🫧

Can babies have carbonated water or soda?

These get lumped together as “fizzy drinks,” but they are two very different questions. The short version: plain sparkling water is a mild concern, and soda is a real one, and the difference is not the bubbles. It is what is dissolved in them.

Plain carbonated water (nothing added)

Sparkling water with no sugar, sweeteners, flavors, or caffeine is not harmful the way soda is. Its downsides are small and mostly about a baby's size:

Bubbles cause gas and fullness. The carbonation can lead to burping, gas, or a tight tummy, and it fills a small stomach fast, which can crowd out the milk and food a young child actually needs to grow.
It is mildly acidic. Carbonation makes water slightly acidic. On its own this is a minor factor, but it is a small extra reason not to make it an everyday drink for developing teeth.
Some brands sneak in extras. Certain sparkling waters add sodium, citric acid, “natural flavors,” or even caffeine. Read the label, because those move it toward the soda category.

There is no strict cutoff, but a reasonable approach is to wait until around age 2 for plain sparkling water, then offer it only occasionally and in small amounts. It is fine as a once-in-a-while thing, just not a substitute for water or milk.

Soda and other sweet or caffeinated drinks

This is the category that actually matters, and the problem is the ingredients, not the fizz. Soda, cola, lemonade, sweetened iced tea, sports drinks, fruit drinks, and energy drinks carry one or more of these:

Added sugar. Sugary drinks are a leading source of added sugar for young children, linked to tooth decay and to displacing the nutrition they need. They also set an early preference for very sweet flavors.
Caffeine. Colas, some energy and “sports” drinks, and even some flavored sparkling waters contain caffeine, and there is no amount considered safe for young children. It can affect sleep, heart rate, and mood.
Non-sugar sweeteners. Diet sodas swap sugar for artificial or non-sugar sweeteners, which pediatric guidelines also recommend avoiding in early childhood.

For these, the guidance is not “wait a while.” The leading pediatric, heart, and dental groups say to skip sugary and caffeinated drinks in early childhood, full stop. Caffeine-free, sugar-free soda is still an acidic, unnecessary drink, so it is not a real upgrade for a toddler.

The bottom line, by age

Under 12 months: breast milk or formula, plus small sips of plain still water with meals once solids start. No carbonated anything.
12 to 24 months: plain water and whole milk are the everyday drinks. Still no soda; hold off on sparkling water too.
Around 2 and up: plain sparkling water is fine occasionally and in small amounts. Sugary and caffeinated drinks stay off the list.

What toddlers actually need to drink

The simplest guide comes from the pediatric, heart, dental, and nutrition groups, who all agree: for children under 5, the everyday drinks are plain water and plain milk. A little 100% juice is optional and best kept small and with a meal. Everything else, fizzy or not, is a sometimes-food at most.

Frequently asked questions

Can babies have carbonated water?

It is best to wait until around age 2 for plain carbonated (sparkling) water. Before then, babies need breast milk or formula, plus small sips of plain still water with meals once solids start. Plain sparkling water is not toxic, but the bubbles can cause gas and fill a small tummy, crowding out the milk and food a baby actually needs.

Is plain sparkling water the same concern as soda?

No, and this is the key distinction. Plain carbonated water with nothing added has no sugar and no caffeine. Its downsides are mild: gas and fullness from the bubbles, and slight acidity that is a minor factor for teeth. Soda is a different category entirely because of what is dissolved in it: sugar, and often caffeine.

Why is soda a bigger problem than the fizz?

The harm in soda comes mostly from added sugar and caffeine, not the carbonation. Sugary drinks are linked to tooth decay and displace the nutrition young children need, and there is no amount of caffeine considered safe for young children. Diet sodas swap sugar for non-sugar sweeteners, which the pediatric guidelines also say to avoid in early childhood.

What should my toddler actually be drinking?

For children under 5, the leading pediatric, heart, and dental groups agree the everyday drinks are plain water and plain milk. A little 100% juice is optional and best kept small and with a meal. Flavored milks, sugary drinks, and caffeinated drinks are the ones to skip.

What about flavored sparkling water?

Check the label. Some are just water and natural flavor (closer to plain sparkling water), but others add sugar, sweeteners, sodium, citric acid, or caffeine, which move them toward the soda category. If it has added sugar, a non-sugar sweetener, or caffeine, treat it like soda and skip it for young children.

Sources

😋 🤢

Track it in YummyYucky

Log first tries and reactions, with an automatic allergen watch when a food needs one, all in one place you can share with your pediatrician.

Start tracking for free

Last updated July 2026. Next review January 2027. How we write these: grounded in widely published pediatric guidance (the AAP, WHO, the NIAID 2017 allergen guidelines, and the LEAP study), and pending independent review by a pediatric professional. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these.

This is general information, not medical advice, and has not been individually reviewed for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

Some links in our guides are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only suggest things we'd actually use, and it never changes our guidance.