juice

im wondering if i'm the only one that doesn't give my kids juice? i was at a playdate today and my son stumbled upon one of my friend's kids sippies. went NUTS when he took a sip because it was mott's tots???
i only give my kids water and milk with breakfast and dinner.

should i be giving them juice?

 

it's totally up to you. they shouldn't drink more than 4 ounces a day at least that's what our pedi said. We don't give our girls juice, just water and milk.

 

We only offered milk and water until recently when I started giving one of my LOs 4oz. of juice daily to help with constipaion. It has worked great except that her sister wants some too and she gets diarrhea if she drinks juice, so we have to sneak it to DD1! :laughing:

 

We give our guys juice, but mainly Plumsmart because they get really bound up. We also cut it with water so it's like 1 part juice and 4 parts water. You don't ever have to give them juice, or it can be an occasional treat. I know that too much juice isn't good because of the extra calories and sugar.

 

we don't do juice, unless there are plumbing problems. And i do it watered down, although my husband doesn't always do that.

If we are at a party, we usually let them have a juice box if they ask. Otherwise water and milk.

 

I also generally give my boys milk and water. If there is a special occassion - or camping trip or long car ride - we buy "Honest Kids" juice drinks from Costco. They are Organic and have no high fructose corn syrup. Yes they still have sugar - but it is way mild. When we buy juice for home it is Odwalla organic carrot juice and sometimes another juice to use as a base for smoothies. There is no nutritional benefit to apple juice or grape juice and apple juice is terrible for kids teeth. You are definitely on the right track with milk and water. You can try other types of "milk" drinks for a change up if you feel the need. We do buy almond and rice milk - if its vanilla flavor - it makes a special treat like juice, but with nutrition.

Sheri

 

We don't give juice yet but I have apple juice on hand to pour in cereal or oatmeal if they are stopped up. They love water so much that I have not needed anything else. Since we are at higher altitude water is very important.

 

Mine get watered down juice occasionally. Straight juice seems to end up with diarrhea in both of them so I just don't want to be bothered with it. So no you are not alone...we do milk and water too

 

you're not alone. I did watered down juice for a teeny bit a year ago, but they love water, so I figure its healthier and very easy. you also don't have to worry about a sippy getting lost with juice in it and rotting!

if I want to give them something it'll be from the actual fruit, like apples, grapet etc. so that they get the benefit of the fiber from it.

stay strong if that's what you want!

 

I only give my girls water and milk. They get juice from the fruits they eat. I always have water around for them to drink if they like. I figure the juice has too much sugar and they have the rest of their life to drink juice if they want to, but while I have control of it, no juice!

 

No juice here either, just milk and water.

 

No you don't have to give juice, but I always have, but only watered down. I used to do 1/4 juice and 3/4 water. Now it's closer to 1/2 and 1/2. They rarely get only juice. My 8 yr old is just now getting plain juice, I even mix the juice in the fridge to 1/2 and 1/2. And I only buy Juicy Juice, it has no added sugar, just the natural sugar from the fruit.

 

We do 1/2 water, 1/2 apple juice. We do it mainly to help with constipation issues.

 

My two will get straight up juice if they are constipated. Once a week they get a treat of water mixed with half of 10 calorie Minute Maid Fruit Punch Cooler thing (I forget what it's called). But most of the time, they get water and milk.

 

I never give it. I figure if they are constipated I will give them the fruit to get them to go. I view juice as a "gateway drug" to kool aid and soda! When they get older I'll let them have it as a treat but it really has no nutritional value.

 

I don't do juice either... they're happy to drink water and milk, so I see no reason to bother. When they're sick they do get a bit of juice popsicle though and they LOVE that. They eat a lot of fruit with their meals, they don't need to drink it too.

 

Just water and milk here, too!

 

I just have to say that my older two kids are 8 and almost 4, and have had watered down juice since they were young, and have never had kool aid at my house (maybe at a birthday party I don't know for sure), and hate soda My kids all drink milk, water, watered down juice, and some crystal lite at home. Maybe iced tea if I make it too.

I'm a big fan of moderation. I feel like denying things completely (like treats, cookies, cake, ice cream) only sets your kids up for craving it when they get older. And I say this because I have a big bowl of treats on my counter still, from halloween, christmas, valentine's day, and easter over the last year. My kids eat a piece maybe once every couple weeks when they happen to notice it. Before halloween gets here, I'll pack it all up and send it to my hubby's work, the "guys" there love me when i do that! :lol:

 

My two won't drink juice, so only water & milk here.

 

I give my guys juice and milk throughout the day. They love it.

 

Water is the only thing that mine get and will get in their sippy until they are drinking some kind of milk after a year or after we finish BFing.

Juice is just concentrated calories and sugar, eating pieces of fruit is way better for your kids! Even when it comes to constipation I do not give juice, I mix offer prunes or pears in their breakfast or yogurt.

 

Mine mainly drink water (they get milk for breakfast & dinner) but I do give them watered-down juice after lunch as a treat. DS usually drinks his straight down but DD isnt as predictable and often prefers water. It´s your decision entirely.

 

We only give water and milk too. Milk at breakfast and dinner and water the rest of the day. Our DS just recently wanted to try our oj and he really liked it. Every now and then I'll give him a sippy cup of that (like last week when he was sick, he loved having his oj first thing in the morning.) I know some people like to give it to their kids, but I can't really find a reason too. I read the other day that the vitamin c found in apple juice or other kids' juices has to be added. Our kids don't know any different and as a result they're water-holics. But so am I!

 

My boys had a lot of constipation issues when we first switched to whole milk and all toddler food, so we were giving them sippies with 2-3 oz of juice mixed with 7-8 oz water. It really helped, but because they needed it for about two months, they definitely got used to the taste and now it's harder to get them to drink plain water. Now we usually give them 1 oz of 100% apple juice mixed with 9 oz of water. We do try giving them plain water fairly often as well but they don't drink nearly as much and it's so hot here, I want them to stay hydrated. In a few months I'll do more of a push to get them to drink plain water. Since they get so little juice, I'm not concerned about the calories but I don't want sugar on their teeth if they're drinking the diluted juice throughout the day.