Giving Fruit Juice For Babies

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Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

Giving Fruit Juice For Babies

Breast and formula milk will nourish your baby till the first six months of her life, and meet all her nutrition needs. After six months, when your baby starts solids, you can introduce her to pureed fruits and vegetables. Is it the same time you can give fruit juice to babies?

If you prefer, fruit and vegetable juices can also be included in your baby’s diet. However, fruit juice should be offered to a baby prudently, as it can affect the intake of milk, a vital need of your baby.

In This Article

Is Fruit Juice Good For Babies?
Can I Give Fruit Juice To My Infant For Constipation?
Can I Give Homemade Fruit Juice To My Little One?
10 Tips When Giving Fruit Juice To Baby
Can Fruit Juice Cause Dental Problems In My Infant?
Can Fruit Juice Be Harmful To My Infant?

Is Fruit Juice Good For Babies?

Fruits are a good source of vitamins and other nutrients which a growing baby needs. It is good to add a variety of fruits to a baby’s diet. However, babies less than six months old do not need anything other than breast milk or formula. Older babies can be given fruits and vegetables in pureed form as well as juices. Offer your baby a variety of textures and flavors, so as to embark her on a journey of taste.

Can I Give Fruit Juice To My Infant For Constipation?

Can I Give Fruit Juice To My Infant For Constipation_

If your baby is over the age of 6 months, you can offer your baby a beaker or a cup of fruit juice. If the baby is younger than 6 months, you must consult the pediatrician before offering fruit juice to her.

Can I Give Homemade Fruit Juice To My Little One?

Though homemade juice cannot be 100% pasteurized, and the likelihood of pathogens is there, make sure you follow optimum hygiene routines if you are making fruit juice for your little one. Ensure that the fruit is fresh, cleaned, washed, and not overripe.

The processor or blender used should also be clean, preferably the blades are boiled. If the fruit has seeds (like melon) de-seed the fruit first before making the juice. Adding salt, sugar, or chat masala may not be good for the baby’s digestive system so let her enjoy the natural taste of fruit juice.

Fruit squashes should not be offered to babies due to their sweetener content. Always taste the food (juice, fruit, or anything) before you give it to the baby.

10 Tips When Giving Fruit Juices To Baby

If you want to give juices to your baby, follow the given safety measures:

If offering packaged fruit juice Give 100% pasteurized juice to your baby. Avoid giving fruit drinks, squashes, and other such liquids.
Go for seasonal fruits or vegetables rather than choosing packaged cold stored ones
Do not give juices in a bottle at bedtime, offer it in a cup to your baby during meal times. Drinking juice before bedtime or in a bottle increases the risk of tooth decay
3-4 ounces of juice per day are sufficient for your baby. Giving more juice may reduce her appetite for other foods
Dilute the juice well by mixing one part of juice with ten parts of water. Diluted juice helps the body to absorb iron from the food
Offer one fruit juice at a given time, and mix the flavors gradually
Opt for fruit and vegetable juice combos like carrot-apple, and tomato-carrot so that your baby gets all necessary nutrients. If you offer her fruit juice first, she might detest the vegetable juice owing to the sweet taste of the fruit juice
Never give chilled or cold juices to the baby, serve juice to your baby at room temperature
Never keep prepared juice for more than 10-15 minutes as it may develop harmful bacteria
Do not force your baby on any particular juice if she does not like it at all

Can Fruit Juices Cause Dental Problems In My Infant?

Can Fruit Juices Cause Dental Problems In My Infant_

Fruit juices do contain sugar, which needs to be controlled as exposure to sugar can cause dental problems in your baby. Undernourishment can also happen as babies tend to like the sweet taste of juice and refuse to have other foods. Sugars in juice can also result in obesity in children from a very young age.

Since fruits are generally considered healthy, parents tend to ignore the harmful effects of fruit juice sugars. Fruit juice should never be given to a baby in a bottle at nap times as this can result in dental decay. Always wipe your baby’s gums, and teeth with a soft washcloth after giving her fruit juice.

Can Fruit Juice Be Harmful To My Infant?

Giving too much fruit juice to babies may harm them in the following ways:

If a child drinks, juices excessively, she/he does miss out on many essential vitamins, minerals, or nutrients presented in other foods. It may cause anemia or malnutrition
Too much apple juice may lead to loss of bowel movements or diarrhea
Fruit juices that contain a high level of fructose may result in gas, stomach problems, and restlessness in babies
Sugar in fruit juice can result in dental caries

At first, you can try feeding your baby by steaming the fruits so as to get rid of pesticides. Once your baby is used to the taste and does not show any reaction or allergies, you can go for raw fruit juices straight from the blender.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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