# Let's talk juice: why do -or don't- you give it to your child?



## P.J. (May 18, 2010)

I know lots of mamas don't give their kids juice, and as far as I understand their reasoning is because fruit sugar is still sugar. Cavities, hyperactivity, sugar addiction/sweet tooth, calories, etc... That all makes sense. But, OTOH, we snack on fruit all day long and I am not worried about those things. DS is 13 months. I brush his teeth twice a day. So far he only drinks water (and my milk, lol), but DH and I drink very diluted juice (organic no sugar added) all the time. TBH I know I wouldn't drink enough water otherwise ~it really helps me get it down. We water it down a lot, maybe 1:8. DS is now starting to insist on eating and drinking everything we do, so I have given him a couple sips of my juice water here and there. I am not ready to start adding juice to his sippy cups, and would rather keep them just water as long as possible. But I know sooner or later he will be able to directly ask for juice when he sees us drinking it. Is it really that bad if I dilute down like 10:1? BTW we do not keep sweets in the house but maybe once or twice a week have cake or ice cream or whatever when we're out or have guests. DS has had no sugar yet and I even avoid agave syrup, rice syrup, etc. Eventually I would like him to eat like us: sugar as a treat maybe once a week or so.

Please tell me why you do or do not give your child juice. I could be convinced either way at this point. If you have any links to further information / studies which prove juice leads to something bad or not, I would be grateful.

TIA!


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

I do. I watered it down until recently, but they only get a cup a day with breakfast. I think most things are fine in moderation and as long as it's actual juice, I don't worry about the amount my kids have.


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## aurora_skys (Apr 1, 2008)

I give cranberry juice because of its health benefits and to boost vit C intake. Otherwise, no juice because its so sugary. If they want sweet they can eat the whole fruit and reap all the benefits (fiber etc) not just the juice


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## McGucks (Nov 27, 2010)

Hi P.J.! We have only given our LO juice one time, and it was on a huge car trip (8 hours). I brought along a little box of apple juice and a little straw in case of emergency. I will admit that it absolutely did the trick at a critical screaming point when car nursing just didn't cut it. That said...

I think you are doing an awesome job with your child's nutrition. In no way would a 10:1 ratio be "bad" by anyone's standards, I don't think. We steer clear of juice mostly because it's just not needed and I don't want to train our son to get a huge sweet tooth (like I have). I have heard that avoiding juice early in life helps with that.

Gotta go, baby's up...


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## anjsmama (Apr 6, 2011)

I give my DS juice in part to help him stay hydrated. He is really weird about water, and always, always has been. As a result, he was drinking a LOT of milk (cow's milk) and it was really hard on his digestive system. So I started giving him juice diluted with water to help him get water and stay hydrated. I dilute it about 4:1 and use cranberry as a PP mentioned. He is much older though (34 months) - as a 1 year old, I diluted it about 8:1. Like aurora skys said, my biggest issue with juice is that it doesn't carry the benefits of whole fruit - the fiber! So I try to limit it... however I don't feel particularly anti-juice or pro-juice, I just don't think it should be a staple of a child's diet.

Sounds like your DS is a well-fed little guy, and I don't think adding some diluted juice here and there will turn him into a sugar junkie.


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## berry987 (Apr 23, 2008)

I give my kids juice, but very limited. At the beach, at a restaurant, etc. I also limit their fruit intake. I used to let them eat fruit all the time because I figured it was healthy, but after reading Good Calories, Bad Calories (incredible book if you haven't read it!) I don't believe that anymore. We have a history of weight problems in our family (including both DH and I who struggled with weight as children long before the childhood obesity problem!) and there is a lot in the book about how people are programmed to handled insulin differently (which is what causes obesity...not overeating and sitting around







). Anyway, I'm digressing - but my point is that fruit juice, fruit, anything processed, refined carbs, etc. are a recipe for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, in many, many people. So, yeah, we heavily limit that stuff. Our kids eat some blueberries or strawberries with their breakfast and an apple or something later for a snack, but it's not the fruit free for all that it used to be!


