No pop:until 12 yrs.

[shootingstar]

I have to admit I'm a former Diet Coke addict - stopped it during pregnancy and felt a lot better from a GI standpoint - never really went back. We never offered the kids soda - they drink milk and water with a rare fruit juice - my MIL thought she was going to give my son a "treat" and he took one sip and didn't like it. My sisters kids are the same way - didn't get soda as little kids and ended up not caring for it when they got older.

As said earlier, I never liked pop drinks much at all. And it we had it only for special occasions or in restaurants as kids. It was easier for my parents to deal with us: Our childhood diets were 80% Asian-dominant, hence not much sugar in it. Hence, our childhood palate was not hankering for alot of sugared stuff.

I disagree with badgercat who had the fortune of cavity-free teeth and access to pop in her childhood household which didn't affect her weight, etc.: Rationale doesn't work when parents are raising 6 children. If 1-2 children start up a regular unhealthy food habit, it spins off superfast amongst the other sibliings: "I wanna to have a piece of the (unhealthy) food'.

At this time, I believe my brother might drink pop abit more often than his 5 sisters. Rest of us, just aren't particularily interested on a regular basis. Our ages are: 40-50 yrs. So restriction to certain unhealthy foods starting from babyhood....can work sometimes.

So I agree drdwin, just quietly restricting access of pop to kids without lecturing, etc., one can only hope the kids don't acquire a hankering for the stuff at least for next 18 years or when they leave home.