Ahhh … juice. To be honest, neither pediatricians nor dentists are big fans of juice. Juice is essentially liquid sugar and is not a necessary part of your baby’s diet. It’s better to offer your child the real thing (fruit in pureed form when they’re babies and fruit cut into small pieces when they’re older).

Doctors don’t like juice because it has little nutritional value and fills babies up with empty calories, leaving less room for the good stuff. Dentists don’t like juice because the sugar can cause cavities. 

Where Does the American Academy of Pediatrics (the AAP) Stand on Juice? 

The AAP says that “juice is absolutely unnecessary for children under 1.”1 If you’re wedded to the idea of giving juice after 1 year, limit it to:

  • 4 ounces for kids 1-3 years.
  • 4-6 ounces for children 4-6 years.
  • 8 ounces for kids 7-18 years.

Sneak Peek (Juice & Toddlers): Juice addiction in toddlers can lead to something called toddler’s diarrhea. In this case, the sugar in the juice draws water into the poop, causing chronic diarrhea. Kids with toddler’s diarrhea tend to have 3-10 loose stools per day. I mention this in case you need another reason to say no to juice.