To ask what squash/juice you give your children to drink?

[Littleonesgettingbigger]

My two daughters aged one and five, drink about 1 litre of diluted squash a day (they do not drink milk or water it anything else). I am happy with them drinking squash as at least they are drinking (which is very important due to constipation problems with youngest). I used to give them watered down fresh apple juice but the dentist mentioned this was too acidic for their teeth to have throughout the day. So I changed to apple high juice (not sugar free), the dentist at this times checkup said this was basically like giving them sugar water to drink and is bad for their teeth and advised me to change to sugar free squash. I am reluctant to do this due to asparatem? What do you all give your children to drink (those of you that use squash/juice)? Thank you in advance

Another Mum here with a little one who suffers with constipation (23 months old and has suffered since weaning on and off)

We decided to go down the sqaush route for a few reasons. Main reason was obviously as the child needs as much fluid as possible and he simply doesn't drink water. The other reason was his CM gave her other kids - who were older - very diluted squash and DS was refusing his own drinks and "stealing" the other kids stuff. We spoke to CM at length and decided that very diluted squash was fine.

We've always used a very little amount of actual squash and we top DS's beakers up with just water (so the flavour of the squash is in the cup but essentially he is just drinking water out of a "flavoured" cup i do wash his beakers everyday)

I know this is a contentious issue but the OP clearly asked for opinions from those who do give squash. How is hearing "I never give anything but water" actually going to help her????

OP, my DS isn't currently taking any medication but his constipation is back again so I am going to ask GP for a course of Movical (I will bypass Lactoluse completely as it has never worked for us). He has been going through a particularly fussy period with food so I am hoping its short term!

I used to let them have Rocks sometimes, that is really lovely.
These days they are teenagers and swill back endless Ribena.

Seriously,no added sugar squash (ideally aspartame free) sounds great in your circumstances.Some have suggested brands,and I've googled -there are some around in normal everyday supermarkets.Also think about foods with a higher water content.
What a pp said is right -warm water,particularly,is good for constipation.Possibly the same rings true for warm squash -don't know!

I only drink water so it never occurred to me to give DD anything else. Unfortunately I don't think she drinks enough, I am going to investigate the Rocks squash mentioned on here!

When we went on holiday I bought some Robinsons hydro things - they said they were flavoured water and the ingredients said 99.4% water so I thought that would be okay for making sure she was hydrated on the plane. They tasted of pure syrup, she loved them! Still, it might be another option?

Mine have always drank water and occasionally a glass of unsweetened almond milk or oat milk. Never squash, ever. If we eat out they always get water, as do we. The only juice they have on special occasions is fresh OJ not from concentrate but that happens maybe three times a year tops. I do make smoothies sometimes for breakfast but I consider that to be food.

Diluted apple juice with meals, otherwise milk or water.

Maybe try them with fizzy water? It's not ideal but better than all that squash.

They just won't stop!

DS has had either sugar free or with sugar squash all his life and still drinks it now at 22. He has still got all his teeth, no fillings and has not grown two heads. He also drank coke, water, cartons of Ribena and lots of other drinks.

Fresh orange juice and juice from concentrate are essentially the same. One has been concentrated then water added so it doesn't make a difference if you give them fresh, it's still sugar. DS has sugar free squash occasionally and like the pp said unless your giving them diluted crack, obviously I know some people consider sugar to be the equivalent. They will be ok. The Sainsburys option sounds good - I'm going to check it out myself.

I think it's often down to luck whether squash/juice/sweets etc cause you tooth problems.

A boy in my class had practically no baby teeth as his mum gave him strong Ribena when he was little (I'd suspect in a bottle as was the way in the 1980s). I grew up with nearly unlimited access to squash, juice and fizzy (certainly from when I was about 9 onwards when dad got a pay rise and we had more money for such things) and don't think I drank plain water until I was at university. I have no fillings and still have a couple of baby teeth at age 35.

I only started drinking water when I worried about all the calories in my litres of Vimto I used to sip all day but realised that sugar free squash all tasted horrible.

Some people just seem to have stronger teeth than others I guess.

What do you all give your children to drink ( those of you that use squash/juice )?

This is the actual question the op asked, by the way.

Some Supermarket own brand sugar free squashes do not contain aspartame.
I would gradually dilute it more and more, the high juices are extremely high in sugar

And yes my children do love camomile, red bush, fennel and green tea. It's what I drink so I've always given them sips of it. They often ask for it when I have some but they don't drink loads of it, just sips.

Neither of mine drink a lot but luckily it doesn't cause any issues- again whether children suffer constipation or not seems to be luck and/or genetics.

Mine had water. Juice with sugar. Milk. Tea with sugar.fizzy pop with sugar. All grown up with no tooth decay or fillings. Also had fruit puddings cake and sweets. Personally I think it's about balance I did clean their teeth for them until 7 Years old they did it themselves after that. But I never banned anything foods.

The squash DS preferred was Robinsons apple and blackcurrant, I think we mostly bought the sugar free one and occasionally the sugary one.

My DD (2.5) has a problem with constipation and doesn't like to drink. So whenever she drinks something we see it as a victory as well. We always keep water available, no matter what. At meal times we let her choose what she wants to drink, either plain juice, a small glass, milk, or water. Instead of having juice, we try and give her smoothies. That way she's getting the whole fruit, instead of just the juice.

Tbf the OP probably ran screaming for the hills several hundred posts ago, Veronica - and who can blame her

She's probably sobbing in the squash aisle of Tesco as we speak

I like to put a Greggs pastie and red slush puppie in a blender and give them that as a smoothie. Ollignacia (aged 2) knows it's not organic though, and has fantastically constructed arguments with me about it. Am I unreasonable to be a little bit proud?

Hello I'm back! Actually just back from the supermarket where I bought sainsbury sugar free squash I can't believe how many replies there have been overnight! Some have had me cracking up as I said in my original post I was asking juice drinkers what they use as VeronicaCaCa kindly pointed out, the replies about how awful I am have given me a good chuckle though mrssmith79 thank you for your support your answers back to some of the posters have had me in stitches. This is my first post on mumsnet after being a long time lurker, luckily I am thick skinned lol. Thank you to everyone who has given me recommendations and also shared there own stories about children with chronic constipation it's nice to know I'm not alone.

I just give them tesco sugar free squash. Not that they like it that much.

They prefer clear fresh mountain water collected daily from a spring at the foot of the Himalayas by sacred vestal vir... nah.

cola and dr pepper and 20 minute lectures from me on why I do not count haribo strawberries as one of their 5 a day and why I'm going to get at least one glass of water down them or die trying.

Sugar free squash from Sainsburys, OP? You are literally worse than Hitler.