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Original poster

What kind of juice drink do you give your LO's

82 replies

curlygirl · 14/08/2006 23:04

I used to buy the organic diluted baby juices for my dd, she only likes the blackcurrant ones. Recently she started drinking much bigger beakers of juice with her meals (she has water between meals), and it was becoming really expensive. I tried her with diluted orange juice but she doesn't like it. I have searched for a juice or a squash that she can have but they all have added sugar or sweetners and goodness knows what else.I found an innocent looking organic squash that looked really healthy only to discover that sugar was the second highest ingredient. I have been giving her ribena with no added sugar as it stated that it was high in vit c and has few nasties in it, but my dh read on the label that it shouldn't be given to toddlers under 36 months old, dd is 21 months. Can anyone help?

OP posts:
LemonTart · 15/08/2006 18:28

Thomcat impressed with the veggie water!! Wow. I missed a trick trying that one with mine when they were young enough not to realise just how vile that would be
Seriously though, I am gobsmacked that they drink it, presumably cooled rather than as a tea?!!

pointydog · 15/08/2006 19:17

Someone pick me up from the floor! I don't know if I'm there due to genuine surprise at the thought of using vegetable cooking water as a drink or laughter at welshmum's post about pomegranite & apple juice with added omegas (it was the 'somehow' that did it!).

Crikey jingo.

If you want to feel a bit less guilty at giving your kid sugary squash, only allow it at meal times as this stops the sugar attacking the teeth so much. Water and milk only at other times.

mummydear · 15/08/2006 19:52

Milk, water, very diluted squash, the ocassional fruit shoot. They are both more into drinking water at the moment so Im quite happy with that.
they love fruit smooothies.

Was very good the other day when I took them to Mac Donalds, they had happy meal with bottled water !!!

everything in moderation. they very rarely eat sweets but eat lots of fruit , so plenty of sugar there !

When DS2 had his birthday party the other week, I bought small bottles of water for the kids as its a pain buying fruit juice, some like orange , some like apple etc. So they all had the same and no one semed to complain. Parents seemed happy about it too .

The boys see me drinking bottled water so they want to try it too, so no problem,.

People who refrain from squash etc just out of interest are you concerned about sugar content or the 'E's ?

PanicPants · 15/08/2006 19:59

Ds only drinks water or milk atm, and I really hope I can avoid juices and fizzy drinks when he's older as I really don't see the need for them.

Thomcat · 15/08/2006 20:15

Pointydog - it's not that weird is it? Since giving veggie water to my 2 I've since discovered that my best mate always used to drink the 'cabbage water' when she was a kid and still likes it now. It just seemed like a good idea, all that goodness, and they've never batted an eyelid at it. They don't have it every day, and yes it's cooled first.
I'm really very normal honest!

snowlenin · 15/08/2006 20:25

All kinds of juice, but very watered down, usually 80 0r 90% water and the rest juice. DS likes apple, pineapple, orange & rasperry crush, mango and lotys more. I also give hinm water oftenm so he's used to that too. Occasionally I give him very weak squash but I make sure it has very pure/simple ingredients, no aspartame 9eg posh elderflower cordial - and I make it very weak).

You know I'm really concerned by this seemingly prevalent view that it's bad to give kids any sugar. Fruit contains sugar as do many healthy, normal foods, from bread to onions. Breast milk contains loads of it and babies and small children need sugars (ideally unrefined ones obviously) and they need calories. I'm amazed that things like calpol are sugar-free and that "sugar-free" is trumpeted as a good thing in kids' drinks. because that means they contain aspartame, saccharine or other chemicals which can have bad effects - for example saccharine give me eczema and aspartame is known to have various ill-effects. Far better IMO to get your child used to the taste of water or very watered-down juice, and clean their teeth properly. Also far cheaper.

mummydear · 15/08/2006 20:35

snowlenin- totally agree with you , thats why I asked why people avoid certain drinks , is it because of sugar or additives .

Thomcat · 15/08/2006 20:46

The reason I don't give squash is becaue I think it's nice that she only drinks water and milk and see no reason to change it that's all it is. I'm not anti anything and not a health freak and don't deprive her of anything (except sweets).

Last time someone gave her squash at a party she handed it back and said 'like it, water plz' which actually meant 'don't like it can I have water please'. So even if I wanted her to drink squashes it seems she only wants water, or shock horror - veggie water!

