I read the first couple of pages then jumped to the end, so forgive me if this has been said. Your child will drink less milk as you introduce solids because he doesn't need the extra calories/nutrition. Unless you have reason to suspect dehydration, you should not be worried about liquid intake. Your child should learn to drink water and introducing an alternative sweet solution before water may mean he will never want water. I recommend that you keep introducing water and forget the juice until a water habit is established. Use different kids of cups. Try a sippy cup, a doidy cup or a straw cup (Playtex makes a nice handled one that you can apply pressure if you child doesn't yet know how to drink from a straw). FYI, I am huge straw cup fan. Neither of my kids ever were very successfull with sippy cups (and I hate all the valve parts!).

FYI, I am not anti-juice, but I only offered watered down juice until my kids were over 2 and then only after a water habit has been established.

Anonymous wrote:The only time we gave our baby juice was for chronic constipation, and we gave diluted prune or pear juice just until things were regular again. Otherwise, she drank only BM or water, and now as a toddler drinks only milk or water. No need for juice--it's all the sugar of fruit, but without the fiber. I don't think Juice is Evil, but kids don't really need it, and it's better for them to have whole fruit.

All the juice rules go out the window when you have a chronically constipated kid despite a heathy diet with loads of natural fiber. Unfortunately, we reached that point with both kids recently and, per dr's recommendation, they both get juice (and Miralax) daily. Sometimes you have no choice, unfortunately. And this is coming from a previously anti-juice mom.

Anonymous wrote:The only time we gave our baby juice was for chronic constipation, and we gave diluted prune or pear juice just until things were regular again. Otherwise, she drank only BM or water, and now as a toddler drinks only milk or water. No need for juice--it's all the sugar of fruit, but without the fiber. I don't think Juice is Evil, but kids don't really need it, and it's better for them to have whole fruit.

The most disgusting thing we ever fed our son when he was around 6 -7 months old was formula mixed with prune juice. The smell, the color, the whole thing. So gross. He sucked it right down.

The only time we gave our baby juice was for chronic constipation, and we gave diluted prune or pear juice just until things were regular again. Otherwise, she drank only BM or water, and now as a toddler drinks only milk or water. No need for juice--it's all the sugar of fruit, but without the fiber. I don't think Juice is Evil, but kids don't really need it, and it's better for them to have whole fruit.

Anonymous wrote:I love a PPs idea of making your own juice!!

That's how we grew up. In a third world country eating from the trees on our backyard. Here I buy stuff in season and freeze it I. Small cut up pieces. It blends in seconds.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am very lax about what kids eat (I take them fast food a couple times a month, feed them boxed Mac and cheese, etc.) and I still wouldn't give juice that young. I think my kids first juice was a juice box at some kids birthday, probably around age 2.

You can't un-ring the juice bell. Once they know, they KNOw.

Ha, this me as well.

Seriously, juice or no juice, our kids are much better off diet-wise than we were. I grew up with a mother who wouldn't allow us to eat sugary cereals but we still had fast food as a treat, lots of mac and cheese and remember Hi-C and Hawaiian punch? How many of you had juice boxes in your lunch bags? Capri Sun? Ssips? You could probably make that stuff yourself with a chemistry set! And we're all still here.

This is the stupidest argument ever. What about all the kids who got diabetes, obesity, blood pressure issues, behavioral issues, allergies from these types of drinks?

Well, I'm still here but I want a better quality of life for my kids.

I especially hate when this argument is used when talking about car seat usage today and back then. 'We didn't have it and we're here bla bla bla' what about the kids who are not here to talk about their experience???? Stupid stupid argument.

Is it always the food that causes such diseases? How many of you actually stuff your kids with fruit juice and chips and truckloads of pasta? Probably none of you. There's also air pollution, water pollution, genetic predispositions to obesity and diabetes, BPA, etc. And what about plain old bad parenting? There are lazy parents who put their kids in front of the television, parents who smoke in front of their kids and cause them health issues, parents who don't want to cook, parents who demonstrate bad eating habits, parents leave their kids with nannies who park the kids in front of the TV. I think you're more likely to be obese from two obese parents who chain smoke and use the microwave as a primary cooking tool than if you have thin parents who cook well and let you have fruit juice a few times a week.

You missed the point.

I wouldn't introduce juice because the baby isnt interested in BM/ Formula, but I think people go a little overboard on the no juice thing. I was totally anti-juice when my son was born and my husband thought I was crazy and rediculous. It was not the battle I chose to fight. He first had a sip of juice at like 7 months or something. Sometime after 1 he started having juice boxes as a treat, probably once a month. He's now two and he gets way more juice with my MIL and husband than he does with me, but still loves milk and water. He probably has juice twice a week.

If the baby's not interested in formula/BM as much, then it's time for more solid foods. Not juice.

if you really think she needs it, try mixing in just a squirt of juice with the water. but really, a little water should be fine at that age. breastmilk or formula will meet the needs for most kids, though some develop constipation problems with the solid foods.

(my DD was about 7 months when the temperatures got superhot last summer and she started demanding sips from my water bottle instead of nursing whenever we went outside even for a few minutes in the heat. i swear that kid knew what she needed.)

Buster loves juice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvwwydLiS-k

I gave my daughter water mixed 50-50 with fruit/vegetable juice. We used the V8 brand, b/c that's all there was at the time, but now there are several companies marketing it.

I used to call it "juicy water," because that sounds a lot more appetizing than "watery juice." It's not ideal, but it's better than a box of apple juice.

For the record, she's 6 now, and so far she's healthy as can be, not overweight, doesn't have any cavities, etc. etc. She's also happy drinking plain water most of the time, so it hasn't spoiled her palate.

I love a PPs idea of making your own juice!!

I'm staying out of the juice debate. We actually tried it a couple times for constipation and found our older baby wasn't into it at all.

Some babies are snackers when it comes to their bottles. You should try increasing the nipple flow, but mine was only drinking four ounces at a time at time at 7 months. She just ended up with more bottles and more breastfeeding over the course of the day.