I have a three and one-half year old daughter who doesn’t have diabetes. I have diabetes and am on the insulin pump; her dad also has diabetes.

She also has a craving for soda. I personally drink diet soda, and her dad, even though he has diabetes, drinks regular soda, and got her used to drinking regular soda. I know there is a lot of junk in diet soda, and, although I do not need to drink diet soda, I strongly dislike regular soda. However, I know there are ingredients in the diet soda that are not good for a child. Would I be better off giving her regular soda or diet soda? I am afraid both ways. I’ve been personally drinking diet soda since I was a kid for the taste of it. Any suggestions?

In a 3 1/2 year old consuming that much soda and pudding, my chief concern would be that she is perhaps not getting other things that she needs for total health and nutrition. Thirty-two ounces of Yoo-Hoo in a child that size is most likely displacing more nutritionally important foods — probably cow or soy milk (for the calcium and protein they contain). It’s not that sweets and other “junk” (low nutrient density) foods need to be avoided like the plague. It’s just that in small children, parents should make sure that sweets are offered only as a modest portion of total nutrition.

I highly recommended two books by Ellyn Satter: Child of Mine and How to Get Your Kid to Eat but Not Too Much. These give great advice about both nutrition and food-related parenting to help you position the sweets your child naturally enjoys within an overall healthy eating plan for the family.

BB
Additional comments from Lois Schmidt Finney, diabetes dietitian:

She could be tested for the Diabetes Prevention Trial to see if she is at risk for developing type 1 diabetes. The number to call for more info is 800-425-8361.

LSF