Juice Question - Independence,MO

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.

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

When can I start giving my baby juice?
A. The American Academy of Pediatrics, in their policy statement on The Use and Misuse of Fruit Juice in Pediatrics makes it clear that 'there is no nutritional indication to feed juice to infants younger than 6 months.'

They also recommend that juice be given only in a cup, not in a bottle, and that if you do give your older infant juice, then 4-6 ounces of juice would be more than enough for the entire day.

Keep in mind that this is really a daily limit though and not necessarily an endorsement for drinking juice. Since most kids drink too much juice and drinking juice can be associated with having cavities, diarrhea, not eating well, and being overweight, you would be better off giving your older infant fruit instead of fruit juice.

If you do give your child juice, do follow these tips from the AAP:

when you give your child juice, it should be 100% pasteurized fruit juice and not fruit drinks and you should offer it to your infant in a cup only and not a bottle
infants under 6 months of age should not be given juice, although many Pediatricians do recommend small amounts of juice for children that are constipated
younger children aged 1 to 6 years should have only 4-6 ounces of juice a day.
older children should be limited to 8-12 ounces of juice a day
instead of juice, children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits

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!

you are more than welcome to ignore my advice, but i would pass on the juice altogether for as long as possible. there is very little nutritional value in most juices, but many, many calories. i give my son orange juice because it actually has some nutritional value, but only because oranges are still quite difficult for him to chew. water is by far the best drink for babies aside from breast milk. i didn't want him to get used to drinking only sweet things like most of america.

I started juice shortlly after my daughter turned 1 and had started milk. I wish I had never started juice! Milk or water is what I wish we had stuck to. Now, I can't get her to drink water and sometimes milk, but then she wants to follow up with juice. It is a daily fight to drink water or milk. I hope with this second one I can make a little change and hold off on juice much longer!

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.

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.

Suzi

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.

I tried juice with my son when he was that age but I would hold off. The recommended amount of juice is only about 4 oz a day and it is better for her to have the fruit instead. My son is 15 months old now and doesn't drink juice mainly because he won't even try it and his doctor said that it is better that he just drink milk and water any way as long as he eats fruit. Anyway hope that helps.

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%

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.

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 agree, juice generally is not recommended at 6 mos. One exception we found with our oldest daughter was that she had a lot of difficulty swallowing. She loved food and tolerated it well after 6 mos, but often choked. But, she had no trouble with a cup and didn't need a sippy at all. So I sometimes gave her freshly made vegetable juices. She liked beet the best. I only gave her an ounce or 2, diluted to about half water. So, I would say that while most kids don't need or benefit significantly from juice, every kid is different, and it might be good for some, used sparingly and with discretion.

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.

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

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

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.

juice is fine at 6 months but do not put it in a bottle. The sugars in the juice cause tooth decay. This is a great opportunity to get her to use the sippy cup and if she really likes the taste of juice she should only get it in a cup. This will make it easier to wean her to the cup when she gets to that stage. don't use juice as a substitute for fruit, it isn't as healthy and don't let her drink a lot of it in one day either or you may have problems getting her to drink milk as a toddler or eat well as too much juice can get them full and not get the other nutrients she needs.

Until your daughter is about a year old, she will be getting most of her nutrition from breast milk or formula. That said, you can use juice to mix her cereal as well. It is less expensive than formula and, unless you have pumped breast milk on hand, can be a lot more convenient.
Like most everyone has said, dilute it so it's half water, half juice, and please only use 100% juice. There is a lot of junk in the other juices.
Good luck!

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.

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.

my daughter had juice when she was 4 months old. I mixed it in with the baby cereal. When you give her juice to drink make sure you dilute it half and half with water. even though my daughter is 14 months old now I try to keep the juice diluted for her because it tends to water down her bowels. each child is different i just got lucky with one who is early at everything except talking.

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.

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 havent read your responses, but my son just turned 7 months and at his 6 month check up, our pediatrician said it was ok to give him some apple juice, mainly because I complained that the baby cereal was making him constipated. She also said to give it to him in a sippy cup rather than a bottle. They do make sippy cups for their age. I put 1oz apple juice and 2oz water in his sippy cup. He pretty much just chews on the cup, he doesnt drink much, but It sure entertains him for awhile. She also said he could have a little water too. I think its pretty much just getting him used to a cup. But I really just do the apple juice if hes constipated. Or if you dont want to do the juice route, you could just give her fruits. So thats what our doc says, and I trust her.

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.

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.