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## 95191 (Nov 8, 2007)

we DO juice - only organic and mostly homemade

there are just certain things - ex sour grapes that are easy as juice vs picking through little mucus balls for a one year old-juicing is easier

we do cranberry, grapes, tomato (end product of seeding for paste) lemon/lime and orange, we mostly do end up eating the left-over from the juicing in other forms (exceptions of lime and lemons and some oranges)

we eat fruit - we weight the pro and cons and decide what is best for us---we like what we get and it can not be all made up with other foods for us-we don't give synthetic supplements to make up the difference either

I have seen the disastrous results of withholding sugar from a child (I married a sugar hoarder- thanks to his mother's fear of sugar)---moderation is the key for us.


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## ammiga (Jan 22, 2009)

Nope, no juice. Dd loves water and I don't want to mess with that. We do give unlimited access to fruit, since we believe fruit is healthy for many reasons. But juice loses too many of those benefits and is more of a treat, so we never saw a reason to start.


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## Bokonon (Aug 29, 2009)

My 6yo gets maybe an apple juice box a day. We don't dilute it anymore, and only give the no sugar added juice (no HFCS).

My 2yo occasionally gets apple juice, when we go out to eat. She doesn't drink very much of it, so I don't worry about diluting it.

The rest of the time, they both drink water and only ever ask for water at home. The 6yo will occasionally drink cows' milk, but the 2yo has never liked milk other than my own!

They eat a lot of fruit and get a pretty varied diet, so I don't worry about them not getting anything in particular by drinking mostly water.


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## littlest birds (Jul 18, 2004)

We don't regularly do juice for any age because I don't think it is healthy and its nutritional benefits do not justify the cost. (Since our well-fed children don't need the extra sugar and there isn't much else to the juices I see there to be nearly no nutritional value--so why would I pay the price and use the excessive packaging required for transporting liquid?)

So first it seems a waste of money and packaging. Second, I consider the natural sugar to be too concentrated, and especially for a child who ALSO eats fruit regularly that is just way to much total sugar. If your child is too young to eat fruit regularly, then I think they are definitely too young to be getting fruit's sugars in a more concentrated form. I am also against getting extra carbohydrate calories slipped in whenever your body needs hydration. It creates confusion in our relationship to food by turning water into food.

I think the main function of juice is for pleasure/entertainment due to its sweetness, to get the happy "like it" reaction from our children, and IMO that's okay for an occasional treat but not for daily consumption. The habit of flavored drinks is what makes people resistant to drinking water, along with the bad flavor of most tap water. I put my money into my water filter rather than alternative beverages, and the filter makes a huge difference for flavor and every single person in our family drinks water constantly. Over five gallons a day are drunk straight in our house at this time of year. I can''t imagine a desire for a certain flavor making me resistant to drinking water to meet my body's needs and I would do what I could to keep my child from establishing that kind of pattern.

Naturally, thirst should lead to water. That's the pattern I teach.


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## P.J. (May 18, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *littlest birds*
> 
> We don't regularly do juice for any age because I don't think it is healthy and its nutritional benefits do not justify the cost. (Since our well-fed children don't need the extra sugar and there isn't much else to the juices I see there to be nearly no nutritional value--so why would I pay the price and use the excessive packaging required for transporting liquid?)
> 
> ...


I think this is the direction we are going with our son. As I mentioned in my OP, both DH and I have a real hard time getting enough water. I feel like I have to add a little juice for flavor or else I won't drink water...unless it's really hot out. I know DS is learning all our habits, but if possible I don't want him to get into our habit of drinking water with something and not craving just plain old water. I suppose if my parents had done the same with me I wouldn't struggle with daily water consumption the way I do. As it was, we didn't drink much water when I was a kid, I just remember juice. Hmmmm....


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## 95191 (Nov 8, 2007)

Quote:


> both DH and I have a real hard time getting enough water.


you might want to research the benefits of drinking nettles and raspberry leaf and (red clover and the like) and start upping your water intake with them--not all bad to "add" to water!


