A mum has come under fire when she revealed her son doesn't like the taste of water, so allows him to drink sports drinks instead.
The Aussie mum bought a water cooler for her son, and instead of filling it with filtered water, she topped it up with popular drink Prime Hydration. However she's been slammed by others who are worried for her son, who has the drink at arms length at all times as she wants him to drink something - and opted for the "hard to come by" hydration drink containing electrolytes, artificial sweeteners and coconut water.
She took to TikTok to share how she keeps her "gamer son hydrated" as he fills his mug with the sports drink while in the middle of playing a video game. "My son's so fussy and doesn't like the taste of plain water, we found another solution," she said in her video.
The Prime Hydration drink was launched by popular YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul, and has been a popular drink for the younger generation who are fans of the pair. It comes in several delicious-sounding flavours including Ice Pop, Blue Raspberry and Tropical Punch.
The then videoed herself pouring more than 35 bottles of the orange flavoured drink into a water cooler instead of water and said: "Prime is really hard to come by in Australia, so with the help of The Retail Correction we've got a huge supply and he is loving it."
The mum claimed her son doesn't even need to leave his room anymore in the school holidays to get a drink, as he can easily just reach and fill his cup up next to his gaming set-up and added: "School holiday fun". However other TikTokers were quick to comment on the idea with many concerned about her son.
"Go outside, look at the trees, enjoy the sun," one person quipped, and another said: "People don't like the taste of cold crispy water??? It's so nice." A third added: "Never in a million years would I do this to my child."
The mum then shared a second video, as she replaced the Prime drink with water and said: "I decided it was time to get my son to drink water again," and she claimed he's "loving it" and she's "so proud" after filling it with water instead.
Prime Hydration, which is the only product currently available in the UK, isn't a traditional energy drink, as it doesn't have any added sugar or caffeine – so could seem like a healthy alternative to other brands, but should only be consumed in moderation as it contains artificial sweeteners, which can cause glucose intolerance and induce metabolic syndrome. This is associated with weight gain, all increasing the risk of obesity, according to Hannah Macey, lead nutritionist at Feel Complete.
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