What should a kid drink? - Page 2

[mommy212]

You can always use the other milks out there... almond, soy, rice or coconut. You could try kefir too. My DS drinks mostly whole milk, and smaller amounts of soy milk, water, and juice/other drinks, in that order. Not sure how old your LO is but when taking out milk it is easy to really decrease the calories and healthy fats and other vitamins they get- not to say you shouldn't remove it if you feel you need to, just throwing it out there to be careful with her diet.

[elisheva]

My kids drink mostly water and they also like the berry-flavoured herbal tea warm or cold. On special occasions/holidays, we have sparkling water mixed with juice. I grew up drinking milk and I strongly feel that water/tea is SOOO much healthier. My kids would drink milk more if I offered. I try to think of it as a snack and not a beverage. I'm also very careful about which milk I give them due to naturally occurring estrogens in the North American milk supply (due to the way dairy cows are milked) being potentially linked to some cancers and precocious puberty. Here's a link: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html

I also think the true health benefits of milk are oversold by the Dairy Industry...as a calorie source, dairy or fermented dairy  are definitely fine in moderation. I'll never go back to dairy as an everyday beverage, though.

[Llyra]

My kids drink one cup of orange or grapefruit juice with breakfast, mostly because of DD1's fiber supplement. They drink one or two cups of milk a day. The rest of the time, they drink water, or herbal teas if I have the get-up-and-go to remember to brew them. I'm not nuts about the no-sugar thing-- they'll drink stuff like punch or soda if it's offered at a party, or something, and I make lemonade sometimes, but water is our main beverage.

If I was going to take out dairy, I'd make sure there were other non-beverage sources of fat, protein, minerals, and fat-soluble vitamins. Then I'd stop worrying, and offer water, and sometimes some herbal tea for a treat. For fun, sometimes, you can fancy up the water with slices of lime, or a little splash of juice, and stuff like that.

[inkslinger]

My girls are 4 and 7, and they drink: mostly water, a cup (usually) of milk per day, juice rarely, smoothies, and occasionally herbal teas.

[elmh23]

In our house, milk is only with cereal and dinner (almond for ds1, cow for everyone else), juice and ice tea are treats or after hard work and water for the rest.  I don't consider smoothies a drink really, more of a meal or an addition to a meal. 

[madskye]

The watered down juice boxes are Honest Kids.  (Same people who make Honest Teas)  We do those, seltzer, and I make sun tea all the time.  Mint is hit and so is red zinger.

[zippy_francis]

Mine drink 99% of the time water. Occassoinaly they have rice milk or skim milk. They NEVER get soda, period. Every now and then they have UNsweetened tea (decaffinated) or some juice. We prefer the Vfusion that is reduced sugar and we water it down alot! They might have an apple juice box if we are out and in a pinch. We dont get koolaid or capri suns or anything like that at the store for them, I dont think they have ever had it. I personally think those things are gross anyways (nor did I grow up drinking them) They are happy with water, and I am glad.

[onlyzombiecat]

water

milk

V8 juice drinks

lemonade

cold unsweetened tea

yogurt drinks or smoothies

hot chocolate

occasionally soda pop- usually without caffeine

[BubbleMa]

Water most of the time.  SIL usually asks us to bring drinks for family gatherings so then I take Honest Kids or Apple and Eve juice for the kids and tea or lemonade for the adults.  When we go out to eat the kids can get tea or lemonade. 

I also recently discovered Hint water.  It's awesome.  It's expensive though, so I don't buy it to keep at the house.  Although, you can make it yourself.  Just put some sliced fruit in your water jug and store it in the fridge.  I haven't tried it yet, I keep forgetting. 

[Llyra]

I don't understand buying deliberately watered-down juice. (Unless of course they're watering down the price, too.) I agree with watering juice-- I watered my kids' juice when they were toddlers and preschoolers, too. But to pay money to have somebody else water it means I'm getting less juice for my money, which is senseless when my water at home is nearly free. Why not just buy real juice, and water it yourself?