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *P.J.*
> 
> I think this is the direction we are going with our son. As I mentioned in my OP, both DH and I have a real hard time getting enough water. I feel like I have to add a little juice for flavor or else I won't drink water...unless it's really hot out. I know DS is learning all our habits, but if possible I don't want him to get into our habit of drinking water with something and not craving just plain old water. I suppose if my parents had done the same with me I wouldn't struggle with daily water consumption the way I do. As it was, we didn't drink much water when I was a kid, I just remember juice. Hmmmm....


This was the point I was going to make. My DD LOVES water. She drinks it all day long. I figure why mess with that by teaching her to expect her liquids to be sugary or sweet?

For you, maybe try switching to drinking water with just a little lemon? You could even do fresh lemon slices in a pitcher of water in the fridge. It might help you transition away from juice-water since it's less sweet.


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## SilverFish (Jan 14, 2010)

we don't have juice at home. i think it's expensive and either goes to waste (OJ that no one drinks fast enough) or gets chugged (every other kind!). i personally love juice though... i have a sweet tooth and just love the flavour, but juice is a treat to me, not a regular part of our diet. so anyway, my dd (16 mo) has had juice before... she has a sip or two of whatever i'm having unless i manage to sneak it (including, bad mama badge here, coffee, tea and pop!). occasionally, especially on a hot, long day of errands or travelling, i will buy juice specifically to share, but aim for 100% pure juice (like the smoothie juices that coffee shops have). that is a rare, stop-gap measure for me though. we both like water and happily drink all kinds of fluids so i don't worry about "ruining" her!

as for fruit, i think fruit is awesome. we eat a lot of it, and a huge variety. i have always loved fruit since i was a tiny kid and no one in my family has any problems with obesity, diabetes, etc, so i really don't worry about that. fruit is one of the easiest, most natural things for a person, especially a small kid to eat... sweet, soft, delicious flavours, and plenty of nutritional benefits.


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## onlyzombiecat (Aug 15, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *P.J.*
> 
> Please tell me why you do or do not give your child juice. I could be convinced either way at this point. If you have any links to further information / studies which prove juice leads to something bad or not, I would be grateful.
> 
> TIA!


Dd is 11 so she drinks a lot of different things including juice.

We almost always have juice on hand for her because I feel a moderate amount regularly helps her to not be constipated- which she had problems with in the past.

I worry more about keeping things in balance than totally eliminating one type of drink.


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## LionessMom (Mar 12, 2008)

my kids dont get fruit or fruit juice except some strawberries once in a while or lemon flavored water. but they are all fructose intolerant. so it will give them diarrhea. i have read that too much fructose is what causes all the obesity and diabetes and whatnot. and that the primary sources of fructose is high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, and juice. the amount of fructose in juice is like giving kids a soda. but diluted down to 10:1, that is just flavored water.


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## journeymom (Apr 2, 2002)

I gave my little kids diluted white grape juice, or diluted apple juice, until they just didn't want it anymore. So for a few years I didn't bother having juice in the house. The above comment is right, it's just a glass of sugar.

However I started serving it occasionally because it's a convenient, quick shot of sugar energy. I still don't keep juice stocked like it's a staple. We go through a bottle of pink grapefruit juice in about a week.


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

I dont give juice because all store bought juice is pasturized, killing pretty much everything in it that is beneficial. It is also filtered. In a piece of fruit you get all the beneficial stuff, vitamins, etc, so I dont have any problem with the fruit sugars, but if I am getting nothing but the sugar and liquid, no thanks. also, synthetic chemical isolates that they refer to as vitamins are added to the juice to try to replace what all the processing has taken away from it, but in reality your body absorbs almost none of these synthetic vitamins because they are not whole foods based, and they are actually bad for your body.


