Juices?

Google on "why not give kids juice?" and read some interesting physician-informed articles on what poor health and juice have in common. My suggestion is to avoid juice entirely. If you are looking for an alternative to milk, give water in a bottle. Why not get your kids hooked on water? The body is 80% water and needs lots of it daily to cleanse and be healthy.

1 mom found this helpful

Why do you want to give him juice? Don't worry that he is bored with what he is currently drinking! My doctor is anti-juice and after doing research we decided there really was no purpose to it. Once they can start eating fruits, it's so much better to get nutrients and fiber that way. Plus the sugar in even the 100% juice is not good for their teeth. Too much juice can also cause diahhrea.

We did eventually start giving very diluted juice (1/4 juice, 3/4 water) to my son, primarily after he was 2. He loves it, and although he loves his plain water and milk too, will have a tantrum if he thinks he wants the juice. If I did it over, I would just skip it entirely. Leave it for him to have at birthday parties and such.

Just my thoughts. I have a handful too...good luck!

Hi S.,
We just recently started our son on juice. He was about 6 1/2 months, but he doesn't drink that much. They say they can have 4-6oz a day. I know that you should dilute it 1/2 juice 1/2 water, so juicy juice should be fine. We buy the little Gerber 4 oz bottles because he doesn't drink that much juice. I sometimes mix his cereal with it. Another thing I read was not to give it to them in a bottle, it should only be given in a cup. My mother-in-law was giving it to him in a bottle and I told her we would prefer the cup so he doesn't get confused on what the bottle is for. So he is still learnig the sippy cup, so he doesn't get that much juice yet.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Why do you want to start him on juices? I started my boy on juices around 1 yr old and I regret it constantlky. it is ALL he will drink. He does not get the milk he needs. I would much prefer he just had plain water, but now that he is 2 1/2 that's going to be so much harder to break.

Juice- most juices, store-bought, are full of sugar calories. Aside from the added vitamins, not much nutritional value there. If you do want to go with juice, I recommend Ocean Spray's 5-calorie cranberry juice. Almost as good as drinking water. Other than that, natural juices cut in half with water.

But really, if you can avoid the juice from the start, you'll be building much healthier habits. I'm not trying to be up on a high-horse here, just saying I regret starting the juice in the first place. You have the chance to make a good start without juice if you choose. And you're right, limit to 2-4 oz per day (Good luck, unless you are immune to whining, that 2 oz is "just not enough".)

My boys are 2 1/2 and 17 months and very, very rarely have had juice. And never and entire cup of it. The only time they've had it is if I was drinking some and gave them a sip. Is there a point to giving juice? Especially to a 6 month old (unless is prune juice to help with constipation).

Unless your child needs extra vitamin C to help with iron absorbtion stick with water and milk. If you want to offer juice, you can give very dilluted juice or bottled baby juice. Do not give juicy, juicy.

We struggled with this too. We settled on a reduced sugar option, sweetened with Spenda - Healthy Balance's JDRF Juice. It is approved by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Most flavors have about 6 grams of sugar, and we watered it down atleast 50/50, usually more when our son was younger. Not all stores carry the brand but the container will show the JDRF logo. http://www.healthybalance.com/index.php/juices

It may be too strong but juicey juice is a good choice. Try diluting it a little so it isnt so strong and still has taste.

Since juice is getting such a negative response, let me throw in some positives - my son is 10 months old and is eating a variety of solids and is breastfed. After we introduced yogurt and cheese last month, he became a bit constipated and ended up with an anal fissure. Trust me, this is not something you want your little guy to go through!

To keep my son regular (and pain free) I give him 100% juice daily either mixed in cereal or diluted in his sippy. I buy regular "adult" juice that is 100%. Avoid juices that say they are 100% but are not 100% of the fruit on the label - such as "apple juice" that has pear juice mixed in - this ups the sugar content. Juice is fine in moderation.

One thing our ped. suggested was offering it only in a sippy cup (not a bottle) at designated times such as snack time or after a meal and to rub down our son's teeth and gums afterwards to prevent dental problems. We offer just plain water as well throughout the day, especially now that it is hot, and he seems to prefer plain water to juice anyway.

My boys are all but obsessed with juice and I cannot blame them because I myself crave orange juice in the morning and always have. We are a big juice family and I think in the back of my mind I knew we drank too much of it , but after reading your responses I am certain of it.
Careful b/c you could create juice monsters like I have and it's going to take some work to get them back to 2-4 oz a day. Go lightly if at all.

