Juice Question - Independence,MO

I have a friend who only gave her kids milk or water from the get go, covered the nutrition in fruit by giving whole fruit. I am kicking myself I did not think about this as if you ask dentist they like a limit on fruit juice as teeth issues in general as a result.

we transitioned out of a lot of fruit juice after my wise friend told me about this and i saw how well it works in her home wihtout complaint from kids. NOw in our home, they get a tiny teeny glass of orange juice (literally shot glass sized) at b'fast from their dad and then it's milk or water the rest of the day with rare exceptions. we treat fruit juice as one step down treat wise from ice cream and it works very well.

for what it's worth I would say dont go the way of fruit juice. your child will prob never miss it.

p.s. if you absolutely must give juice at least try watering it half and half so it is diluted. dentist told me about this before i learned I could get the kids off it almost completely via other ways...and my oldest would sometimes put half juice in her cup at age three and go to the bathroom sink to fill rest with water..that was pretty impressive to watch.

1 mom found this helpful

I never made it a point to give my kids juice. (Unless, like Gale said, my daughter was constipated. The doctor recommended diluted apple juice I think, but can't remember exactly.) I gave them water in between meals. I agree with Gale. Have fun with your little girl!

1 mom found this helpful

I think it depends entirely on whether or not your baby will drink water okay. My mother says that I was born hating water. I never drank it and I've tried all sorts of tricks to learn to like it as an adult. What I do is take about 10% cranberry juice, 10% some sweet juice and then 80% water and mix the 3. That's how I drink my juice/water so that I will get enough water in without all the extra calories. I still do at least 200 calories per day from juice, so I keep that in mind while dieting and watching my calories.

If your baby loves water I would push that as much as possible and do some half water/half juice only as a treat. But if your baby doesn't love water you might want to try to give it to her watered down like I take it and maybe start with half and half and then cut back on the juice until she does like water.

S.

1 mom found this helpful

You could give her a little bit of juic now, very watered down. I would only give it in a sippy cup though. It's an incentive to learn how to use it and may make the transition from bottle to sippy easier later. Also, watch the juice consumption, it could make her stools looser.

1 mom found this helpful

I would wait until your daughter is at least a year old. She still should be getting most of her nutrition from her formula or breast milk. The food right now is to find out allergies and to teach her to eat. Juice just isn't necessary righ tnow. Water is better if you think she is thirsty, but give it to her in a sippy cup. When you do start her on juice, diluted down until she is about 3 years old. Strait juice is not good for them, with the sugars and fiber. And it is not good for their developing teeth. Only give her juice in a sippy cup. Hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless.

1 mom found this helpful

Things have changed so much over the years so you should probably ask your ped. but I think my kids were around 6 months when I first gave diluted apple juice. 1/2 juice-1/2 water.

Just read the other responses and I totally agree with only using a sippy cup if you do give juice or water. It is best for them to learn to use sippy cup around 6 months because waiting they may not want to use sippy cup.

Just like with everything else, make sure she has had the fruit before you give the juice so that there are not any allergy questions. If it is a new fruit, then introduce it like you would a new food. It is ok to start her on it now, just make sure it is 100% juice and not a product with a little juice in it. Just read the label on your juice bottle and it will tell you how much is actually juice. Give it to her in a sippy cup to help teach her how to use one and I always water it down, about 1/2. Do not give her the juice in a bottle. It is supposedly REALLY bad for their teeth.

Good Morning D., Happy Easter SONday to you and yours.

I haven't read other responses yet, so this is just a Nana (gr ma's) thoughts. Usually they "Peds" start little ones on Apple juice first but I find it can be very acidic on little hinny's. So if you do use it dilute it a little. White grape juice is good also. Orange juice is supposed to be a No NO until they are older. Some juices come in little bottles already so a nipple is all you need to put on.
Introduce one juice at a time though, to check for possible allergies. Runny nose, runny stools, etc.. Just like you did with the veggies and cereals.

Our Nurse told us that pear juice is great to help curb runny stools, its a little thicker and not as acidic for them. Also she told us this last round of runny diarrhea instead of getting pedialyte you can use diluted kool-aide. It works just as well to keep them hydrated.

