I think they could have made a much better choice. I'm guessing many of the parents didn't give the punch a second thought, but I would not have been happy about it.

People are so ignorant sometimes! I would have been livid!

How much Mountain Dew? Unless there is a medical reason for no pop, because she isn't "allowed" it by a parent isn't a reason. I'm with phoggie on this one - lighten up....it's Hallowe'en.

Is it thought that using Kool-Aid or Hawaiian Punch would have been better? How about fruit juice? Is the little girl given candy, cake, pie, or other desserts at home?

All of this stuff is the same - the excessive sugar and sweetness does no one any good if eaten regularly, and probably does no harm at all if eaten only for special occasions. I'm not sure why there should be concern about the use of some Mountain Dew at a kids party and ignore other overly sweet, sugar charged foods, or otherwise unhealthy foods that too many people eat daily

I cannot speak from experience as I do not have children, but I would think that if a child has never had pop, which would mean the child hasn't ever had an abundance of caffeine at any one time, then suddenly introducing a lot of caffeine at one time could have a very adverse affect. Doesn't Mountain Dew have more caffeine than most soft drinks? I think the school would have been better off simply adding some green food coloring rather than Mountain Dew.

Someone just wasn't thinking. Not the End of the World, but it shouldn't happen again.

Somewhere a restaurant has a sign regarding misbehaving children. The restaurant says that the children will be fed a ton of candy and ice cream and caffeinated drinks, then they and their parents will be ejected.

I agree that it's bad that they used the caffeine, but people give Coca-cola to little kids without pushback, and in punch it was probably diluted enough not to be any worse than what might occur in all kinds of things. And Mountain Dew is spooky looking.

Sue, it's great that your granddaughter is being raised to like drinking water, but if one exposure to a sugary punch is going to undo that, perhaps they're overdoing it. Kids are naturally attracted to sugar as part of the survival mechanisms. Some kids who are watched and restricted get sneaky and grab for candy and pop whenever their parents aren't looking. Barring a medical issue preventing it, if you adults can teach the child that colorful and sugary drinks are like candy and are nice for special treats at parties, but aren't good to have much of, and let her have a little without freaking out, it'll be much easier to keep her wanting the good for her things, rather than having her watch the other kids enjoy them and feel excluded and deprived.

I agree - not that big of a deal. Someone was probably just following a recipe and made the punch with MD. Probably never occurred to them that one of the children does not drink pop.

It's not like they handed the child a Mountain Dew and said, "Here. Drink this."

The polite thing to do would be to mention to the host, prior to the child visiting again, that the child does not drink pop.

Really bad choice, but in some regions of the country, kids are practically given Mountain Dew IV.

My little grand daughter goes to a lot of parties. Has always gone to a lot of them since she has a larger than average social circle. At home she drinks water. At parties she can have whatever she wants. She understands that parties are special and you can indulge. There is no conflict in her mind. She's 3. She is not being raised with the bad food/good food silliness. She is merely given more access to healthier foods than empty calorie foods.

When my kids were little there was a crazy carob versus chocolate fad and the anti sugar cult had just started with all the nonsense about sugar causing hyperactivity etc. One mother I knew didn't allow her twins to eat sugar. So at a birthday party one day they went through and completely undid the table setting by eating the contents of every single treat cup set out and sneaking icing off the cupcakes. They were 5. Old enough to know better. But first time out of mom's sight and they went hog wild.

The OP did not make a complaint, only asked for opinions, so she has no need to "lighten up".

To me it's not a big deal. Obviously the parent that made the punch gives her children soda. Some parents do, some parents don't. Hopefully, in the future, that parent will make better decisions.

Probably wasn't the best of choices. My question would be does this school do things like this on a regular basis? If I could say, no, then I'd let it go. If I was concerned about what they were feeding my kid most of the time, then I'd be having a talk with them - not just about the pop but about the food they are giving my kid generally.

"Obviously the parent that made the punch gives her children soda" I'm not sure why this is "obvious".

