Juice & Water???

I have a 2 year old son that also developed very quickly. My peditrician said that as long as he shows interest in the foods/liquids it is fine to start a little early. obviously if they don't want it then you don't want to force it. Remember that your fruit juices have a lot of unatural sugars so they only need a little a day. It is also best to start with prune juice or apple juice. A variety early in life will steer them to be not so picky as they get older. (or at least that is what they say it didn't hold true with mine:) The best of luck to you! Also hang in there, It is hard at first but eventually the joys outweighs the dependent feeling and you are thankful to be given the chance to stay at home. Playgroups and library storytimes are a great way to get out of the house and interact with people.

You can try giving her watered down 100% juice in a starter cup. I don't suggest to give it to her in a bottle. You want them to learn how to drink out of a cup, and the watered down juice will be their incentive. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving your child 1 ounce of juice with another ounce of water added to it, once a day. My oldest was off of the bottle by 10 months, and my youngest was off the bottle at 11 months, because I started them early with the cup. Good luck!

N.,
There's a lot of research linking juice with childhood obesity and tooth decay. You may want to skip it for now- and later. The real fruit is more important for her to be eating because it contains more nutrients, less calories for its volume, and the fiber that helps your body to process the natural sugars more slowly. Juice lacks the fiber, is processed very quickly resulting in a spike in blood sugars, and is very high in calories for a small amount. Pedialyte is a replacer for lost electrolytes when your child is sick, throwing up/diarrhea, and is not recommended for an otherwise healthy child as it could disrupt the natural electrolyte balance. If you do choose to introduce juice, wait until she's older (1 year is best), buy only 100% juice (watch labels- "made with 100% juice could mean it has just a little bit of 100% juice and a lot of corn syrup! Ingredients should list juice/water only, and sometimes calcium or vit.c), and limit amounts to 4oz per day. Don't put in a sippy cup or bottle- the sippy/bottle with juice really contributes to tooth decay. As for water, you can introduce it in a cup (even a cup without a lid- your daughter is ready for you to help her learn to drink that way!) at each meal now. Just a few sips at a time as she'll be used to the taste of water before you know it! But at this age, you want to be careful not to fill her tummy with unneeded things- too much juice or water will fill her up where she should have your milk in there for nutrients. So just a little bit will do. Your baby doesn't really know what she's missing when it comes to variety and fun foods, so you get to decide what's fun! Stick to whole foods now, and you'll have less troubles with picky eating later. Add funky fruits like star fruit, avocado, and such for variety, and be creative in how you cook her veggies- lightly steamed, cut, chopped, ground, mixed, add colors and textures and seasonings. Good luck!
H.

I personally waited with both my kids to introduce juice. I gave them water and nursed along with baby food. Juice can cause early cavities. It can also make them gain weight way too fast due to the sugar (yes, even with 100% juices). I'd talk to your doc, but 'd wait until at least 8 monhs of age to introduce any type of juice. Juice fills them up and you might end up with a picky eater who only wants juice and no milk of breast milk. Just be careful. 6 months is probably too young if you want to raise a healthy, not over weight child. But I'd talk to your doctor first, or a nurse. Juice is not good for kids. Even with both my kids older (4 and 9) i water down ALL their juices due to sugar. I'm not a freak about it, I just know that it's not healthy for them.

1st ask your Pediatrician. Babies usually only get juice before the age of 1 because of problems with constipation.Pedialyte is usually for dehydration. And even then, it's watered down. I'd stick to breast milk and water.

Hi N.,
you can give her some pear or apple juice every once in a while. but you should water it down with water equal it out. say 1 oz of water 1 oz of juice . i wouldn't give her more than 3 oz of juice day becuase right now that would be given her empty calories and she doesn't even really ned the juice. my son is 8 months old and he has apple juice about 2x per week about 2 oz each. i just don't want him getting used tot he juice and not formula b/c that is where there main nutrition comes from. as for pedialyte that is only used for when they are vomiting and have diarrhea due to not being able to keep stuff down. the pedialyte give back their electrolytes that are lost when babies vomit and ahve diarrhea. well i hope this helped. good luck
K.

You can give her regular juice and dilute it with water so its half and half. You should try and introuduce it in a sippy cup though, and at first she will hate it but she will learn to love it. My son is 7 months old and he likes juice but much prefers to have his bottle. And you only really need to give her pedialyte when she is vomiting or having diareahha.

N. - Our son only drinks milk and water. Our pediatrician said that juices have unnecessary sugars and that fresh fruit is better than fruit juice. The only time we give our son juice is if he hasn't been to the bathroom in a day, then he has a glass of pear juice (that is what the dr. said for us to do). Our sitter tried to give him juice and he won't drink it, he prefers water or whole milk. I nursed Zach until he was 15 months, but he started whole milk at 1 year and has been having water since 8 months. Everyone does their own thing...I would see what your doctor suggests. Good luck!

K.

I would recommend a sippy of water given with solids just for play and to get used to the sippy cup. My son didn't get juice at all until he was over a year and he really doesn't care for it at all, which is fine with me.

Breastmilk is his best nutrition and hydration as you correctly state - there is no need to offer anything else, but some people find that the water helps with any potential constipation issues with the solids. I think you should be limiting it to no more than 2 ounces at the stage too.

my 3rd child is now 4 1/2 months old. We give him water now from the bottle because sometimes, he just doesn't want formula. He weaned himself from breastfeeding at 3 months. He is eating baby food of all varieties right now and he all but growls at you if you don't feed him fast enough. I don't think juice is necessary.. but i think it can be used as an incentive for cup training.....

At your daughter's age she really doesn't need any juice. You could give her some water in a sippy cup at the times when she's eating some solid food (just so she could practice)...but breastmilk is still her primary nutrition source. She's getting exposed to different tastes through the solid foods you've offered her and if she gets exposed to a sippy cup (w/ some water) she'll get used to that and once you're done breastfeeding she'll be more likely to move easily to this. I found the Nuby brand worked best for my daughter as she was breastfed too.
Hope this helps!

Hi N.!

If you are giving your daughter fruits and veggies then she probally won't need juice. I gave my daughter water in a sippy cup to practice when she was having solids... or hicups... water is perfectly fine! When she did have juice i made sure there were no added sugars and watered it down.

P.S.
I found the soft tip sippy cups were easier to introduce. Also using breast milk before any other liquid in the sippy worked great as well

with both my children, i just waited until my pediatrician told me it was okay to do, which was at their 9 month check up for both of them. by that time, they're not solely dependent on our breast milk for nutrition and hydration. and then it's only 3 more months until they can start having whole milk. my ped. recommended making it a 50/50 or 75/25 solution of mostly water and juice. one, it cuts down on sugars, which help prevent their little teeth from rotting early and how hyper they get. and two, i find it saves on how much juice i have to buy. i still cut the juice with water for my almost 3 year old. our littlest is about to turn 1 next month, and he loves his juice so much that i can't put him to bed without his sippy cup. sad, but true. i just go in and get the cup after he's fallen asleep. five minutes to fall asleep vs. 2 hours seems worth it to me. hope that helps.

Hi N.,

My daughter is now 16 mos old but I recall her Dr suggesting we don't introduce juice until she was 1. She was nursed exclusively until she was 8 mos old (and had top and bottom teeth). I used to give her water on occasion and decided to give her Gerber Apple juice around 10 mos old and now she drinks 100% Apple Juice which I dilute with water. I think if limit the quantity of juice you give her, you should be OK.

Also, I work from home part-time and if you're interested in hearing more about it, feel free to contact me.'

K. D.