Is your child dye sensitive? Artificial dyes are notorious for causing problems for children on the spectrum. This is particularly true with the artificial dye Red 40. In my experience, beverages containing Red 40 cause my son to experience more intense emotional behaviors and aggressive outbursts. As you become aware of artificial dye and start reading nutrition labels, you’ll realize these dyes are found in many beverages actively marketed toward children.
So, what the heck can you give your artificial dye-sensitive child to drink? Fortunately, my son is 11, and this is a road I’ve been on for a while. While I am no expert – I can share what I have observed and experienced with my son and the solutions that have worked for us.
Full Transparency
Before we go any further, it is important to remember that I stand on a very pick-your-own-battle approach to parenting. My son is nonverbal autistic and unfortunately, there aren’t many things that bring him a lot of joy. That said, as his mother, I tend to make his quality of life one of the biggest factors at play when making decisions that affect him. If you are looking for recommendations from a health nut, you’ve come to the wrong place.
Additionally, it is important to note that my son will not drink water. He flat-out refuses. The only time he’s willing to drink water is from the showerhead at bath time. To put it simply, my son would rather die of thirst before willingly choosing to drink water from a cup.
Are you still with me, Mama? I know this is a lot.
Hang in there and I will tell you about the options that work for us. Remember, I’m not a doctor or an expert – but I can give you some suggestions that just might make these decisions just a bit easier for you.
Drinks to Try if You Have a Dye-Sensitive Child
Capri Sun (The best choice for my dye-sensitive child)
Whenever I talk to someone new about having a child on the spectrum, I highly recommend giving Capri Sun a try if they have issues with artificial dyes. Capri Sun comes in several fun fruit flavors and contain no dyes or colorants. They are all completely clear. Capri Sun has been one of my kiddo’s preferred drink choices for several years now, despite there being only two flavors that he will drink. They do have 6 or 7 primary flavors in their original pouch drinks – and several others in their flavored water pouch variety if that is something your child will tolerate.
Kool-Aid
If Capri Sun works out, just stick with that. If Capri Sun is a no-go, you can dance around certain Kool-Aid flavors. My top recommendation would be the blue variants. While they do contain the dyes Blue 1 and Yellow 5, they are free from Red 40 – which seems to be the biggest problem causer for us. The two beverages below are often what we use as a backup if Capri Sun is out of stock (or if they do a promo and change the packaging — because my son also won’t drink them if the packaging changes):
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Kool-Aid Bursts Berry Blue Kids Drink – In most places you can find six-packs of these squeeze drinks for around $2 depending on where you get them, not a bad deal.
- Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid Jammers – We are fond of these because the packaging and function is nearly identical to that of the Capri Sun which make them easier for my son to drink.
Tea
For a while, my son liked Lipton’s Green Tea. Now, his tea of choice is sweet tea from McDonald’s. If you load it with ice, and water it down a little, it is a sneaky way to get a little water in him without him realizing he’s drinking water. This is where my pick-your-battle style of parenting comes in. I know there are plenty of parents who are very opposed to the idea of their child consuming caffeine… I am not one of those parents.
Soda, Pop, Coke, Fizzy Drink – Whatever you call it.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with your kid having soda. Diet Mountain Dew happens to be my son’s soda of choice. He has a very specific cup he has to drink his Mountain Dew out of (nothing else can go in that cup). Alternatively, in a pinch we have found that he will willingly consume Sprite as a substitute for Mountain Dew. Sprite is definitely a secondary choice for Mom, because he will chug it when he’s thirsty and then make himself throw up because he drank it too fast and the carbonation and gas pressure is too much for his tummy. So, keep that in mind with your child.
Help! My Dye Sensitive Child Won’t Use A Straw!
First, consider ABA therapy. I know it has a pretty negative reputation, but for some children, ABA can help them grasp skills and techniques that make a huge difference in their ability do perform certain self-care tasks. For example, ABA therapy gets the credit for teaching my son how to drink from a straw. Mastering a straw was a real game changer for us as a family because it meant being able to get him drinks when we were out of the house all day, preventing dehydration and the likely grumpiness that would come with. It also meant that we could now enjoy the experience of eating out and having our child be able to enjoy it right along with us, no longer tied to a specific cup at home to manage his thirst.
I know for some, this will sound like such a small thing — but if you are a mom to a child on the spectrum – you take the wins where you can get them and you cherish and celebrate the milestones as they come.
Anyway, back to the straw issue – if your child has a hard time with straws, you can cut the Capri Sun or Kool-Aid Jammer packs and squeeze them into your child’s preferred cup. There was a time when I took this approach. No shame in it. Do what works.
Go With Your Gut – Find What Works Best For Your Child
At the end of it all, remember not to feel overcome with guilt about the choices you have to make. It’s not easy and it can be a daily struggle to ensure your nonverbal child has everything they need to thrive. Just like they tell moms after giving birth – Fed is best. The method you use to accomplish the task is less important than the end result.
So, if you are struggling to keep your dye-sensitive spectrum child hydrated due to issues with dye sensitivity — keep this article in mind. Review some of these basic suggestions and see if any are valid options for your child.
Do you have a dye-sensitive spectrum kiddo at home? What do they enjoy drinking? Share your findings with other Moms in the comments! Help us build a community based on love, respect and acceptance.
