Kids Drinking Soda

You have to read this. I am stunned by the amount of caffeine consumed by kids. I just don't understand why a parent would let their child have soda. Read the part in red. Three cans of soda a day! What in the world? I just can't imagine. I have seen my seven-year-old sneak a drink of soda sometimes -likes it's a cool thing to do. But I can't imagine him drinking three cans. He would be up all night!

Do you have a NO SODA rule at your house?

FROM NBC: Most of us need a little kick to get the day started, but a new study suggests caffeine isn't a treat for adults alone. Researchers at the University of Nebraska surveyed the parents of two hundred children, and found seventy-five percent of kids had caffeine every day.

Children as young as five were found to consume the equivalent of a can of soda daily, while older kids -- those ages eight to twelve -- had three cans of soda.

There are no set guidelines that determine how much caffeine children should have, and the effects on kids are unknown. However, experts say parents should monitor the amount of caffeine their kids get and try to keep it to a minimum.

The study was designed to look at the link between caffeine and bed wetting -- and found no such connection exists. But, experts say caffeine is a known diuretic -- so until more studies are done parents should limit kids intake of caffeine at night -- especially if they have a tendency to wet the bed.

The researchers had parents fill out surveys that detailed their child's eating habits and sleep patterns. While caffeine is present in chocolate and hot chocolate (among other things), the researchers say soda was the primary source of caffeine exposure. The study showed caffeine appeared to have a mild impact on length of sleep, however researchers say more studies are needed.