syrup" juices which are worse than soda. He was a well respected doctor and loved by many. He also "prescribed" a candy bar to her when we took her in for a illness. She grew up believing you get a Hershey bar when sick and we have continued the "tradition" with the rest of our girls. You've got to remember I'm an old mom and when I listen to all the new rules that have come along with raising kids I kind of laugh. I'm not sure how mine have survived...

If anything, you’re the most honest parent here.
 
My DS is 3 and he will drink water and on a special occasion drink apple juice. He just prefers water to anything else and I’m perfectly fine with that!
 
Water, juice and milk for my preschool aged kids. Soda is when they are a bit older for special treats and occasions.
 
I've read the entire post and now feel like the worlds worst parent. My girls are healthy, happy, beautiful teeth, and are always in the average range for weight.(the youngest is at times below average) They drink root beer, sprite, and shoot me dead, an occasional Pepsi. They also love milk, both white and chocolate, hate orange juice, but love cranberry juice. When out for dinner they order water as we always have water at dinner. I can remember my oldest daughters pediatrician telling me that many juices have more sugar than soda and restaurants tend to serve the "syrup" juices which are worse than soda. He was a well respected doctor and loved by many. He also "prescribed" a candy bar to her when we took her in for a illness. She grew up believing you get a Hershey bar when sick and we have continued the "tradition" with the rest of our girls. You've got to remember I'm an old mom and when I listen to all the new rules that have come along with raising kids I kind of laugh. I'm not sure how mine have survived...


You’re not the world’s worst parent. My kid drinks what we keep at home. My husband and I are not juice drinkers and we don’t keep soda in the house simply to keep the temptation away.

When I was a kid I ran on koolaid and cokes. I didn’t have a weight problem until later in life.

We always have “treats” at home. I have a picky eater and she would waste away without her dessert. I learned early on to pick my battles wisely.
 
I've read the entire post and now feel like the worlds worst parent. My girls are healthy, happy, beautiful teeth, and are always in the average range for weight.(the youngest is at times below average) They drink root beer, sprite, and shoot me dead, an occasional Pepsi. They also love milk, both white and chocolate, hate orange juice, but love cranberry juice. When out for dinner they order water as we always have water at dinner. I can remember my oldest daughters pediatrician telling me that many juices have more sugar than soda and restaurants tend to serve the "syrup" juices which are worse than soda. He was a well respected doctor and loved by many. He also "prescribed" a candy bar to her when we took her in for a illness. She grew up believing you get a Hershey bar when sick and we have continued the "tradition" with the rest of our girls. You've got to remember I'm an old mom and when I listen to all the new rules that have come along with raising kids I kind of laugh. I'm not sure how mine have survived...

If anything, you’re the most honest parent here.

I'm honest that I only allow my daughter to drink water most of the time and that's just about the only thing our entire family drinks. I don't mind what other people give their children--that's their choice. I get "judged" (treated like I'm weird) for telling other parents she can't have soda, milk, or "juice" drinks, lol, but I think that's because they're afraid I think they're a bad parent.

Yes--she gets to have treats occasionally, especially on vacation. :) But she eats healthier and enjoys it more than any other kid I've ever met, because that's how we all eat and how she always has.

While I don't think anyone should drink soda, I can't make that decision for them. Sadly I start my dietetics internship this summer, and I will be spending my career encouraging people to limit it.
 


I also found that all of my kids had an initial distaste for sparkling beverages (called them "spicy").

Haha - when my kids started drinking seltzer a couple of years ago (they're 10 now) they also described it as spicy. Too funny.


To answer the OP's question - I bring insulated water bottles that I roughly half fill with water the night before and freeze, and then top off with water in the morning. We generally do TS meals and they're allowed a soda or a specialty drink at dinner but for lunch it's usually water or juice.
 
I plan on bringing in Trulime drink flavors because they are stevia sweetened and I am a water snob LOL. So- it is mostly for me to give a hint of flavor to water that I am not used to.My kids are also weirdos that like sparking mineral water but I'm not buying that in Disney haha.
Other than that, we will drink unsweet tea or the milk I bring to our campsite. We don't do soda or sugary drinks or food coloring for the most part. BUT I am allowing the kids to share one of those boba drinks in Pandora because they look fun.
 
I'm honest that I only allow my daughter to drink water most of the time and that's just about the only thing our entire family drinks. I don't mind what other people give their children--that's their choice. I get "judged" (treated like I'm weird) for telling other parents she can't have soda, milk, or "juice" drinks, lol, but I think that's because they're afraid I think they're a bad parent.

Yes--she gets to have treats occasionally, especially on vacation. :) But she eats healthier and enjoys it more than any other kid I've ever met, because that's how we all eat and how she always has.

While I don't think anyone should drink soda, I can't make that decision for them. Sadly I start my dietetics internship this summer, and I will be spending my career encouraging people to limit it.

I do think it’s unusual to not allow milk, since it’s a healthy thing to consume.
 
Thosr drinks are ridiculously sweet, but the boba pearls are a lot of fun. If you ask nicely, they'll put some extra on top. If the kids are sharing it, I recommend asking for extra as sometimes they don't put a lot of them on there.
Thank you for the tip! I figured they would be crazy sweet, and no one finished their Mickey bar last time so we learned that sharing and getting more later if needed is better than throwing stuff away :)
 
What we drink at home is generally a bit different than what happens on vacation. It’s a family vacation, amd if I’m indulging a bit, why wouldn’t I let the kids?

