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Home › Articles › Toddler Nutrition › All Juiced Up?

All Juiced Up?

Wise Drink Choices for Babies and Toddlers

By Laura Cone

Pages:  1  2  3  

Green gave her daughter water at 6 months. She did not water down milk before giving it to Cierra. "I started out with whole milk and tapered down to 2 percent after two years," she says. "Soy milk is also good if you don't like milk."

Juicing for Babies
Greer says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has suggested fruit juice offers no nutritional benefit for infants younger than 6 months. Moreover, fruit juice offers no nutritional benefits over whole fruit for infants older than 6 months and children, according to the AAP.

The AAP also states fruit drinks are not nutritionally equivalent to fruit juice, and that 100 percent fruit juice or reconstituted juice can be a healthy part of a well-balanced diet.

Excessive juice consumption, according to the AAP, may be associated with diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal distention and tooth decay. In fact, excessive juice consumption may be associated with malnutrition. They state that juice is not appropriate as a treatment of dehydration or management of diarrhea.

Dr. Greer says the AAP warns unpasteurized juice may contain pathogens that can cause serious illnesses.

What about fruit juices such as orange juices that tout they are fortified with calcium? Those juices may provide calcium, but lack other nutrients present in breast milk, formula or cow's milk, according to the AAP.

Finally, if your child prefers fruit juice as opposed to eating whole fruit, consider using a juicer to provide more nutrition. Many people use apples to sweeten green drinks, which may include spinach, carrots, beets and wheat grasses.

All Juiced Up

While most people have heard slogans for milk consumption, such as "Milk: It Does a Body Good," juice has left a sour taste when it comes to nutritional content. Experts want parents to steer clear of fruit drinks, which contain little real juice. And when it comes to 100 percent real fruit juice, the key word is moderation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers the following recommendations for the consumption of juice:

  • Juice should not be introduced into the diet of infants before 6 months of age.
  • Infants should not be given juice from bottles or easily transportable covered cups that allow them to consume juice easily throughout the day.
  • Infants should not be given juice at bedtime.
  • Intake of fruit juice should be limited to 4 to 6 ounces for children 1 to 6 years old.
  • For children 7 to 18 years old, juice intake should be limited to 8 to 12 ounces or two servings per day.
  • Children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits to meet their recommended daily fruit intake.
  • Infants, children and adolescents should not consume unpasteurized juice.
  • In the evaluation of children with malnutrition, the health care provider should determine the amount of juice being consumed.
  • In the evaluation of children with chronic diarrhea, excessive flatulence, abdominal pain and bloating, the health care provider should determine the amount of juice being consumed.
  • Pediatricians should routinely discuss the use of fruit juice and fruit drinks and should educate parents about the differences between the two.


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