It’s best to wait until the baby is 12 months old before offering juice. Even then, pediatricians don’t recommend giving juice to toddlers frequently. This is because it adds calories to the diet, and just as bad, the baby loses a balanced diet. Drinking too much juice can also lead to excessive weight gain, tooth decay, or cause diarrhea in infants and young children.
Instead of juice, serve your baby purees made from whole fruits and vegetables, as they contain nutrients that are not found in juice. If your baby is thirsty, offer a little water between feedings.
When the time comes to introduce juice, it would be good to follow these tips:
– Serve your baby 100% fruit juice, not juice drinks or powdered drink mixes (which are sweetened);
– Your baby should not drink more than 120ml of juice per day. Children who consume too much juice may not feel hungry during meals and may miss out on other essential nutrients their bodies need for growth;
– A little trick is to offer juice to your child in a cup, not a bottle;
– Serve juice to your child only during mealtimes;
– Never give juice to a child who has diarrhea or as a remedy for dehydration;
– For dental health, do not allow your child to carry a juice bottle with them all day. Do not put juice in a bottle as the natural sugars in juice can lead to cavities.
Children who drink large amounts of juice consume vitamins and minerals, but they also get more calories than from pureed or chopped whole fruits.
Remember that some types of juice, such as apple and pear, contain high amounts of sorbitol, an indigestible sugar alcohol, which can cause stomach problems or diarrhea in some children. For these reasons, most healthcare professionals recommend that parents limit the amount of juice their children drink.