I agree with everyone else who said avoid the juice as long as possible! My sister started her son on juice at a young age and that's all he wanted to drink after that. We learned from her, and didn't give my daughter juice for a long time. She'd rather have water now! If you do decide to use juice, you don't have to use a baby brand. They are NO different than 100% juice "made for adults". As long as it's 100% juice, it doesn't matter the brand. We use Cub Foods brand frozen juices...Also if you do decide to use juice, make sure you dilute it at least 50/50 with water.

The key is looking at the sugar content. Most "kids" juices still have a LOT of sugar and not a whole lot of nutrition. Our group of pediatricians always told us that while it was okay to introcuce juices, it was in no way necessary--empty calories basically. Baby juices (like baby foods) tend to have more "pure" ingredients and far less preservatives. Just remember that even the pure stuff in fruits is still a form of sugar.

I don't think it really matters what kind of juice it is as long as you're diluting it at least 1/2 water & 1/2 juice. (I know I still do that and my kids are 2 & 4 years old.) And with the bigger containers of juice you need to be careful, they do say to use them within 5-7 days of openeing them. Trust me, you do want to use them up. I let one sit open (in the fridge) for over a week, and when I went to get more juice it was growing "stuff". Yuck! So when my kids were really young and we were introducing the juice, we'd buy the 6 pks of little juice bottles. That way they wouldn't go bad so quickly!

My son actually had to start juice at 2 months old, because of constipation. I was not happy about it, but it was the only thing that worked and was better than a screaming baby. But he only had about 1 oz. a day, diluted with water. Because of the small amounts, I stuck with Gerber, because I wanted him to be able to try different kinds and not waste it. I never gave him juicy juice, even now that he is 4. His stomach problems are gone, so juice is a rare treat for him. Juice really has no nutrional value, they are much better off with fresh fruit. Juice just adds extra sugar.
Now, my son gets 2-3 oz. of cranberry juice (he calls it Grandpa Juice) when we are at my dad's house, but we almost never keep juice in the house. Instead, I buy a ton of strawberries, rasberries, blueberries, bananas, apples... everything, and he eats a lot of it. It amazes me because I am a picky eater (don't eat many fruits or any veggies), but my son will finish 2 containers of blueberries, 1 of strawberrries, grapes, and a few bananas within a day or 2 sometimes. He is also good with vegetables. He loves fruit so much that from the begining I have treated fruit as desert, after he eats his other food he can has his fruit. When he does get juice, it is only after drinking milk first. I will give him a half a cup of milk when we are at my dads, and when it is gone, I will give him juice. He knows that, it has been that way from the begining, and he doesn't argue. He loves juice... so it really is just an easy way to get him to drink his milk.
I wouldn't start juice too early, and would stick with the baby ones (they are organic, and I wouldn't give something that isn't organic to a baby...), plus you won't go through it fast enough to be worth buying a big bottle. Also, keep it in a sippy cup. It makes weaning from the bottle much easier if they learn that is only for milk/formula, and juice is in a sippy cup. Then he will know how to use the sippy cup and won't mind giving up the bottle when he is 1. My son actually had fully switched off the bottle by 9 months, at first because he drank it better and liked it, but then he stared chewing on it and not wanting to drink it, so we went back to a bottle again for a while.

Juice is juice as long as it is 100% it is fine to give to babies. Stay with clear juices (apple, white grape, pear etc.) because these tend to be less tart.

You are right about the amount. 2oz a day is more than enough. People don't need juice. The only vitamin in most juices is Vitamin C (which we get more than enough from other sources) and it has a lot of natural sugars. People like to give their babies something new. Some parents will add water to the juice to make it less sweet. Only give juice from a cup.

Hi S.,
I hope I'm not sounding like a broken record and saying what others have said, but you really don't need to worry about juice at all, unless you want to give your child a special treat every now and then. Juice will not be providing your child with the nutrition they'll get from whole fruit. If you give your son water as an alternative liquid to milk, he'll get used to drinking it and want it in between meals. My sister's kids are "juice" addicts, and this liquid includes anything from 100% juice to 100% sugary lemonade. They refuse water at all costs! Save yourself some money and sugar overloads and stick to water!
A.

I've been giving my baby 100% juice. We used just the baby stuff at first, but he doesn't go through it very fast (just one ounce a day). He uses maybe 8 oz. of a bottle, and I don't want to pay the baby food prices for me to finish his juice:)

I also use the juice (50/50 with water) mixed with cereal to help keep him regular. The doctor recommended this, and it has really helped since he's had some constipation problems since he started solid foods.

my son is on wic and they supply juicy juice. so im assuming thats fine.
pretty much any juice that has ingredients that are fruit juice only, no corn syrup, no other wierd ingredients, are probably fine, or you could buy your own juicer. lol.
but if your store deals with wic, you could look for the juices that have the little wic approved tags on the shelf under them, they are probably fine.
baby juices are just probably mixed with water. i still with my 19 month old son i still mix his juice with water half and half.... it makes the juice last longer either way!

good luck!

