Anyone else here a little anal about what your toddler drinks? I am. Mialee gets Milk and Water. Nothing else. She's had juice maybe a dozen times in her 2 years and soda less times than the fingers on your right hand. Am I weird?

She hardly ever requests anything else because she is not used to getting anything else. Even if I drink a soda in front of her and she asks, I just tell her; "No Mialee, this is daddy's." and she let's it go. So it's not like holding her back from the juices and sodas are creating any resentful behavior or anything, I just notice I appear to be the only parent of a toddler doing this out of my circle of friends and family. My nephew Cole lives on juice and soda.

So how weird am I? Is it wrong for me to keep the tasty stuff from her?

No, you're not wrong or wierd. Kendall has never tasted soda and I certainly don't plan on giving it to her any time soon. I don't drink it myself very often & when I do it's diet. Dh has been trying to cut back as well so we haven't actually bought any in awhile.

Kendall drinks 1% milk, water, and juice. I used to water down her juice still up until a few months ago when she started refusing it. They give them 100% apple juice, not watered down, at daycare and she has gotten used to it. If you give your dd 100% juice, it's really not that bad. It's the ones that are called juice, but only contain 10% of fruit juice that you have to watch out for. While most adults I know do not like the taste of Juicy Juice, kids love it & it is 100% juice. And Kendall really enjoys getting to drink out of the box, lol. In fact, she lately has refused a sippy cup of juice I have poured from the fridge b/c she prefers the novelty of the box. I am lucky, I think, that she also loves ice water, lol! Occasionally she will also get flavored milk, like vanilla or chocolate as a treat.

Unfortunately, you cannot always control what she drinks when other people are watching her. (i.e.: my parents give in her to her whining & allow her juice & Ovaltine-milk way more than I would like, so I try to get her to drink plain milk & water at home) But they know better than to give her soda or something like that!

My MIL actually said something to me about me being "anal" about what goes into Kendall's mouth at her 2nd Thanksgiving......b/c everyone was sharing their desserts with her & pumping her full of sugar, which I wasn't exactly comfortable with. Sorry MIL, times-are-a-changing!

I agree with you guys- Hope is only 13 almost 14 months and she has only had soda once- MIL gave it to her while babysitting. When she told us when we got home we were SHOCKED- and she couldn't understand WHY! I wasn't really mad, we hadn't specifically told her not too, and I know grandparents do that kind of stuff- but we really don't want her drinking it. Then, one day when we were at their house MIL asked if she could give her a sip of soda- we said no and she said "why, it's diet?"...we said that's even worse with all the chemicals, lol! We really don't want her drinking ANY soda- we don't want to start a bad habit. She has had mostly water and some juice- I am 100% with you guys! Good habits start YOUNG!!

Glad to see I am not alone. I personally see no reason for all that extra sugar and sweetness. My nephew barely will drink any milk or water when I give it to him. When he is at my house I don't give him the juices and sodas he is used to. I don't want it to be a struggle to get Mialee to stay with the healthier stuff, so I keep it away. Same with candy, cake, and other stuff. Only on rare occassions. Otherwise it's organic foods. For snacks I always give her fruit, be it apples, pears, berries, etc.

I just remember as a kid myself, I got loads of sweets. I still struggle with my sweet tooth to this day!

(And I got tons of cavities...)