do I need to give her juice?

[octobermom]

DD2 is almost 7 months (about 10 days) she is still mostly breastfeed but gets some form of solids 2-3 times a day she eats an array of veggies some fruits yogurt and has had some meats. All given in a combo of whole foods and baby jarred depending..
The only drink she has beside me of course is water I put a litttle water into her sippy and she get it at a meal.. Now like everyone asks me when I'm going to start her on juice and I'm like I'm not... I don't think juice is at all necessary, at some point in her life she'll get some were not an anti juice family but its not something I NEED to start or provide... Yet I kept getting told how IMPORTANT it is..
Seriously I need to give juice?

Deanna

[treegardner]

No it is not necessary. The only juice DS has is First Juice which is half carrot and apple juice and half water. We didn't start that until he was over a year though.

[2xy]

Juice is not at all necessary and actually creates stress on some of your visceral organs. The body isn't meant to handle a large load of sugar all at once. I also believe it helps create a sweet tooth (which, to be honest, I think the government is in on....if they can get our babies hooked on sweets and carbs when they're young, they'll be lifelong consumers....both of crappy food and of the medications needed to treat problems caused by junk diets).

If I could go back in time, I would not have given my kids juice as a part of their normal diet. Studies have shown that juice is as hard on the pancreas as soda.

[PatioGardener]

we're a no juice family too!

nak

eta: No juice on a regular basis. I'm fine with it for special occasions, which is usually when I have wine as well. I'm not as militant as my post sounded

[MusicianDad]

I can't really think of when juice is would be absolutely necessary, and we aren't a no juice family. Anything you can get out of juice, you can get out of other things too.

[octobermom]

My oldest had some very real texture and eatting issues and was often super under weight (she was a FTT infant) we often needed to calorie pack in forms she would accept and Juice did become one way of getting something into her... I'm not anti it but were talking a 7 month old who still nurses 8+ times a day and is adding on new foods all the time... Water I get the juice well why rush?

Deanna

[akind1]

Juice I would only do if water really wasn't an option. DS has only had some once, at a birthday party. I don't see a need to give him any thing other than breastmilk and water, TBH. We would be better off as adults too, if we drank mostly water.

[ErinYay]

We've only done diluted juice when Vivi had a terrible cold and wasn't getting enough food or liquid. She does get undiluted whole cow's milk, though.

She's a tall, skinny girl with a pretty great appetite, but I hate giving her anything that isn't fat/calorie/nutrient dense.

[hildare]

we don't do juice either.. it's all the sugar with none of the fiber. there is no need for it, and in fact, i really think it's a bad idea, like pp's said.

[The4OfUs]

Nope. Don't need it. My 4-yo still doesn't like juice (she's had maybe a half dozen sips in her life when she decides she wants to try it, then makes a face and refuses the rest ), and she's perfectly healthy and thriving. She only recently started being interested in homemade juice popsicles, just maybe last summer when she was 3. Only started liking homemade juice jello this year. She's just not a juicy girl. lol. She has been eating whole foods since she was 7 or so months, she never liked puree consistency so she just ate what we ate, so she's been gettign whole food fruit and plenty of the vitamins/minerals from there. It's pretty funny actually now that she's getting into the school system that I've had to explain to her teachers that she will not drink juice or milk, only water (and I mean quite literally, aside from tastes and then refusals of other beverages here and there, she has since infanthood and still only drinks water)....and that it's not an allergy, just a preference and there's no reason to convince her otherwise since she has a healthy, varied diet. Neither juice nor milk are "necessary" if you're getting the nutrients elsewhere (i.e., breastmilk for an infant), water is quite sufficient. I actually am very grateful for my little strong willed girl who taught me this by her adamant refusals and made me rethink the party line on nutrition and look into other sources for her to be sure she gets what she needs. :

Now, before I knew better , I gave DS half diluted juice starting around 6 or 7 months, it was always 50/50 water/juice, and was diluted until he was about 3 yrs old, and from that point on he got maybe 4-6 ounces a day undiluted, he liked it packed in his lunch when he started school. I don't think it did him any harm, per se, but it was certainly not necessary especially as an infant and young toddler. He got plenty of fruits in babyfood and then whole fruits. This spring (He's 6-1/2) he decided he didn't want juice in his lunch anymore, and he'll have a cup maybe a couple times a week with dinner. Now he's obsessed with dark chocolate almond milk (and really, who could blame him??) ...which I dilute with plain rice milk so I don't feel as bad giving it to him with his lunch every day.

