Is natural (homemade/fresh) juice equally bad for babies?
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Anonymous
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Or does it have some nutritional value that make it a "healthy" choice?
And at what age do you think it is appropriate to introduce juice (freshly made)? |
Anonymous
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Juice, home-squeezed or fresh 100% bought at the store, has some redeeming value in that it has vitamins and minerals that are in the original food. What's missing is the fiber and solids of the actual fruit or veggie, and instead just the residual natural sugars. Ounce for ounce it's more sugar and less fiber for the value you get in terms of nutrition.
There's really no need for it, other than as an occasional treat and even then diluted with water. For babies under a year, BM and/or formula are all you need, definitely no need for juice. |
Anonymous
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Frankly, I don't think you ever "need" to supply juice. As the PP noted, fruit is healthy b/c of all of its different components, which include fiber, which is removed in any kind of juicing, thus concentrating the solids. I once heard it put like this : 8 ounces of apple juice comes from 3 apples, but would you ever eat 3 apples in one sitting?
I don't believe in withholding juice so that it becomes some secret drug that children pine for, but I certainly don't reat it like a special treat, either. We almost never have any juice in the house. If it happens to be at a birthday, fine, no issue with my kids (1 and 3) drinking some. the 3 year old also gets a jucie box in lunch sometimes. Our school requires 100% juice and actually frowns on any juice at all, so i tend to send milk. |
Anonymous
| *** thus concentrating the SUGARS - not solids. |
Anonymous
| I only gave my kid (diluted) juice before he'd drink water and when he was sick. |
Anonymous
| Juice is juice. Honestly, to me it isn't a big deal. It is not alcohol. |
Anonymous
| Try diluting it with half water when you do introduce it. That's what my kids are used to now and they prefer it. |
Anonymous
| Is there a reason you feel your children need to drink juice? Rather than eat fruit or other sources of calories? We feed our daughter juice because she's underweight. That's the only reason. I would not do it otherwise. |
Anonymous
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This is what happens when you give kids juice.
http://youtu.be/0Cxr1-b6Xkc |
Anonymous
Well said. |
Anonymous
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We only do home made juice and started at 2yo when DD asked to drink from me.
We usually put a slice of pineapple or strawberry in her water to give it some flavor. They don't need juice. And if they want to drink something we do a smoothie. |
Anonymous
| Also be careful with homemade - you need to serve it pretty much right away because it's not pasteurized. |
Anonymous
BS. I make a jug every morning and we drink all day long sometimes even during breakfast next day. It's been like this since my grandma watched us growing up. Nobody ever got sick with "old" juice. The reason you don't want it to sit for too long is because the nutrients oxidize and juice next morning will have much lesser nutrients than fresh made juice. |
Anonymous
No juice is actually not true. For constipated babies, juice is actually recommended by Peds. (Dilute it with water or you may be sorry though!) The "no juice ever" posters are extremistists. Black/white is often not the right answer, OP. Def talk to your ped and take a breath and relax. Don't let DCUM scare you. Juice will not kill DC or make him obese or make his teeth fall out, or prevent him from growing any, or make him dumb. Just don't replace food or milk with juice and he will be fine. Give his taste buds other things to try. Your LO will eat many more things than his friends will (and it won't be candy!) 
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