I personally don't agree with drinking around kids at all. I would NEVER dream of having even a single drink on a playdate. We don't even drink after our kids are in bed. Even 1-2 we just aren't comfortable with. I don't get drunk easily but I want to be fully there if, god forbid anything happens. We don't even allow alcohol in our house...at all. I don't cook with it...nothing.

With that said I grew up with very angry alcoholic parents, and it killed my dad in Jan 08 so I'm probably way more sensitive to it than most but for me it isn't something I want my kids seeing at all

I dont drink at all so for me it would never happen, but I dont see what the big issue is as long as its one drink and not to excess. Yes playdates are to get kids together to help them learn social skills etc but its also about supporting each other as mums, and i dont think having one cocktail on a playdate, is really going to cause any harm to the children concerned.

I'm just one of those 'what if' people. If something happened to your baby whilst under your care and you had had that 1-2 glasses of wine even if you're not drunk whatsoever, it'll come back to bite you on the bum.

Having a drink with your dinner or lunch is kinda different I suppose. Alcohol on a playdate is just completely inappropriate.. they don't compliment eachother whatsoever. What's wrong with coffee and cake?!

Yeah, coffee and cake is best on a playdate!
I still fail to see how one glass of wine could with my dinner could bite me on the bum though? Especially being ok to drive...

Wouldn't do drinks on a playdate.

But I don't see anything wrong with a glass of wine with my dinner. Or a Saturday evening (the only night me and OH get together) Once little is in bed we sit down with a beer or wine. It's nice...but I'd never get drunk.

As long as you know you limits I think you are fine...it's all about being responsible

because at night if ur child was to have a fall or even become ill and the hospital found out u had even had 1 drink not matter if ur under the limit or not they would be concern about it and probably call social services. thats in one way how it could bite u on the bum.

edit: n im not sayin drinks are wrong by the way

Well here's one for you. This is an event happening in my area that I spotted the other day:Run by the NCT in a community centre, a "Baby, toddler and children's Christmas Party" aimed at children, yet serving mulled wine to the parents. Is this the same? How are the NCT getting away with it etc?

A hospital would only involve social services if they had real concerns about the care being given to a child by a parent. If the parent was drunk they would certainly call social services, or if they had concerns about how an accident had occurred, but not if an entirely compos mentis parent disclosed that they had had a single glass of wine. I suppose it is conceivable that a very strict, very disapproving individual member of hospital staff might take it upon themselves to try to involve social services but they would have to go through the appropriate channels and I think common sense would prevail. At work I have dealt with cases of parents drunk in charge of children and it is actually quite a high threshold - I sometimes think it is too high.

In relation to the NCT party - I have to say I am a little surprised that they would serve alcohol - the NCT tend to have very strong views on there being one right way to do things! I think mulled wine is often somehow viewed as being "not real alcohol" for some reason. I suppose the argument about that situation is that it would be unlikely that someone would go to an event like that, where they are surrounded by other parents and presumably NCT organisers and teachers, and get drunk!

i was pointing out what could happen in some hospitals not all.......
if say a child fell down the stairs and at the time the parent was say drinking a glass of wine it might be seen as the parent wasnt taking care if that child and by having that glass would make things worse

i no someone whos baby had scrathed themselves and social services were involved so u cant always say hospitals would not go to the extreme

I actual found my NCT teacher to be very liberal, not at all like the scare stories my sister had fed me! Actually, she was one of the first people who said it's ok to have a glass of wine whilst breastfeeding.

Mulled wine is something that gets me very tipsy very quickly though! Our Christmas market sells it for the whole month of December...mmm.