I think the thing is that people are for some reason programmed that small children won't like just plain water and they need some kind of sweet flavoring to get them to like things. Which is a total load, of course.

Be confident in mama, you're totally right!

[sunnygir1]

I don't think anybody would argue that juice is nutritionally essential, or even important. I think it can be part of a healthy diet, especially if it is fresh made and unfiltered. I also think it gives you all the sugars in the fruit without the fiber, not a great situation, in my opinion. I don't think babies should get juice, and I don't think anyone should have it daily...unless maybe it is fresh fruit/vegetable juice.

[Peace+Hope]

i'm with PPs. there is no argument i could imagine that juice is IMPORTANT...

i plan to use plain water mostly, and some diluted herbal teas. when sick/dehydrated, watered down coconut water, it's an excellent source of electrolytes.

[St. Margaret]

We are the same way-- we did a little water and no juice; now DD loves water and only has juice like at kids' birthday parties where it's the only thing, or if we're all sick, we'll make/buy smoothies. I see it as odd how people think kids NEED juice-- DD is happy to eat real fruit, and I worry that it's part of a culture where people say they can't drink water! Seriously, adults say this to me. They have to have flavored drinks all the time. DH is a committed water drinker (he never drinks milk or anything) and I think it's a good habit to keep kids in, to not NEED some other drink just to hydrate.

[jillmamma]

I wait till they ask for it. Other than that, if the child is eating fruit, there is nothing in juice that is not in the whole fruit. Besides, your milk is by far the most nutrient dense beverage for a small child anyway.

[ShwarmaQueen]

We are a no juice family, except on holidays, birthdays, etc. It is absolutely not necessary, and if you give it on a regular basis, she may end up hating water (seen it happen!) which is bad, bad, bad. I'd stick to water.

Besides, juice is so acidic and is REALLY bad for teeth.

[LessTraveledBy]

NO WAY!

It could even be argued that no one should have juice... It is easy to drink a glass of juice but few people would be able to actually eat the amount of fruit needed to make that one glass full.

For me, personally, it raises the insuline in my blood way too much. In some ways it is as bad for as something sugary.

[carmel23]

The *only* time I would give juice is if baby is a little constipated. Apple juice can relieve constipation, with some babies.

That said, I would only do that as a last resort. Increasing water, regular apple, etc. is what I would try first.

We don't do juice, and if we do it is look at as a medicine, if that makes sense (cranberry (no sugar) for urinary tract health, etc.).

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by ErinYay

We've only done diluted juice when Vivi had a terrible cold and wasn't getting enough food or liquid. She does get undiluted whole cow's milk, though.

She's a tall, skinny girl with a pretty great appetite, but I hate giving her anything that isn't fat/calorie/nutrient dense.

Does she do alright with cows milk now? Does she handle the sodium well?

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Goodness no. When DD was young, she didn't get juice - she got breastmilk or water. When she was about 2, we introduced diluted juice as a "treat" on occasion.

I do actually have a situation where juice is extremely useful - DD(5) is going through some nasty constipation issues, and apple juice helps things along (yes, I know real foods and water would help too - she gets the real foods, but I can't get her to drink enough water). But it's a worry for her teeth so we only do it at home when she can brush, and we're on a constant quest to up her water!

[MJB]

I would not give juice to a baby. After a year, my kids can have one cup of watered-down juice on occasion (like a party). My boys are older now and they sometimes get a juice box at soccer or something like that, and I'd prefer they didn't.