Question About Juice

A lot of the articles about juice are referring to all juice given in a cup not cut w/ water. It is also a cause for cavities as well. I do the same thing as you; mix water w/ the juice, but I do a 3 parts water to 1 part juice. Don't worry too much about it. There is more to childhood obesity than just too much juice.

As far as the juice issue goes, I freeze the individual serving sizes of juice for both my girls. In the morning I take out two boxes of juice for the day. Then its easier for my to control how much juice they are drinking each day. The rest of the day its water or milk and occasionally sugar free koolaid. It is hard to control how much juice is given and this method has worked for me!

Good luck,
K.

Hey M.!

I wouldn't worry too much. My son is 2 1/2 and has about the same beverage habits as your little guy. My kid is a little guy (height/weight proportionate though), but I do the same thing with juice that you do - always have... probably always will.

I limit him to 2 sippies of juice per day, then it's water or milk. He's drinking skim milk with our pediatrician's blessing, but he was still little when he was drinking whole.

I'd say your son is probably just fine. I hate to say it, but your mom & husband are probably right on this one. I worried about too much juice too, so at least you've got company! :)

Take care... J.

I believe that juice and sugar affect children differently although in general I am not a big fan of it. I have three kids who drink water and and mostly milk. Our food is so fortified with calcium ect.. And your son's body needs water. Maybe you can do the 4 ounces of diluted juice a day. Follow your gut. I will tell you that the more sugary drinks he gets the less water he will want to drink.

Sugar is a large factor in weight gain, although I'm no expert in that area, I am on the other hand concerned about his teeth. I work in a pediactric dental office and a constant flow of milk or juice in the mouth increases the rate of caries greatly. Everytime he takes a sip, the acids increase in the mouth for up to 30 minutes. We tell parents that if they are going to give their child a sippie cup, that they have them drink it right away and not carry it around with them. This will help to avoid dental errosion.

Don't worry, little man is just fine. I have little guy who drinkd lots of juice too. I would give your little one more mile though. Their bones are going and aneed that calcium and the vitamins that milk has to offer. Water might be better before bed or nap rather than milk. I also do daycare and I'm on a food program and have been told neither way (what your doing and what I suggested are wrong).

I have 4 kids and I give the older 3 a sippy cup of 50% juice and 50% water in the morning and that's all the juice they get. They have gogurt for breakfast and milk with lunch and dinner. Other than that they get water in their cups. It's really important for kids to get to like water because when they are older they will hate it if they don't. I sometimes add ice cubes for excitement lol.
My kids are 4,3,2 and 6 months

I know exactly how you feel. What I do is not make juice a part of our lives at all, so my kids don't get too many sweets through the straw (we tend to let them get it in the form of fruit snacks : ). Then when we visit family or go out to eat, I'll let them get juice (and mix it w/water sometimes).

Fruit has naturally occuring sugars, so even if it's all natural, it's still considered sugary. An option that I have done in the past is buy sugarless juice made with Splenda (vs. aspartame). Hope this helps!!

While I don't want to encourage anyone to freak out over one article, I have to agree with the writer on the juice issue. Juice is not a bad thing, especially 100% juice with no added sugar, but it's not necessary to drink it all the time. And even if it's all natural, it's still a lot of sugar. Better to have your son drink lots of water during the day, and a little juice with a snack once or maybe twice a day. It sounds like he's healthy now, but it's also important to create good habits for later. If he always drinks sweet drinks - even watered down juice - then as an adult he'll always be reaching for sweet drinks. And you won't be there to water them down for him. Get him used to drinking water, and that'll be a good habit as he gets older.

If he's resistant at first, then make the water special. Put ice in it, get a special sippy cup or a cup with a straw, maybe a crazy curly straw. (Another good thing is that water is not so bad to clean up and won't stain if it gets spilled!) My guess is, though, that if he's that active and thirsty, he'll drink whatever you give him.

I would also be careful about how and when you give him milk. It's nice to have it just before bed, it calms you down, but hopefully you're brushing his teeth! Milk has a lot of sugar in it, so it's not good to have it just before going to sleep if you don't brush. And if he's only getting milk twice a day, he should be eating plenty of yogurt, cheese, or leafy green vegetables with lots of calcium.

Sorry if this seems like a lecture, but good eating habits are so important!!

Hi M., I don't think you're "overthinking" - raising a healthy happy child is your most important job, and certainly not an easy one, so keep up the good work! I think your concern is valid - overweight children is becoming an epidemic, and has many contributing factors, too many calories is one of them, albeit maybe a smaller factor than video/tv/pc use. Try giving him water. If he doesn't like it, try ice water. If it's offered and available, say in a non-dripping sippy cup, he might start to sip a little when he's thirsty rather than take the time to tell you he wants to drink something sweet. I didn't want to accustomize my kids to expect everything to be sweet, so I've started both my kids sipping water as a supplement to breastmilk at 6 months. My 11 yr old hardly drinks any juice, and won't drink any soda (aothough she LOVES candy when she can get it). My 6 month old LOVES drinking water from my glass - she clinks her 2 bottom teeth on the glass as if she's suckling till the water tips up to her. I think your description of him as bulldozer is awesome! good luck, Sue

I tend to agree with your husband and mom. I think as long as you are doing what you can to get them to eat as healthy as possible and they are active, you are fine.

