In the first 12 months of their life, babies will drink milk almost exclusively. One they are past the one year mark and generally allowed to begin drinking other things, parents often wonder what is ok to give them and in what amounts. Should the baby continue to drink milk as it’s main source of fluid, or should water be increased? What about juice?
There are researchers that have linked juice to child obesity and therefor discourage it. The idea behind it is that young children get way too many calories from the high sugar juices that are in our grocery stores.
That doesn’t mean that fruit juices are bad, and in fact they provide valuable nutrients for a baby’s diet, but those nutrients are usually found in 100% fruit juices.
It’s important to read the labels. If it doesn’t say 100% fruit juice, then in most cases, you are looking at about 75-90% sugar in that juice, and that adds up quick when a child is drinking a few glasses a day. In fact, even 100% fruit juices should be diluted to being a ratio of 1:1 for babies to avoid too much sugar that could be damaging to their teeth and body.
Babies shouldn’t be drinking any more than 12 ounces of juice per day and the younger they are, the less you should be giving them. There are so many better ways to give your baby the nutrients they need without filling their bodies with sugar and other junk.
Water on the other hand is a no-brainer. With human bodies being made up of 90% water and also being a component of our blood, it only makes sense to give our babies water to cleanse the body on a regular basis and keep things flowing naturally.
But, that doesn’t mean that you have to give young babies a lot of water on it’s own. Babies who are drinking breast milk and/or formula are getting plenty of water through those mixtures.
Ultimately, juice isn’t necessarily bad for your baby, but keeping it to a minimum is definitely healthier, especially if you avoid the ones loaded with artificial sugar.
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