I never gave my kids pop but when it came to their birthday parties (or Hallowe'en or a Christmas gathering) , yea, pop was on tap as was processed meat in the form of wieners, gluten-containing processed white flour hot dog buns, added-sugar/gluten containing birthday cake decorated with sugar candies. So what? Same menu as all the other parties they went to. I feel sorry for those of you who think that makes me a bad mom who made poor decisions. It doesn't, it makes me a mom who lightens up on their kids food needs for ONE single meal.

And for you to think that I needed to make better decisions is nothing short of insulting. And it must warm the cockles of your heart to know that you all were perfect parents. - just sayin'. Unless you were, lighten up on those of us who weren't.

This was at a pre-school, not someone's home.

my kids grew up on kool aid. My grand kids are growing up on water. At nursery school, now real school, and day care they get pop and foods that are not part of their normal options at home. Life goes on.

Moni

I wouldn't have a problem with an occasional soft drink or punch, but Mountain Dew not the smartest choice for little ones, I don't think. But, as one component of a party punch, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I'd sure hate to be THE child at every party who wasn't allowed to taste the punch!

I guess I don't understand why it would be a big deal. What would make the punch acceptable? Ok, so the parents don't give the kid pop. The kid has a bit of pop in some punch. The child is going to encounter all kinds of things that they've not experienced before. Is there a health danger/issue? Truly, I'd be interested in why this is perceived as something to be upset about.

Mountain Dew seems like an odd choice. If it wasn't on the allergy list then it is fair game. My kids got introduced to a lot of junk at school they didn't get at home. I wasn't thrilled with it. I didn't want to be a controlling parent either. Everything in moderation. My kids used to love school holidays because they got gummy candy. That stuff was made in. China. I disapproved. The kids also introduced to the high caffeine drinks like Red Bull or Monster drinks from their friends. I've explained the dangers and asked that if they drink them to have only one.

My question is a little different. How was it made known that the punch had some MD in it, or was it just because of the color? And was there a "big deal" made about it there at the party? Were other children not allowed to have it? I'm thinking it must have been hard to be the only child not having any punch at the party. What was your granddaughter's reaction/feelings to that? I hope not getting a little MD didn't spoil the fun for her.

I was curious, so had to look it up--there are recipes for 'Toxic Waste' Halloween punch, using Mt.Dew. Actually there are pages of recipes for Mt.Dew in punch. Who knew? Halloween Toxic Waste Punch

I make different kinds of non-alcoholic punch for parties or theme dinners--'Margarita' for Mexican, 'Sangria' for Italian, etc., using 7up or Sprite.

We always buy the non-caffeinated versions of any soft drink, on the rare occasions that we serve them. Are you sure that the punch wasn't made with caffeine-free Mt.Dew?

I just remembered Grandparents' Day for my grandson's kindergarten class--we were served cookies and our choice of soft drink, poured from 2-liter bottles. The parents must have been asked to provide the refreshments. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but no one else seemed to think anything was amiss.

I will try to answer your questions. The punch was seen being made and Mt. Dew was in it. She was allowed to have it and she did not drink much as she did not care much for it. My question was I wonder why they would serve caffeine to such young children. They could have provided another kind to put in it instead of one with caffeine. My sister and I did not have soft drinks till we were teenagers, not because our parents thought it bad for us but because we probably could not afford it.

Has the child ever had a piece of chocolate? Chocolate or coffee ice cream? If so, she's had caffeine. Other foods and consumable items have caffeine, too.

I think the fact that it was a party means junky foods and drinks will be served. When we were kids and traveling from WI to FL on road trips, my father always bought us a Mountain Dew when we were in or near the Appalachians. It's advertising slogan back then was "It Tickles Yer Innards". Other days, we got Cokes. We all survived, so did the parents.

It wouldn't bother me unless it were a regular occurrence. How much punch can a preschooler drink? I think unhealthy food for special occasions is part of the fun as long as it's not an every-day thing.

I always feel a little bad for the kids who aren't allowed to have anything that isn't 100% healthy. I wonder if they will grow up to be resentful and will end up terrible eaters as an adult compared to kids who are generally healthy eaters but allowed to have treats every once in a while.

