Juice?

[midnightmommy]

When did you start it? My DD is 6.5 months, and it's just hitting me that some people start it now. To me it seems unnecessary. I mean if she needs a drink I gotta boob for her. I was thinking about getting some for cereal, but not really for her to drink. Is there a reason to start it? I gave my son a few ounces a day when he was a baby, but he was on formula and always constipated.

Also has anyone tried making your own juice without a juicer?

[Bokonon]

I don't think I gave DS even a taste of juice until he was at least 18 months old. I give water or breastmilk in a cup.

[mama*pisces]

Yeah, I would hold off til at least a year. The only thing they need at 6 months is mama milk. Juice has vitamin C, but so does your milk if you are eating a balanced diet and juice also has a lot of unnecessary sugar. The longer you can hold off on introducing sugar, the better, IMO.

[Auraji]

I've giver my dd water and extra watered down apple juice in a sippy cup. She doesnt really drink it, she picks it up, puts it in her mouth and starts blabbering haha She thinks it's a toy! She has had some sips, but I too find giving them juice unnecesary and havent anymore. Just water and breastmilk from now on, I see too many kids that refuse to drink water and I feel it's because they're always offered "flavorful" drinks.

I was one of them and I learned to drink and love water as an adult. I dont my dd to be the same.

[Peony]

My kids are always 18+ months before I start offering it as a treat.

[Everrgreen]

My DS is almost 11 months and he still hasn't had it. I have offered water in a sippy but he doesn't really drink it, just plays. The only 'drink' he has is breastmilk I will probably wait until he's 18 months, and even then I will only offer juices like OJ that are just the juice from oranges - nothing else added.

Although, for some reason the grandparents always want to give him apple juice I keep having to explain to them why he can't have it!

[LindsC]

I didn't offer DS any juice until he was over a year old and even now, we still dilute it way down.

[sewaneecook]

DS1 was a little over 2 before giving juices. Now at 3.5 he still prefers water most of the time and juice is still a rare treat. Juice is empty calories and only encourages a sweet tooth.

[lifeguard]

Ds is 13 months & I won't be offering juice anytime soon. Just water & occassionally milk. There is really no benefit to juice - much better to have the actual fruit.

[Phridae]

Well, I'm the odd one out here.
I give DS juice in a cup. Usually 1/4 juice, 3/4 water. Maybe 1-2 a week. Even so, I end up dumping 3/4 of it out because he doesnt drink a lot of it. Otherwise its just boob and water to drink.

[motherbirth]

There really is no nutritional need for juice. We just give our 9 month old water sometimes as a treat. With my older ones, I would give them seriously diluted juice, like 1/4 juice and 3/4 water.

[Honey693]

DD is 14 months and we won't be starting juice anytime soon.

[Drummer's Wife]

I would definitely wait -- no need for any other liquid at this point besides breastmilk.

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by midnightmommy

To me it seems unnecessary.

Probably because it is

If you do give it (our baby, nearly 8 months, has had apple juice in a cup a few times), dilute it a LOT-- as PP's have said, at least 75% water.

But there's no actual NEED for juice, nutritionally. There usually isn't a need for anything other than your boobs for the first year anyway-- all eating/drinking before then is just practice and developing tastes.

[NotBroken]

Since your baby hasn't had it already I definitely wouldn't start it. If you want to offer anything besides breastmilk, distilled water would be the best alternative.

[YayJennie]

What about vegetable juices? I don't really give my son any fruit juices but I have given him carrot and tomato juice. It seems the main problem with juices is the sugar content, so veggie juice should be ok right? And what about smoothies, that are like banana and strawberry puree (that I make at home with kefir milk)? I give my son smoothies when I drink them, but that's really like mushed up fruit so it's not a sugar issue right?

[chiara]

I waited until a year for juice, and then only watered down. That being sad, at 9, 8, and 4, watered down juice doesn't "hold water" anymore with them. They demand full strength!

[ktmama]

My older kids are 12 and 4 and have never had juice. We just drink water here. Talk to your dentist first. There's no reason to serve juice except as a "treat" (if you want to do that sort of thing) - it has no real nutritional value.

[spmamma]

DD is almost 2.5 and she still doesn't drink juice. I just don't offer it - there doesn't seem to be any nutritional need for it. 90% of the time she drinks water, and the other 10% she drinks milk. (She breast fed for 25 months, so she didn't start cows milk until after that.)

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 1/4/11 at 8:52am