At home, we have either water or milk with meals. A couple times a week, they’ll get chocolate milk at supper. On Friday nights, we have a pizza and movie night, and they can get a special drink for supper (a pop, float, or milkshake - they’re not allowed to have cola drinks, but I do let them have ginger ale, sprite or 7 up, amd more rarely, orange or other crush drinks).

At Disney, most often, during the day, we’ll drink bottled water, and I have brought Mio or Kool aid water drops to add. When we went in September a few years ago, it was soooo hot, we mostly drank ice water (I ordered bottled water, and I’d freeze them the night before to take into the park). At meals, most often, the kids will have the raspberry lemonade drink, or my son will usually ask for chocolate milk.
If we are having a breakfast meal in the parks, it’s usually juice. I have ordered milk for our room, and if we are having breakfast before we head out, it’s either water, milk or yogurt drinks.

I don’t stress about it....because I know they eat healthy. Disney is a time for us all to enjoy some special treats!
 
FL water is not our favorite so we use refillable bottles with a filter or buy bottled water. Soda is a rare treat for our family.

Check out the menus on the Disney sites or have your beverage of choice delivered to your room. I gave up soda but like carbonation, so I ordered La Croix water to be delivered to our hotel from a local grocery store. It was nice to have a cold one waiting in our room each day after our summer days in the parks.
 
My 6 year old has never had a soda. She drinks milk and water, sometimes a 100% juice drink.

I would be hesitant to give my kid a sugar free Fruit Shoot, as they contain Sucralose, which seems worse to me than natural sugars in regular fruit juice.

I don't know many 4 year olds who drink soda, so I think your assumption is a bit off.
 
My 6 year old has never had a soda. She drinks milk and water, sometimes a 100% juice drink.

I would be hesitant to give my kid a sugar free Fruit Shoot, as they contain Sucralose, which seems worse to me than natural sugars in regular fruit juice.

I don't know many 4 year olds who drink soda, so I think your assumption is a bit off.
This, almost exactly. My kids have had sips here and there of sodas, but it’s very rare as DH and I almost never drink them and my kids do not get their own. I would almost rather order them their own soda though than give them anything sugar-free.
 
I've read the entire post and now feel like the worlds worst parent. My girls are healthy, happy, beautiful teeth, and are always in the average range for weight.(the youngest is at times below average) They drink root beer, sprite, and shoot me dead, an occasional Pepsi. They also love milk, both white and chocolate, hate orange juice, but love cranberry juice. When out for dinner they order water as we always have water at dinner. I can remember my oldest daughters pediatrician telling me that many juices have more sugar than soda and restaurants tend to serve the "syrup" juices which are worse than soda. He was a well respected doctor and loved by many. He also "prescribed" a candy bar to her when we took her in for a illness. She grew up believing you get a Hershey bar when sick and we have continued the "tradition" with the rest of our girls. You've got to remember I'm an old mom and when I listen to all the new rules that have come along with raising kids I kind of laugh. I'm not sure how mine have survived...
I am also an “old” mom ( I have an 11 yo and grandchildren) and I agree. I have healthy, average weight children who eat well and when they were 4 or so would drink water, milk, lemonade, hi-c, kool-aid, and an occasional soda. We tried to keep it non caffeinated but sometimes...... well. Now 3 of my children are grown and choose not to drink soda most the time. My 11yo still chooses milk or lemonade when we go out even with the choice of soda. Just because you offer it does not mean they will become overindulgent or unhealthy. I also think it’s inportant to teach children to make good choices most of the time but that it is OK every once in while to treat yourself especially on vacation. A Disney vacation/cruise is about having fun and stressing about what your 4 year old will drink on vacation sound like fun.
 
Hi All,
We'll be in the parks / disney cruise and wondered what US 4 year old kids drink? Over here, when we are out my daughter will drink Milk and a kids drink call "Fruit Shoots", which is a sugar free flavoured water.

I'm not too keen on her getting a taste for Coke/Diet Coke at such an early age, and she's not a big plain water drinker, so I'm happy to learn about what I can get her in the US.

Thanks, Stevey
Apple juice, milk, & water.
 
I'm not American and so can't comment on what American 4 years old drink, but can tell you what my 4 year old drank on a Disney cruise. As a previous poster pointed out American lemonade is very different to British lemonade and we found that their minute maid light pomegranate lemonade very much like squash. So that did as a special holiday drink, along with water, milk, fruit juice etc. I would recommend taking one of those little squeezable robinson squash'd or similar to put a few drops into water bottles if that's what'll encourage her to stay hydrated out and about.

I think some of the people reading the post are perhaps taking it the wrong way and feeling it to be a criticism or assumption that American kids are drinking lots of Coke. It's actually a genuine question, and one I've often wondered myself. See "squash" or cordial - a concentrated liquid that you add to water (NEVER powder, generally sugar free nowadays) is such a culturally imbedded idea here in Britain, even if your own kids don't drink it that much. You get jugs of it as standard at birthday parties, in church halls, school fetes, whole aisles of it in the supermarket and so the idea that it just doesn't exist can leave us quite discombobulated and feeling like someone who's going to a bar for the first time and just doesn't know what to ask the bartender for.
 
My oldest drank primarily water, but would sometimes drink 100% fruit juice cut with water. But my youngest really just drank water at that age. You can find milk & apple juice being offered on kid menus in the parks, so since your daughter likes milk, maybe you can go with that. :)
 

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