I would avoid brands like Juicy Juice because the fruit they make the juice with contains carcinogenic (cancer-causing) pesticides used during farming. Juicy Juice doesn't advertise on their label that they are pesticide-free for a reason: it's not safe juice, and it's not certified organic.

Look for labels such as "Certified Organic" and name brands such as Cascadian Farm.

Remember to dilute the juice you give him with water.

Children only need nutrients. Sugar prevents healing, causes sleep disturbances and has no nutritional benefit. There is never a need to give a child juice. Don't let "100% juice" fool you. Water will help flush out anything a child's body is trying to get rid of. Reverse osmosis water is the best.

I gave my kids juice for a while but then ended up stopping it as that is all they were wanting to drink. I always diluted with water but then took the juice away and replaced their drink with plain water. If they are truly thirsty, they'll drink it. My kids now will request water. However, once in a while I will buy MOTT's for TOTS juice, which has a lower sugar content, with maybe still a little bit of dilution. It's a personal choice.

I never gave my children juice when they were babies. They started having it around 2 and then (and now) it's 50% water/50% juice. There's no health benefits to it, so I wouldn't introduce it...there's no reason.

Just my opinion!

No, the juice does not have to be a baby brand. Juicy juice would be fine. Just make sure the product you select contains 100% juice. 2 oz is an o.k. amount but I would dilute it in another 2 oz of H2O. For all children, regardless of age, should have no more than 4 oz of juice per day.

FYI- I'm a Registered Dietitian. I'm expecting my first child in about 8 weeks and I will not be offering my child juice at any age. It's loaded with sugar, useless calories and it rots teeth. Because juice is so sweet I would be worried that your child may begin to prefer it over milk or water. It's a lot like introducing new foods- start with veggies first and fruits later so your child doesn't prefer the sweet and refuse the healthy.

Sorry if this was too much info.

It doesn't really matter what brand you give your child so long as it states that it is 100% juice. Also, I would water it down, maybe half juice and half water. There is so much sugar in juice that it could ruin those little teeth when they start coming in. Besides, the real benefit of juice is the water, so diluting it gives them the sweet taste of juice without all the sugar and with the extra water. However, I would recommend limiting juice at such a small age. My daughter is 14 months old, and she doesn't drink juice as a regular part of her diet. I only give her water or milk. I just don't want her to start thinking she needs something sweet every day. Well good luck to you, and bottoms up :)

IMHO, the longer you can wait on juices the better and my pediatrician agreed. Kids can be totally fine without any juice. I have 2 kids and neither got any juice before 12 months. After that they got watered down orange juice (1 to 2 oz) with breakfast if they wanted. Neither had a huge sweet tooth, so they would go in phases with even wanting that.

50/50 water and any juice. my son is 2.5 yo and we still give him watered down juice, they just don't need those empty calories.

As long as it's 100% juice it's ok. I usually try to give "Motts for Tots" or similar brands because it has less sugar or I dilute with 1/2 water

S.,

You may want to reconsider the juice. It is very sugary (hard on new teeth) and babies get more nutrients from fresh fruit that hasn't been messed with, even if it is 100% juice.

The biggest issue is the sweet tooth it gives your baby. Most people I know who give their babies juice soon have a hard time getting them to take milk or water, then vegetables, bland foods, etc. They just crave sweets. My oldest is 7 and she still only gets juice as an occasional treat - offered at a party or friend's house or when Grandma comes. My 13 month old baby has had juice once in her life, just recently because she was a little constipated.

I know it is exciting to give your baby new foods for the first time. If you really want him to have juice everyday, just make sure it is 100% juice and you probably want to water it down. The baby food companies just want you to pay more for "baby juice" but if you check the ingredients, they are the same as regular juice.

Good luck,
S.

It doesn't necessarily have to be baby brand juice, but I always checked the labels for juices that were essentially just juice, with no extra corn syrup or sugars or artificial flavorings, etc.

Hey S.,

I did not give my daughter any juice until she was one, and that was 75% water and 25% juice for a little flavor. She is now 2 and it is still 75% water & 25% juice. My daughter does not like plain water and has gotten very dehydrated so instead of going through that horrible ordeal again I put in a small amount of juice for flavor.

