DRINKS FOR BABIES AND CHILDREN

Adequate intake of fluids is essential to your child’s health. The following table taken from the September 2001 issue of “Child” serves as a guide to your child’s daily need for fluids.

Add 3 ounces for children less than 30 lbs who are active in the outside heat in the summer. Add 6 ounces for children over 30 lbs.

Breast milk or formula is recommended for babies until they at 1 year old. It is safe for babies 6-12 months old to have up to 6 ounces of additional water daily. It’s not a bad idea to introduce your child to water before 12 months of age. It would be nice if he/she acquired a taste for it so that water is the preferred drink into adulthood.

Juice can be a culprit in your child’s diet. Juice provides little nutrition when compared to milk and a balanced diet of solid foods. The sugars in juice can suppress a child’s appetite thus depriving them of the nutritional foods and milk that they need. Of course it’s OK to have a LITTLE juice daily, but NO juice for infants under 6 months of age. Follow the guidelines below for older infants and children. Diluting juice with water is also a good practice.

©2002 South Valley Pediatrics
page updated April 7, 2002