| They're bright, they're cold on a hot summer's day and my children always beg for a giant cup. So what's not to love about slushies? Quite a bit as it turns out. To maintain that swirling, mesmerizing iciness, many slushies — especially the low or sugar-free versions — contain glycerol to prevent the drink from fully freezing. The sweet-tasting viscous liquid has long been used in soaps, medicines and skin products to help moisten, preserve or change texture. With that in mind, it's perhaps not too surprising that glycerol can trigger toxic effects in young children. But just how toxic certainly shocked me. A new study published by the British Medical Journal's Archives of Disease in Childhood examined the cases of 21 children who fell ill within an hour of drinking a slushie, with most being rushed in for emergency care. With an average age of 3 years and 6 months, the peer reviewed research found that even without any relevant past medical history, 94% of these kids had an acute decrease in consciousness and 95% had dangerously low blood sugar. There was also a build-up of acid in the blood. The nasty effects are more likely to be seen in kids under 8 years of age because their smaller body size and developing metabolism make it harder for them to process and clear glycerol efficiently, the researchers said. While all the children recovered quickly after initial resuscitation and stabilization of their blood glucose and were discharged with the advice to avoid slush ice drinks, one drank another at the age of 7 and developed symptoms within an hour, rapidly progressing to vomiting and drowsiness. This may be enough to prompt parents to pay more attention to what their children drink. But like much of parenting, part of the problem is it's not all that clear. "There is poor transparency around slush ice drink glycerol concentration," the researchers, including Ellen Crushell from the pediatrics department at University College Dublin, said. "Estimating a safe dose is therefore not easy." It's also likely that the quantity and speed at which a slushie is consumed, as well as other aspects such as if food is also eaten or a child is jumping around may be contributing factors, they wrote. So what does a parent do?
While we're often told that children should avoid sugar, in a slushie it might actually be a safer option, as glycerol is used in much larger quantities in low or no-sugar varieties. But slushies are mostly sold from machines in retail and leisure settings where ingredients labelling may not be visible or available. It can be hard to know, without asking, if there is glycerol in it. As a rule of thumb - it's best not to allow a child younger than 8 years to sip on a slushie with glycerol and for older kids, keep the icy treat to a smaller size and only drink one.
There's always the chance that by the time they can make beverage choices for themselves, they've developed a taste for a better alternative. — Janice Kew | 
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