Juice - Erin,TN

Hi Ashley,

I started giving my son juice at about 4½ or 5 months ... and I diluted it with 75% water at first. I think 12 weeks is a bit too young yet for juice ... hang in there another few weeks and then start it! :-)

K.

I started giving my son juice at about 4 1/2 months. But dilute it with nursery water at first. Also be wary of giving too much; it causes very loose bowel movements (something I learned about the hard way while getting portraits made!).

ok.. here's what I found from What to Expect the Toddler Years..

The BEST juices are (from "What to Expect in the Toddler Years")
Orange juice
Papaya juice
Pineapple juice
apricot nectar
mango juice
vegetable juice (v8 splashers are great!)
& "other" 100% fruit juice/nectars w/ the exception of apple

Yup, apple is the worst It's because there are hardly any nutrients in that juices and there is a lot of sugar (well, in all juices). So the amount of nutrients they get doesnt outweigh the amount of sugar. They do say that appie juice enriched w/ vitamin C is better if they are going to drink apple.

4 months is when our pedi said ok.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that you shouldn't give your infant anything other than breast milk or fomula until 6 months. The reason for this is the digestive tract is still open meaning it can't process more complex foods or drinks. If given these drinks it can lead to many digestive problems and giving foods early has been linked to severe allergies and obesity. Futher juice is like nature's soda pop. It is full of sugar and isn't that good for you. The only thing it has that is good is Vit C which children get plenty of from other sources. Juice is lacking the very things that make fruits so good for you. One of them being fiber.

Our pediatrician told us that if the baby is constipated then mix half and half of juice and water. Only apple juice until the baby is a little older. Then you can advance to other juices. They tell you this because the baby could develop food allergies if you give certain foods too soon. If all else fails, talk to your pediatrican.

Ashley
I would ask your doctor cause everyone is different. Mine said as long as it is 100% juice than its ok at 4 months without watering down. Just make sure it is 100%.
I am so sorry for your loss no one will ever know what youre going through unless it has happened to them. We have just lost our 17yr old nephew to suicide and I am lost in how to console his mom. We are all distraught and I hope you are getting help on how to deal with this. I wish you Luck and I will pray for you and your family

My doctor said to try and start offering them water and juice after 8 weeks of age. Make sure it is clear juices like apple or white grape and make sure you dilute them like half juice, half water. If she doesnt like it you don't have to force her to drink it but you can try whenever you get ready. Sorry on the lose of your son. I know that is very hard to deal with. I am here if you need someone to talk to. Good Luck and Congratulations.

You shouldn't give your baby juice until she is about six months old (from my doctor) however I did occasionaly give mine juice when they were four months old. if they developed diarehha I did'nt give them anymore. Sometimes babies are just thirsty and not hungry so they don't always need formula/breastmilk. I am so sorry for your loss.

I too am sorry for your loss. God Bless...

As for the juice. We started my son (now 19 months) on "juice" around the same time we started on solid foods. Now, even to this day, our "juice" is actually about one-quarter juice or less mixed with water. Juices have so much sugar in them. My kid won't even drink straight juice now, its too sweet. We stick with apple juice and white grape just because of the staining qualities of berry juices. The doctors say no citrus juice until at least one year because it can increase the chances of developing food allergies. Hope that helps at least some. Good luck to you and your little one.

I am so sorry for your loss. You aren't suppose to give babies juice until after they are a year old (I think). I had my baby Sept 20th, 2005. I started feeding her cereal at 4 months. And that is all til about 6 months. I also was told to give her formula or breast milk. But my breast milk dried up at 6 weeks due to the stress of husband being deployed to afghanistan, school, and being alone. I am glad you still have your baby girl, and she will be such a joy to you. Just know that your son is in heaven with God and that God had a bigger plan for him than we could have ever hoped for. I do believe in God and I hope I haven't offended you. And I will keep you in my prayers.
-J. B

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Hold off on the juice for as long as you can. But no sooner than when you will start giving solids. And even then dilute with water at least by half.

Hey Ashley! I could not remember exactly when I gave my baby juice, but I found something on the Internet that may be helpful!

Some years ago extra vitamin C was recommended for bottle-fed babies. But today modern formulas have vitamin C added. Breast milk too provides vitamin C.

Infants, especially under six months, do not need fruit juices for nutrition.

Most fruit juice is too concentrated. It is high in sugars, either as the natural fruit sugar (fructose), or from added sucrose. Excessive sugar from fruit juice can lead to diarrhoea. And giving sweet drinks from an early age may encourage a preference for sweet drinks and foods.

There are times when babies (especially if bottle fed), require extra fluids. Offer cooled, boiled water -it is a better thirst quencher than juice.

Once a baby begins solids she will get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.

When baby is over six months, if you do give juice, dilute it well, using only 5 ml (1 teaspoon) fruit juice to 50ml water. Freshly squeezed orange juice, diluted with cooled boiled water is fine. Or use blackcurrant syrup diluted 1 part to 10 of water.

Offer diluted juice from a cup. Don't let a baby or older child suck on a bottle of sweet fruit juice over prolonged periods of time as this can be damaging to teeth. Restrict juices to meal or snack times.

Rather than giving juice to drink, why not boost vitamin C by mixing a little orange juice with baby's mashed banana or avocado?

Around 8 months, for extra vitamin C, offer segments of mandarin, tangelo or orange (peel away the tough membrane), and follow with a drink of milk or water. Other fresh fruits high in vitamin C are kiwifruit, strawberries, honeydew and rock melon, feijoa, pawpaw, mango and blackberries.

ok, my ped told me since my son was on Neo-Sure, that it would be ok to give him a little, with water, if he was constipated. I started that when he was actually 1 or 2 months old. Other than that, I've been told 6 months.

Ashley
So sorry to hear about your loss... *HUGS* to you..

The juice thing. My pedi. gave me the ok at 2 months. I know some will say NO to this but he didn't say replace his formula or breast milk with this it was just getting him use to different taste before solids at 4 months. I started with white grape the gerber juices. I gave him 2 oz with 2 oz water a day. usually between feedings. It never interfered with his feedings. He loved it. He usually drank about 1-2 oz of this.
I would still ask your Dr. what age he recommends to start it at.
My Dr. gave me the ok for applesauce, bananas, and some mild fruits at 4 months. My son was ready though.
I hope this helps.

Ashley,

Most of the books that I have read suggests to start juice around 5 - 6 months. That's what I did and it must be diluted with water or it will cause diarrhea. Start with apple and pear juice...then move on to the other ones that Gerber (or whoever) sells at your grocery.

Good luck!
S.

about 6 months is a good age. after she starts eating baby cereal (4-6months) mixed with formula, breastmilk, or water, and is doing well with it, you can start adding juice to it. when you give her juice, dilute it with water. a lot of doctors even say not to give juice at all. i just dilute it. hope this helps.

I am very sorry to hear about you lose... You will be in my prayers...With the juice issue though i did not start my son on juice until around almost 8 months per my doctor.. And most definetly no type of citrus just as they can not digest that until 1 year old. I hope this helps.