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## anjsmama (Apr 6, 2011)

Yes, totally forgot to mention... when we are diluting and giving juice to DS, I just mean juice I got from juicing a piece of fruit. 1love4ever said this exactly right about store-bought juice...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *1love4ever*
> 
> I dont give juice because all store bought juice is pasturized, killing pretty much everything in it that is beneficial. It is also filtered. In a piece of fruit you get all the beneficial stuff, vitamins, etc, so I dont have any problem with the fruit sugars, but if I am getting nothing but the sugar and liquid, no thanks. also, *synthetic chemical isolates that they refer to as vitamins are added to the juice to try to replace what all the processing has taken away from it, but in reality your body absorbs almost none of these synthetic vitamins because they are not whole foods based, and they are actually bad for your body.*


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

I should have mentioned that I do sometimes give DD a pureed fruit smoothie sort of thing made out of whole pieces of fruits and some veggies. The store bought juice is also so wasteful. You are getting, what, probably about 1/50th of every piece of fruit used? I view it like I view white flour- all the beneficial parts have been removed and only a fraction is left, and its not the good parts.


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## ~Amy~ (Jun 7, 2009)

I just don't see the need for juice. It's not something we drink and just don't keep it in the house. We never really have (well sometimes DH gets some OJ) so I didn't see any reason to start buying it once we had kids. I do buy carrot juice for thinning down smoothies but that's pretty much the only juice DS gets. Sometimes a bit of apple juice at AWANA but he doesn't even always drink it. He really doesn't care for juice too much. He drinks water and raw milk.


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

Yes, I give my DS juice! But only juice we make ourselves in our juicer, and its mostly vegatables. My DH and I both start our day out with fresh juice, so we let DS have as much as he likes. Example, this morning was a mix of : purple kale, spinach, celery, carrots, ginger, beets, strawberries and apple. He really digs any of the mixes with beets for some reason, but wont EAT a beet. Juice is our way of getting some fresh veggies into him, since he's still not a big solids eater at 20 mo.


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

That sounds like some awesome juice PP!! I have actually thought that I need to start doing that myself but I live in a small town where organic fruits and veggies are hard to come by, so we eat a lot of the same ones that are available. I wish we had Kale!!!

Here is a video that I think everyone will find interesting. Juices like PP mentioned are exactly what this video is talking about! BTW, do you cook your beets first before you make them into juice?






When I was saying negative things about juice I was referring to store bought just so everyone knows, I think that juices as mentioned in PP are very good. if it is a juicer that gets rid of all the pulp I always run it through a second time though and have even heard of others putting it in a blender and then through the juicer again so as to get all the benefits from it.


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

Nope, I just throw the beets in raw, greens and all! SOOO yummy!

Getting a juicer was one of the smartest things we have done, seriously. On days I dont make my morning juice, I can tell the whole day my body is missing it. We use the pulp in either cooking, or compost for the garden. Veggie pulp from it is awesome to add to soups to thicken them. Sometimes I'll juice the apples first, and maybe some fruit or ginger, and clean the pulp out before doing the veggies, and the pulp is sort of like an applesaucy ginger berry thing, that DS will eat with a spoon.

Can you grow your own veggies?


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

Yeah I have a garden right now, but it only will produce for a month or 2 at the end of summer, then it is back to the store

I dont have a huge area to grow things in either so I have to choose which veggies I need the most. Occassionally we go to the nearest town that has health food stores that sell organic produce and that is 150 miles, and we stock up.


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

Thats too bad! We have some garden issues too. We have a good sized yard, but the soil is AWFUL. Last years garden was a complete loss, and this year is us mostly just trying to make the soil better!


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

Ours is horrible too, we tried to add a lot to it because we already knew it was bad. It seems to be growing things fairly well so far! but our peas are dying for some reason, a perfectly healthy plant just goes brown and is dead overnight!! We still have some left though. And other plants are in the shade too much throughout the day so a few are not growing well, they are a squash but we cant remember where we planted what I have too many trees and so do my neighbors that is my main problem.

Anyway, if you get a chance to watch that video please do it is about a lot more than juice!!


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

I have seen it already, on Netflix. I'm a documentary junkie! Its really really good!