My DD1 does take juice boxes to school. I can't remember what the name of them is right now-- they are vegetable and fruit juice mixes. Going to go google it--

Fruitables. That's it.

[BubbleMa]

Originally Posted by Llyra 

I don't understand buying deliberately watered-down juice. (Unless of course they're watering down the price, too.) I agree with watering juice-- I watered my kids' juice when they were toddlers and preschoolers, too. But to pay money to have somebody else water it means I'm getting less juice for my money, which is senseless when my water at home is nearly free. Why not just buy real juice, and water it yourself?

My DD1 does take juice boxes to school. I can't remember what the name of them is right now-- they are vegetable and fruit juice mixes. Going to go google it--

Fruitables. That's it.
 

The Apple & Eve Fruitables are my favorite.  Personally, I buy the Honest Kids stuff when we go to family gatherings because it's in the pouches like Capri Sun, and the kids like Capri Sun.  I also only buy it when Publix has it BOGO. 

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by BubbleMa 

The Apple & Eve Fruitables are my favorite.  Personally, I buy the Honest Kids stuff when we go to family gatherings because it's in the pouches like Capri Sun, and the kids like Capri Sun.  I also only buy it when Publix has it BOGO. 

Okay, I get buying it to use when you're out, or when other kids will be having juice pouches and your kids want them to. That's why I send the fruitables to school with DD-- because she wants to have what everybody else has, and those are a better option than the Hi-C that most kids here bring. I was thinking you meant routinely at home-- and I was thinking that for us, at least, it would get awfully expensive to be buying watered-down juice in pouches to drink on a daily basis.

[Mom2five1291]

Juice is definitely a treat for my kids.  They drink almost totally water and raw milk.  We do make a lot of smoothies and they will put ice and lemons in the vitamix and make a "slushy" - they like them really tart.  For tea, they like "sleepy" tea (chamomile) and peppermint tea.  I make homemade almond milk for my 14 months old.  He loves it.  He drinks that, water, and raw milk.

[sosurreal09]

What is wrong with black tea? I drink iced black tea with lemon and DD usually has some of mine at 20 m/o there is like 10mg of caffeine per 8 oz which is like nothing. Is there a reason black tea would be bad?

edited to add: Otherwise she drinks a ton of water and breast milk. She only has juice if it's freshly juiced and even that is rare b/c all the kid eats is fruits and veggies for the most part.

[crunchy_mommy]

Someone told me black tea can be high in fluoride???

[sosurreal09]

How and why? The tea itself? I mean I am using my water brewing it myself. How can tea leaves be high in fluoride?

[sosurreal09]

Googled it WTH? I just quit coffee and started drinking black iced tea every morning....IDEK that it had fluoride in it or that fluoride could naturally occur in anything...Now what do I drink? Is there an herbal tea similar to black tea in flavor?

[loraxc]

Just water here. They don't mind. DD sometimes asks for herbal tea but I think it's more the idea of it that she likes, not the taste. I do keep a water pitcher in the fridge so it's nice and cold.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by sosurreal09 

Googled it WTH? I just quit coffee and started drinking black iced tea every morning....IDEK that it had fluoride in it or that fluoride could naturally occur in anything...Now what do I drink? Is there an herbal tea similar to black tea in flavor?

Hmm I can't say I've had one similar to black tea but herbal teas are hugely varied so you could just try some different ones until you hit one you like!! There is also mushroom tea (OK it's not tea, I don't know what it's called???) and it tastes kind of like a cross between coffee and tea and it has a bit of an energy kick but low level of caffeine.

[lilyka]

My kids drink water.  I won't lie, they also get koolaid  and iced tea and as a treat pop.  I don't consider them health food but I don't think it is harmful either.  My kids have never been given milk to drink.   And the last two only got juice as a treat (I have never had delusions about it being healthy or kids needing it.)

If you give her nothing but water she will learn to like it.