Hi M.-
I have actually seen the same info in many different places. Besides that my pediatrician actually mentions it to me at every appointment and I know my best friend's pediatrician actually advised her not to give her daughter juice at all (both of our girls are 3) So I do what you do, give her just a splash and add water. I try to only give her 100% juice mixed this way once a day. Our doctor advised 4-6 oz as the healthy daily range. Hope this helps!
Jen

Does he drink juice with calcium added? If he is only getting milk 1 or 2 times per day, maybe you could replace some of the juice servings with milk? My pediatrician recommended milk 3 times per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and water or diluted juice at other times. My son is 16 months, and drinks a bit of juice in the morning but gets milk or water at other times. Just a suggestion, mostly for calcium intake, not calorie/weight concern.

talk to your peditrician about it. if they're not worried about it, you shouldnt be either

Hi! If your son is height/weight proportionate, and his pediatrician isn't concerned, that wouldn't be my worry. However, the reason I responded to your question is the risk of cavities, since both of my kids have had early childhood tooth decay--and I don't give them bottles before naps or bed. I rarely even give them juice, usually they drink water. I'm sure it is more genetic than environmental, but I just had to mention it since you said you put him down with milk. Good luck!
S.

M.--
My son is also big for his age--he is very tall, but weight isn't an issue. I give him organic fruit and veggie juices throughout the day--I would say he drinks at least 12-16 oz., in addition to 16-18 oz. of milk (2%) a day. Additionally,he also will drink water out of his sippy cup as well. He isn't fat; he's very active, and very healthy. I don't think you should be worried, unless your son has a weight problem, or isn't getting enough milk. I think juice becomes a bigger issue as kids get older, and water isn't implemented into their diets. As long as water is a part of his diet now, you can eventually lessen the juice, and offer more water as he gets older. If you are choosing good juices, then the sugar should be natural, and quite frankly, milk has probably more natural sugars than some juices! Don't worry--especially in the summer when kids need more fluids anyway.

Marie,I can agree with the other mothers,I am a mother of 3 ,there ages are,20,18,5 1/2.My youngest son weighted 10 Lb. 9 oz. at birth and he was always half way up in the blue on the charts in height& weight and I can tell you that at my house I go thru a gallon of milk (2%)in a day,I don't agree to give your child whole milk as it can make them gain weight,try to give him 2%,my son was always bigger in his clothes always 2 sizes bigger,now that he is 5 1/2 he is in sizes 7,8 and his shoe sizes is 5 1/2 to a 6.what i'm saying is don't worry as he gets bigger he will get more active and he will start to slim down.And try not to give juice and milk before bedtime as it does rot there teeth.my sister in laws daughter had to have some teeth removed because they rotted,she had to gothru all that pain because she needed juice or milk before bed.water is the best before bed.so don't worry your little one will be just fine.unless his Dr. is concered,then I wodn't worry.

In your note you don't mention how much juice you are giving ...just that it is watered down. I don't think you are excessively worrying because childhood obesity is a very serious problem which can lead to diabetes and all sorts of problems. Juice in itself is not a problem as long as it isn't in excess. I give my daughter juice too but she only gets about 1/2 cup of watered down stuff/day. I got her used to water and milk early on and now she hardly asks for the juice. 100% fruit juice vs concentrates shouldn't make you think it is healthy. I have read that it is far better for your child to get their fruit serving by actually eating a piece of fruit (what a concept). Even though he may not be overweight for his size now, the habits learned as a child will be carried through his life when you are not there to guide him to healthy foods.

Good luck.

I, too, think you have a right to be concerned. Milk and water is all that's offered at my house, just as much for weight as tooth decay. My friend gave her son juice instead of milk when she got rid of the bottle, and he had an abcess tooth at the age of 4. If you want to offer variety, flavored waters go a long way with kids, and they now sell them in little juicebox containers.

In my opinion, as long as your child continues to be active, then you shouldn't have too much to worry about. As you put it, he is porportioned, and I think that is just as important. My son, is about to turn 2 on August 17th and he is actually a bit smaller for his age. He drinks constantly all day, something that I fret about often, because he seems to want to drink rather than eat. He gets plenty of juice, all 100% (I am a licensed childcare provider, so it is mandatory I only serve 100%) but he also gets milk throughout the day as well. He drinks water during sleep times, I am not too fond of the idea of sugars floating around in a closed mouth.
Again, I wouldn't red flag it unless he is an inactive child.

Kind Regards,
Savannah

I thnik your doing just fine. You are giveing your child what he needs to be healthy. I think this articile was geared for parent who just give their children juice in excessive amounts. Aas long as your son is active, just take adice of your huband & your mom. Your always hear that saying. Mother knows best.

You never said exactly how much juice or milk you are giving him. Give him 4-6 oz. of juice (total, mixed or not) and about 3 cups (6oz or so) of whole milk per day. Even 100% juice is just sugar. If he wants/needs other fluids give him plain water. These recommendations are based on optimal nutrition, but also help prevent obesity. Also, kids that tank up on lots and lots of fluids tend to eat less and less nutritious solid foods and may become deficient in iron (though they get adequate calories from the fluids). Hope that this helps...
B.