All Juiced Up?

Wise Drink Choices for Babies and Toddlers

By Laura Cone

As the protective mother of two small children, Barbara Cameron of Chapel Hill, N.C., tries to shelter her daughters Maggie, 5, and Anna, 2, from commercials for soft drinks and other empty-calorie beverages.

Cameron, who is a La Leche League leader, says she was shocked when a friend told her about another friend who celebrated the first time her baby had carbonated beverage in a bottle.

When it comes to wise drink choices for babies and toddlers, sugary drinks with artificial colors and flavors don't make the list.

"That is so not a good plan," Cameron says. "Soda pop is not good for us. It's not good for our kids. My feeling, as a parent, is stuff we might eat as adults that are not good for us, I just as soon keep off my children's radar as soon as possible."

Cameron says parents who give their babies and toddlers soft drinks probably have no malevolent intentions. They just want to treat their child. "There is a sense of 'What's the harm?'" she says.

Dr. Frank Greer, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Nutrition, says babies do not need any beverage except formula or breast milk before 6 months. Even after 6 months, other drinks are not needed for a baby's nutritional needs.

Dr. Greer says the best choices for new drinkers include natural fruit juices without added high-fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners. "After 12 months, whole milk and, if weight is a medical concern, reduced-fat milk can also be introduced at this time," he says, adding there is no reason to dilute drinks for babies or toddlers.

Dr. Greer suggests steering away from soft drinks as well as fruit drinks. Water is a good option, he says. "Once a child is beyond 12 months and up to 2 to 3 years of age, milk is typically a very important and significant contributor to the diet," Dr. Greer says. "For the bang for your buck, no other drink comes close to the nutrient density of milk."

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