This is something I've wondered about for a while now, how much juice is too much for your little ones? I try not to give more than 2 1/2 sippy cups full a day of 100% juice and the rest of the time try to get my son to drink either milk or water. While we deal with melt downs almost on a daily basis when I say no to more juice, sometimes I almost think it would be easier to give him. But, then again his development and growth is important and everything in moderation right?
So how much is too much when it comes to juice?
6 comments:
I had a friend teach me to only put about 1/3 a cup of juice and then to fill the rest of the cup with water. They still get the juice flavor but not all the sugars. We actually hardly drink juice so I can't say how much is too much but I think it's a great way to be able to give them "more" without really giving them more.
I don't give my kids much. If they have more than 1/2 cup a day they get diarrhea, so I stay away from it when I can.
It depends on how old they are. When you first start giving them juice you really should only give them 4 oz. And then work up from there.
We started just giving juice with one meal. ie. If my boys had juice with breakfast then they are done for the day.
Good luck! My boys still have small meltdowns when I say no more. :)
I'm the same with juice - I keep it to a mininum. Breakfast and lunch are usually milk (though sometimes breakfast is orange juice on the weekend), snacks are water, and then SOMETIMES juice is dinner. They don't get a cup of juice more than once per day and sometimes not at all.
I think keeping juice to a minimum is a good idea - like was stated it can cause diarrhea, is not great for teeth, and really it's not that nutritious. Plus, it's more expensive. :)
Liz's idea is good for babies/young toddlers. I don't give my kids juice that isn't watered down until they are around 18 months. Before that it's always about 1/2 juice and 1/2 water.
I love that you are doing 100% juice. That is the better way to go, to be sure. I also dilute the juice and it works great for all juices (except orange--my kids won't touch that when it's diluted.) We do juice when we have colds and sometimes for a special treat. When we have it, I don't really ration it except to dilute it. But when it's gone, it's gone for a while and we don't have any more. That way, there isn't really any thing to melt down about.
I would also echo most of what has already been said--dilute it, only have it every once in a while. My kids learn pretty early on that we only get milk or juice when we are sitting at the table for meals. If they are thirsty otherwise, they are welcome to have as much water as they could possibly want. :)
I know there are concerns with small kids not completely swallowing everything in their mouths, so if they are in the habit of walking around with juice, it can pool up in the bottom of the mouth and cause tooth decay. To avoid that while making sure my kids stay as hydrated as possible, I let them carry around sippy cups with water only.
There are still occasional meltdowns when I say no to juice, but I hold my ground and either they'll get over it or they'll take the water. That's one fight that I'm willing to put up for the sake of their health.
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