God Bless you on the Wonderul Easter SONday
K. Nana of 5

If you go by the books, juice is okay to start giving only 4 oz a day starting at 4 months old. You could also have started infant cereal at 4 months old, then the baby foods a week at a time at 6 months old in case of allergies.
We would use juice sometimes to mix with the cereal for a sweeter taste then spoon feed that to her. I never liked adding the cereal to bottles like I have seen some moms do... the nipple gets clogged easy and make it hard to suck out.

Oh, and the infant juices are diluted, so if you use regualr juice, I would dilute it 50%

My son is 2, and he has never had juice. It is a glass of empty calories and most of the natural benefits of the fruit have been stripped. Plus, he LOVES water, and I don't want to ruin that. I have seen so many juice addicted toddlers, which can lead to an array of health problems. When he is a little older, I think I will offer the juice of fruits that I have juiced myself, but for now it is milk and water.

I read a few of the responses and I agree don't give her juice. I have a 3 1/2 year old and he never even drank juice until he was probably close to 3 and it was more like a treat he got at Gma's house. Alot of my friends always laugh because he always asks for water.

Hello and Happy Easter D.,

I just read through a few responses to your request, and I agree that juice this young is not good for several reasons;

1) It is filling with tons of sugar.
2) Empty calories.
3) Can ruin teeth.
4) Your child will not learn to like water.
5) Artificial junk in them.
6) Can cause the "runs". :)
7) Can cause rashes.

I'm sure there are more reasons, but that's all I can think of right at this moment. Your best choice is to ask your child's doctor.

Our child's doctor suggested real fruit because it's better. He also said no matter how "healthy" the labeling states on packaged fruit juices... there is always sugar and it's not as good for your little one like good old-fashioned fruit.

My advice is to stick to milk and water. Your child's stomach and bottom will thank you for it. ls

D., I probably would not give her juice. When she is thirsty/hungry she needs the calories and nutrients from formula. She's not too young to introduce a sippy cup, you can give her water or formula. Of course it will take a while for her to understand, but it's always good to start early.

Good Luck, M.

yes you can offer juices now I would stick to the ones from Gerber or in the baby isle food for a while since the other juices have added sugar/preservatives or get 100% juice.Only 4 ounces will be fine to much can ruin their appetite.Now would be a great time to offer sippy cups,never put juice or soda in baby bottles

I would start with water in a cup or sippy cup, and not rush into to juice, there is no need for it. If you start with juice this early, your child will never learn to like water and will always want the juice. Also, juice is very filling and will ruin their appetite if drinking with a meal. I started with ice water in a sippy cup at that age, and both of my boys (ages 5 & 7 now) both prefer water over juice. It's best to start these healthy habits early!!!

I would speak to your pediatrician to get his/her opinion. Mine doesn't recommend juice, as it is just extra sugar and would prefer my son (22 months old) eat actual fruit or drink milk or water. If you do introduce juice, be sure to dilute it--I've heard 1/2 juice and 1/2 water.

My son is 8 months old and has been on juice since he was 6 months old. He has been on solid foods since he was 4 months old (per ped's advice). At his 6 month check up she said that I could start giving him juice and water as treats. That shouldn't supplement his food or milk but used as "treats". She did tell me to use the juice in the baby department and to dilute it by half. My son does not get it everyday but a few times a week. We practice with a sippy cup and it works great if we are out and he needs something to drink as he is breastfed. We do try water on occasion as well.

Hi D.,

Our Pediatrician doesn't recommend juice at all and especially not before 2 yrs old. That is hard to follow if your children are in daycare, but most will follow it if you ask. The child just doesn't get much out of the juice and it is alot of calaries that should be spent somewhere else (e.g., formula, milk, fruit, etc.). Good luck and Happy Easter!

D.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've given my 21 month old daughter juice. When I did it was really watered down... like 4 parts water, one part juice. She gets lots of fruits in her regular diet so there is really no need for it. It's just empty calories. So I wouldn't give your daughter any juice. There's not a whole lot of benefit from it and it will also get her used to drinking something sweet.