The Scoop on Giving Your Baby Juice
Cassandra Germsheid
Many moms like to think that as soon as their baby turns 6 months of age, they should start giving them juice. But this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, juice is NOT necessary for an infant. Here's why:
- Because of the sugars in juice, it can cause diarrhea.
- Too much juice can cause a child to be overweight or obese.
- Juice contains sugars and acids that can cause tooth decay.
- Giving your baby too much juice can hinder growth and development, and can cause malnutrition and anemia due to lack of nutrients like proteins and complex carbohydrates.
- If you are still breastfeeding, juice can cause your baby to nurse less.
Although juice contains Vitamin C, you don't want to give them too much. It should never be considered a supplement. If you must give your baby juice, consider these guidelines.
- Wait until your baby is at least 6 months old. But even then, babies at this age still do not require it.
- Dilute juice by at least half and half. Most grocery stores have a baby aisle with juice specially diluted for babies. These juices also contain more Vitamin C than regular juices, but are also more expensive.
- Never give your baby juice from a bottle. And never give them juice from a cup to suck on all day. This can cause tooth decay.
- Don't give your baby juice at bedtime.
- Babies shouldn't have more than 150ml (one half cup) of juice a day.
- Instead of giving fruits in liquid form, try giving them real fruit!
- If your baby is thirsty, give them water instead. If your baby doesn't like water, try flavoring the water with a little bit of juice.
- If you start feeding your baby water from the beginning, they won't naturally prefer juice instead of water.
About the author: Cassandra Germsheid is the owner of Baby Tips Online (http://www.babytipsonline.com). She is a stay at home mother but sometimes works part time for her local newspaper.