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

Lol cool! What are some of your favorite videos? I like this one on Hulu too http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food


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## Xavismom (Dec 22, 2009)

Yes, I've seen that one too!










When I get some time, I'll go through my Netflix history, and my saved favorites on the computer and send them to you, if you'd like.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *1love4ever*
> 
> Lol cool! What are some of your favorite videos? I like this one on Hulu too http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food


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## AnnaBees Mama (Jul 9, 2011)

We don't have juice or drink it out except for very special occasions. The vast majority of juice is pretty much straight fructose and does not have the fiber and dense nutrients of whole fruits and veggies, plus you are drinking the fructose of several pieces of fruit in just one glass. You might as well drink a sugary soda. Both wreak havoc on your blood sugar and your body.

We went on vacation with DH's family recently; and, not being big produce-people, his sister bought several individually packaged juices (I think that V8 juice w/ the fruit and veggies together?). She was convinced that the stuff was just as good as a piece of fruit, because after all it says "provides 2 servings of fruits and veggies" on the package.







When she asked me why DD couldn't have any, I explained to her that it was void of fiber, and without it, we are drinking straight sugar. She insisted that there was fiber, looked at the nutrition facts, and was stunned. (I HATE misleading packaging, BTW) But then this is the woman who didn't allow her preschooler to have milk before bed because of milk-rot, but juice was ok.


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## Taqah (Jul 8, 2011)

In the country I am living in right now, its almost impossible to avoid juice, BUT juice as they make it here is fruit and water blended together so that at least you get all the fiber and nutrients. At home we make it without sugar but if we are out there tends to be sugar added, but you can usually ask them to leave it out as it is almost always freshly made.

But I still worry that it's a lot of sugar, even with the fiber from the whole fruit you probably drink more fruit than you would if you eat the fruit--I think the chewing slows you down or something. So I try to limit it to one juice a day two in hot weather. My in laws think I'm crazy since people drink juice here with every meal and often for a midmorning and afternoon snack!


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## Koalamom (Dec 27, 2007)

I give my kids juice as they would just not drink water and dehydrate. I would love to know how to get them to change.


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## oldcrunchymom (Jun 26, 2002)

My kids are teenagers and I didn't give them juice when they were little. As a result, they now reach for water when they're thirsty, and consider juice a "snack." Sometimes my son (15) goes on an OJ binge and drinks half the carton, and my daughter likes tea and Sierra Mist (LOL), but I'd say about 95% of the time they drink water, as do I.


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## 95191 (Nov 8, 2007)

Quote:


> I would love to know how to get them to change.


have you tried to add to water? juice cubes (start with a 50-50 mix), cubes of fruit into mineral / carbonated water (you can do your own) - edible flowers, leaves (mints), lemons-limes-oranges

maybe do "teas" - many things are good for you - raspberry leaf, green ---- just a few thoughts


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## Koalamom (Dec 27, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *serenbat*
> 
> have you tried to add to water? juice cubes (start with a 50-50 mix), cubes of fruit into mineral / carbonated water (you can do your own) - edible flowers, leaves (mints), lemons-limes-oranges
> 
> maybe do "teas" - many things are good for you - raspberry leaf, green ---- just a few thoughts


I do give my kids nettles infusions so that is good atleast.

I used to dilute the juice but my dd tried non diluted juice one day and now knows when it is and only will drink it straight. When I used to give my dd water before the juice days, she would get super dehydrated to the point to dry skin and cracked bleeding lips. Then I tried juice... and the rest is history.

Oh and can I give my kids green tea? I have been making green tea iced with peppermint and a tiny bit of maple syrup. I love it on these super hot summer days but I wasn't sure if there was a limit of how much kids could drink.


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## 95191 (Nov 8, 2007)

I give tea but that is me

I would sooner give tea over store bought juice any day!


