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toddlers and juice
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Anonymous
| So ... our pediatrician provides general advice along the lines of: "Juice Bad." Which we've pretty much followed without giving it too much thought ... but, well, really? Is all juice really bad for little kids, or is this just an oversimplification designed to prevent parents from giving kids those "juice drinks" that are 10% juice and mostly corn syrup? I get that there's a lot of sugar, and too much fruit juice could mean not enough other valuable stuff. But ... can it really be that oranges are good for you and orange juice is bad? How can apple cider not be healthy? The thick, cloudy, yummy (with apologies to the earlier poster seeking to eliminate words of this ilk) kind that tastes just like drinking an apple? Bad for you?? Anyway. Yes, I can call the doctor about this, but I probably won't bother since it doesn't seem a big deal and we're bound to be back there sooner or later. And, yes, I can google it and look for more information, and I probably will do that. But meanwhile, I thought I'd ask around to see what advice others have gotten and what they do. Seems to me that a sensible, 100%-fruit juice in moderation policy makes sense, but ... what say you all? |
Anonymous
| We gave a lot of straight juice without diluting before we went for a 1st check-up with the dentist. Juice bad is right. DD's teeth were "sticky" as the dentist said so they were on their way to getting cavities. We did not give dd candy or too much unhealthy stuff. Dentist said juice is the worst because it coats the teeth, even if it's 100% fruit juice. |
Anonymous
| I think that juice always has more sugar than eating the fruit alone. Also, drinking juice out of sippy cups can be bad for their teeth if you're not a frequent brusher. I've always associated juice with sugar and extra calories. For my child, I prefer giving him fresh fruits and only juice on special occasions (birthday parties, playdates, etc) since he doesn't need the extra calories. He's large for his size, and I would like him to get used to drinking water and milk when he's thirsty. Also, if you're buying fresh fruits and juice, especially w/ rising grocery prices, that can get really expensive. That's just my opinion though. Most of my friends give their kids juice and I don't think there's anything wrong w/ that. |
Anonymous
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No juice mom here and he's 2.
1. Decays teeth. 2. Its easier having a kid who just drinks water and milk, no begging. 3. We eat whole fruits daily. Juicing removes the fiber and the pasturization process degrades and distorts essential vitamins and nutrients. 4. We do a smoothie every morning with his cereal which contains seasonal fruits when available and in the winter consists banana mixed with various frozen organic fruits. This way he gets the whole fruit. He poops record amounts, he never ceases to shock his daycare. I think frequent poops are very healthy and important. |
Anonymous
| I think like everything else, it's a matter of moderation. A bit of juice here and there is not a problem, esp. if your child doesn't eat much in the fruit/veggie department and could use some extra vitamins. Juice (even 100% fruit juice) has lots of sugar, and if they constantly drink juice, it can't be good for their teeth. Also, compared to the actual fruit, the juice doesn't come with the fiber that an apple, for example, would have. However, all that said, I think giving your child SOME juice is no problem. Just not all the time. |
Anonymous
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Moderation is fine, in my book. However, I think my two preschoolers get enough juice out in the world (at daycare or school, at parties, at friends' houses) that we rarely drink juice at home. Instead, we eat lots of fresh fruit, which contains the fiber that juice doesn't.
For an overview of recommended limits on juice, see http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/fruit_juice.htm |
Meconbear
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| We dilute to 50% juice and 50% water. Does that help the decay issue? |
Anonymous
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We do apple juice only for special occasions (birthday party) or if she's at a friends' house who is drinking it (DD is 3.5). She probably drinks one cup every 2 weeks. Apple juice is practically all sugar - empty calories that even skinny kids don't need (and mine aren't so skinny).
A real apple has less sugar and it has fiber. OJ is actually healthier than apple juice. It provides vitamin C and can have calcium as well. That said, we probably only have that in the house once every 6 weeks or so. It's very special to have juice around our house. Otherwise, it's all the milk and water you can drink! |
Anonymous
I agree with you, moderation is key. But I took just the opposite approach with DD (who's not big on veg and fruits, and is a picky eater generally) and have banned juices for now, at least. I don't want her to develop a taste for it to the exclusion of water or whole fruits and vegetables, nor do I want her to fill up on juice instead of food. For vitamins we use a supplement. If she were a better eater, I don't think I'd be so adamant about no juice. I'm also pretty skeptical about it's nutritional value from my own experience -- I once dropped 8 lbs just by cutting juice out of my diet. Yikes! |
Anonymous
| I worry about my son not getting enough vitamins through fruits and vegetables - we do use a vitamin supplement for now (because his iron was borderline low), but it seems to me that kids are better off getting nutrients through food than supplements - and juice seems closer to food than vitamin supplements do. |
Anonymous
| our doc at Capital Medical Group has always said OJ over apple juice. My 2 y.o. drinks about 1/2 cup serving of OJ everyday. She is in the 20th%tile for weight so I'm not worrying about the sugar. She poops well, and she loves to brush her teeth. |
Anonymous
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12:27 poster here. Agree, PP, that juice is closer to real food than supplements are, but my biggest concern now is for establishing her long term eating habits. I'd rather supplement vitamins for now than try to break a juice habit (or start a water habit) later down the road. I shoud add that there's diabetes in both DH's and my families, so I may be more comcerned about sugar consumption than others. And even 100% juice has a bunch of sugar.
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Anonymous
| Here is another negative to consider about juice: the very high sugar content "teaches" young kids that beverages should be sweet. Of course this leads to a preference for soda down the road. Bottom line (from a registered dietitian), and without repeating what others have said here, there is simply no reason to give children juice. Stick with water and milk and give them their fruit as whole pieces. |
Anonymous
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here's my take on it: a glass of orange juice would probably need 4-5 oranges, but if I was to give 4-5 oranges to my son he wouldn't be able to eat it! point is that juices always have more calories, more sugar and more of everything that's not good. it's best to just eat the fruit. as a PP said, plenty of juice in school, daycare etc so at home it's nice to restrict it....good habits at this age would go a long way.
We don't bring any juice, sodas or junk food home, that way there is no temptation for anyone, including us 
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Anonymous
| i actually told daycare no juice for my son - he went into a new room at 14 mo and they do juice once a day at snack time. i just said water or milk - no juice and they have been fine with that. DS is now over 17 mo and is genearlly a good fruit eater... we still fight over veggies but he has been great with sweet potato fries! |