I made my own baby food for my son. And it didn't have salt or sugar added. That sort of eating continued until he went off to school. I too was livid about those sorts of things until I realized three things. I have no control over the rest of the world, that it was good for him to get a break from eating one type of food, and most importantly, go with the flow. I really didn't want him to be one too uptight about his diet. There's a bit too much of that nowadays. I even joined in later on-Fridays became eat whatever you want day for awhile. Now that he knows his options, he does ok. He's going to get out in the real world without my guidance someday, may as well have some idea what makes him feel rotten and what makes him feel better.

I agree with the rest. Wasn't a good choice, but chosen probably because of the green color.

If your daughter is very concerned, she can have a one on one meeting with the teachers and suggest that the food committees be a bit more diligent. Of course, the solution could be for your daughter to head the parties so that she can have a say in what is served.

With all the talk now a days about healthy eating, I am surprised that schools still hold parties with lots of junk. Yes, to some junk, but not all!

I found out the only ingredients in the punch were Mt. Dew and lime sherbet. My daughter was there for the party but did not make the punch or provide ingredients. Parents were told what to bring, she brought red seedless grapes.

Sue

There are parents who would've worried about the grapes, since it's one of the top ten choking hazards in children. But there's the point. Everything has some sort of risk :) We just gotta enjoy!

I don't think it is that big of a deal. It was not the best choice of beverage, but it was a party and the Mountain Dew was an ingredient in the punch. I always offered my children healthy drink choices while they were growing up, and let them enjoy party foods and beverages during special occasions. They are healthy adults, not overweight at all, nor addicted to caffeine beverages. My nieces however were subjected to a very different parenting style in which all food choices were micro-managed. They were not overweight as children, but are now both obese.

Along the lines of what Rob said about getting out in the real world, there are parents who don't allow TV or video games. So, guess where their kids go for play dates?

Very difficult to create the balance, but we all try to do the best that we can.

I was a girl scout leader for years and the only way to make sure things are to your satisfaction during a social event, is to volunteer yourself. I encouraged the parents who wanted a say to step up to the plate!

Mt. Dew and lime sherbet is the green, citrus-y equivalent of a root beer float, lol.

I wouldn't have cared about the pop in the punch, but the grapes yes. I'd be making sure they were properly cut up to prevent choking. Funny isn't it about how each of our worries can be so individual.

Yes, the grapes were cut in half. I think a much better choice for the pop would have been Sierra Mist.

Sue

What's unhealthy about soda is the too-high concentration of sugar or in some cases high fructose corn syrup, a substance that's arguably worse than sugar. Same problem with fruit juice, punch, and other things (like cranberry juice or apple juice) that for whatever reason people think are healthful to drink. Caffeine, by comparison, is pretty harmless for those who consume it in moderate amounts.

What advantage are you thinking about with Sierra Mist?

Last night, I THOUGHT I had come back and apologized for over reacting to the soda situation. Guess I didn't hit submit or something.

Over the years I have posted many times of my addictions to cigarettes and sodas. Four years ago I was able to kick cigarettes but I continue to struggle with sodas. IMO, they are vile products! Call it addiction... weak-willed... whatever you want, but children would be better off not having them introduced into their diets.

Yes, we all have our own individual worries. Grapes would have been a huge hit with me, sliced or not.

Mountain Dew comes in three different formulations: (1) regular sugared and caffeinated, (2) Diet and caffeinated, and (3) Diet with no caffeine. So which version did they use?

Oh man I would be livid if they gave my child diet soda. Sugar, I can deal with, even HFCS on rare occasions but artificial sweeteners are another thing entirely. I avoid those entirely, no exceptions.

It's Halloween; one time. Human body is very resilient. Peeps need to chill out.

I agree, time to chill, let the kid be a kid and a party be a party.

If a parent is going to be upset that their child had sugar/no sugar/caffeine/meat/forbidden fruit/video games/whatever when away from home, then the parent needs to bubble wrap the child and accompany him everywhere to supervise. If you don't want the child exposed, don't let him out of the house.