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## McGucks (Nov 27, 2010)

Koalamom: What would happen if you just didn't have juice in the house? For me, that's what I have to do with sweets (for myself), because otherwise I demolish them. If you worry that your kids are drinking too much juice, maybe have a rule that they have to drink a small amount of water before they get juice? I used to work at a summer camp that had pitchers of both juice and water at the table at lunch. The deal was all kids at the table had to drink a glass of water before anybody got a glass of juice. It worked pretty well. It is hard to break anyone of a habit, though...I know! Some folks say if you get your kids involved in making whatever they will eat or drink it helps, too, but I imagine you knew that!

I had insulin-dependent GD when pregnant with DS2 and learned quickly how juice hits your bloodstream and how many carbs are in it. That said, juice is not the worst thing in the world...moderation is important...let's keep it in perspective.

It drives my MIL kind of nuts that we won't let DS2 (16 months) have juice. Or popsicles. Or suckers. I try to remember that we are just raising our son way differently than she did hers. Information changes with generations. I wonder what we are all doing now that our future daughters-in-law will think is insane!


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## Aubergine68 (Jan 25, 2008)

We also tend to do fruit smoothies a lot as snacks. For thirst quenching, we go to water. Occasionally as a treat at home, we drink herbal tea with honey or homemade lemonade that does have some sugar added. My kids do often drink undiluted juice when we are at social gatherings/out for dinner. When the grownups are having beer or wine and the other kids are having pop, juice seems like an acceptable treat. They aren't used to the sweetness of it and don't drink much. I've never noticed any behavior changes or digestive issues when they do indulge.


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## Koalamom (Dec 27, 2007)

I am going to try "forgetting to buy juice, oops!"
And then makes lots of iced green tea and nettles so there will be options.


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## 1love4ever (Jan 5, 2011)

I have found that in children who have had lots of sweet things including store bought juice, they will not drink much water, so I think it is really something that you have to work with from the beginning, and not ever give them much sweet stuff. I always make sure to offer DD water even if she is not asking for it because most of the time she will drink it. I also sometimes squeeze some fresh lemon into it and she loves that.

Be careful only to buy good high quality green tea, because the cheap Lipton stuff is made from old green tea leaves that have high levels of flouride in them, which can be toxic if you drink too much of it. The quality stuff is made of young leaves that have low levels.

Good luck


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## anjsmama (Apr 6, 2011)

@Koalamom - When we were "undoing" our juice habit in our house last year, we started with minimizing. We used to get 4 juices at a time (per week), and we switched to 1 juice at a time. And to make that one juice last longer, we added water. First a little, then a lot, til 50/50. Then we switched to water with mint and/or essences (inspired by a water my friend once gave me called metromint.... very good, though we don't actually buy bottled water because of the bottles!). Anyway, essences of cocoa and mint was my fav, and raspberry was DS's fav. It was an easy way to get used to drinking water, and it still had some sweetness (though not the overwhelming amount that juice does!). I now drink (and LOVE) plain water, as does DS, but DH is his own lost ship... lol... I just tell him to keep the junk in his work locker. DS now thinks that water with essences and smoothies ARE juice.









I agree with 1love4ever about the green tea; if you go that route you want a high-quality and lightly sweetened tea... I think the Lipton type commercialized green tea has MORE sugar than juice (I know this because DH drinks it...)!


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## P.J. (May 18, 2010)

I started this thread 3 years ago and am dredging it up to make an important point:

I so fully regret having started my boy on juice! He's 4 now and I have always (well since I started this thread and then ascertained it was harmless to let him drink juice) given him very diluted juice...we're talking like 1:8 or 1:10 juice : water. And, he now has a HUGE cavity! We were at the dentist today and he'll get it filled next week, which I am dreading. The dentist told me juice is the #1 cause of cavities in kids and it's a bad habit and cut it out. DS eats very little sugar, we are fastidious about tooth brushing and his teeth are otherwise in great shape. Of course there's no telling if this one cavity came from juice or what, but now that I have to wean him off juice, I wish I had never gotten him hooked in the first place! :nono02

Word to the wise: skip the juice! Water is healthier on so many levels.


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