Would you give a 3 year old root beer?

[ann_of_loxley]

DS birthday is coming up...okay its a little over a month away but I am a very organised woman lol...

For his birthday we are going to do a Mickey Mouse theme. I am so chuffed I found these party things in this country - I thought it would be near impossible! hehe DS loves Mickey Mouse!...

So I am thinking 'American' type foods for his birthday party as Mickey Mouse is pretty American. We will do pizzas (which I know are technically Italian, but ask most any American kid what their fav food is and they usually say pizza right? lol) and I thought....

Root beer floats!...Little ones of course in a little cup (you know those party sized cups, they are awfully small!)...

But...We don't normally buy that kind of stuff. And DS has never had it. Sure we have our fair share of sugar and E's every now and then but I am not sure yet how I feel about carbonated drinks and/or if it would be a good idea to have it for children at his birthday party.

However - it is a special occasion and just a 'once off' iykwim and of course, something slightly different - and a very small portion... So maybe its 'ok'?

What do you think? Perhaps there is an alternative? Whats the typical 'American' birthday party food selection? lol

I am also going to make ambrosia ...but since we don't have 'cool whip' in this country, I will use something we do have that is close to it (though much more 'natural' lol)...It may or may not turn out right...we shall see! lol

[maliceinwonderland]

I'm pretty sure by 3 my dd had a taste of several kinds of pop. I try to keep our diet pretty healthy, but on special occasions I make no effort whatsoever to try and make the junk food healthier. I enjoy a good ol' fashion sugar high once in awhile

[fritz]

My 3 yo doesn't like root beer. You could try doing a fruit punch instead. Which you could still serve over ice cream, if you wanted. Or do ice cream sundaes.

[ann_of_loxley]

I dont think we have fruit punch in this country lol

I did think of a banana sundae. But thats quite a bit more effort and quite a bit more money for a birthday party.

[mommabear207]

sure it sound very mainstream American. pizza and soda. if you're worried about kids not liking root beer get root beer and cola or orange soda. cake is big too or cupcakes w/ frosting. i think everyone pretty much likes that stuff and there was a time before they ever had it in the first place. if you're really worried you could always have a stash of something (that stays good in case you don't need it) that you know they like just in case.

[CarrieMF]

by 3 my kids all had pop on more than 1 occassion, but probably not root beer. It's an acquired taste, imo. I'd go for orange pop or coke floats

[Kathryn]

I'd do it. You can always dilute the root beer with water. The only time my 4 year old or almost two year olds get soda or juice is if it's 50/50 with water.

[wednesday]

I let my son have root beer now and then when he was 3. Watch for caffeine though, most root beers are caffeine-free but the Barq's brand and a couple others do have caffeine.

[Aubergine68]

My 4 yr old has a strong dislike to carbonated beverages and anything really sweet, now that I think of it. If your child is not used to them, you may find he just doesn't want any, no matter what kind of soda you use.

Maybe have an option for fruit juice or a plain milkshake? I see milkshakes as slightly more commonly American than floats....

Hey, ann of loxley , if we were having a Peter Rabbit theme birthday (or something else "typically British") what food should we serve?

[elmh23]

My 3 year old has had a her share of root beer. It's the drink we get for her at drive throughs that don't have milk as an option (Taco Bell mostly.) She loves it. My 17mo loves it too. As a once and a while treat, it's fine.

[Kessed]

My guess is that a fruit pop would go over better than root beer.

But I don't think there's anything wrong with a very small amount of pop for a 3yo. It's not every day. It's once for a special occasion.

[~Megan~]

I don't think rootbeer is any worse than most juice drinks out there. Perhaps you could do root beer floats with frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.
And of course offer water as well so parents have a choice.

[StephandOwen]

For a special occaision I would be fine with root beer for a 3 year old.

My ds wouldn't have drank it though (and still won't) but he has his own issues with food/drinks and probably wouldn't eat/drink anything you serve, except a cup of water

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by StephandOwen

For a special occaision I would be fine with root beer for a 3 year old.

My ds wouldn't have drank it though (and still won't) but he has his own issues with food/drinks and probably wouldn't eat/drink anything you serve, except a cup of water

My ds might have eaten the ice cream plain but still does not like carbonated beverages.

[mamazee]

I wouldn't have had a problem with it for a special occasion, but I'm not sure if my daughter would have wanted it. Kids who don't want them combined can have them separate, or just have some ice cream, though.

[ProtoLawyer]

My stepkid loves rootbeer. Cola makes good floats, too.

[Mama Mko]

My son is 3 and drinks root beer. We buy a brand that doesn't have corn syrup (allergy reasons primarily) and it tastes pretty good. We do water it down.

[lovesdaffodils]

My 3y/o loves root beer. DH buys the "natural" ones without hfcs and shares with DS. It's a nice treat sometimes. I'd let him have some at a party. Of course, he almost never eats at birthday parties anyway, not even cake. He's too excited about the games and playing!

[Ruthla]

Honestly, I'd stay away from something "complicated" like a root beer float for 3yos. I'd serve pizza and apple juice for the main course, and cake and ice cream (separately!) for dessert. Toddlers and preschoolers often don't like "mixed" foods, even if they like each food individually. And there are preschoolers who hate bubbles and those who like it. I certainly wouldn't have soda as the ONLY available beverage.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

My DD is 3.5 and she has a small bit of root beer about once a week or so, and has since she was probably 2. I used to dilute it with water when she was younger but don't now. She actually self-regulates root beer really well and generally only takes about 1/4 cup before she's done. Add ice cream, though, and all bets are off! She doesn't regulate ice cream well yet.