As the other mom's said there is no need to give juice to a child under 1 unless constipated or for some other reason said by your pediatrician.

As of brand use the one with the less amount of sugar and add water at least 50/50.

You don't have to buy the 'baby' stuff- what a gimmick!! Read labels and buy the all natural, no sugar added (I think JuicyJuice). Dilute the juice 50/50 with water; that way your little guy isn't getting all the natural sugar too but he'll still LOVE the taste.
Deb.

I apologize if this is a redundant response...

Just because giving juice can be done doesn't mean you have to. A 6-month old definitely doesn't need juice. We did not allow any sort of juice until the kids were 3 and even then it was a once-in-a-blue-moon sort of thing.

I wouldnt worry about what the others are saying about juice. I started mine on juice at that age, especially in the cereal, and I have 4 very healthy (and veggie loving) kids. You can use juicy juice, but do make sure that you water it down, I use about 50/50, or use the baby made juice for a while. Juice is good for kids who have difficulties with pooping and helps keep all kids regular. Your child needs fruits and any dietian will tell you that juice is a good way to get some. They do, however, say to leave it to only one glass (8 oz) a day. Good Luck!

I would recommend that you did not give your son juice. It is what is called "empty calories". In other words, it is food that does not benefit the child at all. Although pure fruit juice has "good" sugar, it is still not good for kids. Start him on water and let him grow to love that. My daughter didn't have juice until she went to school. Too bad that the schools don't insist on water rather than juice. This is one small way that you can help with teeth and with obesity. If you have to give him juice, water it down to 1/4 juice and 3/4 water.

hi Steph,

I'm a mother of 2 (4 yrs & 6 months). I just wanted to add my 2 cents re: carcinogens. I work in cancer prevention and if you can afford to then, yes go organic but don't stress about it. Pesticides are much more dangerous if inhaled and or absorbed via skin therefore try not to spray and keep away from areas recently sprayed (grass, farms that spray, neighbours who like to spray on their gardens) & Wash fruits and veggies prior to eating.

Look for info on cancer prevention from the Canadian Cancer Society or American Cancer Society if you want to know more.

I didn't do any juice with my son until he was about 2 and then limited amounts and dilute 50/50. My daughter has had some diluted homemade juice popsicles in the heat and to ease her gums. (no teeth yet)

S., sure, just the strong flavor may not be tollerated, test and see if they like it, usually add half water, at first, then eventually they will get used to it, full , warning to the wise, i used to babysit my nephew, and his mom always just gave him juice , lots of it, this stopped him from eating other foods, and i eventually asked my dr about it, and he said what you said only about 2 - 4 oz a day is all anyone needs, too much and you will fill up and it also turned his urine really dark and horribly smelly, dr said that means he was not getting enough water, so give them the daily amount and enjoy life, D. s

When my son was an infant we used Juicy Juice for him, just dilute it a little bit-about half and half.

I would look at the sugar content on both. Personally I would not start giving juice unless you have a constipation problem. If you are to give it I would mix it with 1/2 juice 1/2 water to dilute the sugar. I know quite a few people whose children have had to have extensive dental work due to juice.

Give him whatever juice you'd like. The only difference between "baby" juice and other juice is a cute label and a higher price.

My 6 month old son loves apricots, so we have moved on to apricot nectar, too.

"Baby" food, juice included, is a gigantic rip-off. They want $1.00-$2.00 for like 4 oz. of food. I just bought a 15 oz. can of organic sweet potato "pie filling" for $1.50. There are no spices or anything else added, just pure sweet potatoes, and my son will eat from that can for days.

I would look for low sugar 100% juice. Also sometimes the "baby" brand will be fortified w/ nutrients they may need. You don't need "baby" brand but should stick to low sugar and 100% juice.

You can use regular, bottled, 100% juice (no citrus), starting with apple, mixing equally with water. It works just as well as baby juice and is cheaper. If you use frozen juice, mix it normally, then add an equal amount of water. Eventually you can move to pear, cherry, plum, mixed fruit, etc. Watch out for strawberry and citrus with infants - they are high in acid and highly allergic.

SAHM of seven

My doc said any 100% juice is fine :) We always watered it down 50/50 and till do; my kids are 18mos and 4 yrs old

Our pediatrician said we could give half Juicy Juice and half water.

Good luck!

Hi S.,
Any "juice" that is 100% juice would be fine for him. Another helpful hint. If your trying to switch to a sippy cup put the juice in a sippy cup not the bottle. They will be more determined to get it because it is sweet. My mom said she did that with me and my brother to get us to start drinking out of a sippy. I did not believe her and tried it myself and it works like magic.