Blu · 15/08/2006 20:49

Curlygirl. when you list the other things your dd enjoys and eats (tomato sauce, courgettes, peppers etc) I honestly don't think you need worry about Vit C intake. Remember that potatoes are also high in Vit C, and lots of things we eat have a little.

I think I read somewhere that the amount of Vitamin C needed to avoid scurvy is the equivalent of one segment of an orange a week. I know mo NB-er is going to want to feed a diet that close to the threshold, but 'all things in moderation' refers to good things too!

fennel · 15/08/2006 20:55

sorry, I have to ask. What's "mo NB-er"?

pointydog · 15/08/2006 21:13

Thomcat, didn't mean to imply you were weird, abnormal or freakish. No, no. Must be pretty unusual, though.

It's just a completely new idea to me that veggie water could ever be used as a kids' drink and it's really tickled me.

You carry on. Fabulous.

Thomcat · 15/08/2006 22:00
Smile
Blondilocks · 15/08/2006 22:04

My LO has Robinsons squash, Ribena, pure apple juice, fruit shoot & smoothies (we fight over these!!)

divamummy · 15/08/2006 22:54

robinsons juice, occassional fruit shoot. 16m now
she loves summer fruit one. dont like orange juice.

ediemay · 15/08/2006 23:06

to answer mummy dear, I avoid it because of additives, artificial sweeteners and colouring. I am just having a glass of red wine, which is probably loaded with sulphites & toxins but hey.....

TambaTheDragonSlayer · 15/08/2006 23:10

ASDAs cheap blackcurrent and pear crap.

Olihan · 15/08/2006 23:11

100% fruit juice watered down or full sugar blackcurrant. The sugar free/ packed full of artificial sweeteners stuff scares me. I'd rather brush their teeth extra carefully.

BTW, I hate plain water and as soon as ds and dd realised my 'water' was nicer than theirs they demanded the same as me - so it's entirely my fault.

Clary · 15/08/2006 23:20

curlygirl, I give mine diluted apple or orange juice (at least 3 parts water at the age of yr dd).
I also like Rock's organic squash, free from aspartame and sodium benzoate. Yes it has sugar in it, but so does fruit, y'know. IMO that's better than the sweeteners in ribena etc with no sugar.
What's with the desperate avoidance of all sugar for toddlers anyway? Have any of you ever tasted breastmilk?
curlygirl tbh if she drinks milk and water I would be very happy with that. if she eats tomato sauce with pasta that has plenty of vit C. It's also in potatoes.

(Oh I see on reading the thread that everyone else has posted the same as me - thanks piff, threebob, snowlenin, blu etc)

eidsvold · 15/08/2006 23:39

apple and pear juice and it is diluted for both 4yo and 21 month old.

ginmummy · 15/08/2006 23:44

Juice cordial or if she won't drink that try adding some water to pure fruit juice to take the harshness away. Did this with Asda's 'bitty' orange juice tonight and ds loved it. He also loves cranberry juice and pomegranete juice. Just make sure you brush your dd's teeth well.

heiferjamese · 16/08/2006 09:47

Mummydear - worried about the additives to be honest.. As DD is happy with water then I am happy to stick to that and pure orange juice watered down.

Not worried about the sugar in pure orange juice, she will happily brush her teeth and she only has it at meal times.

I am not saying that she can NEVER have squash, I know that there will become a time that she will ask more and more, but for now, especially as I am not sure which squash is ok (ie no additives or artificial sweetners etc) she can carry on with water etc.

But when we are out and about recently I have let her have squash as a treat... Never thought I would say that squash was a treat...

Now talk about double standards here - I drink nothing but diet coke....... DD has accepted (for now) that NO WAY can she have it... wonder how long this will last for.... I hate water so I guess even more determined to keep DD on track to stop her developing bad habbits like mine...

The interesting thing is that I was brought up on wholemeal food etc only allowed pop at weekends etc so I know that whatever I do with her now, doesn't mean that she will do the same later...

I only got fat after I left home.....

florenceuk · 16/08/2006 10:23

Re fruit, I would have thought eating apples and bananas was pretty good going. Have you tried blueberries - my DD is a bit picky on fruit but loves blueberries - in fact I have yet to meet a child who doesn't (M&S the best quality IME). Blueberries apparently improve your memory, did you know!

mummydear · 16/08/2006 10:57

The diet coke thing - I drink it and my eldest 5.5 wanted to try some and nagged me as one of his friends was drinking a full fat version at a school fete in the summer.

So I thought I call his bluff !! I poured some in a glass he took one sniff and said he didn't like it.. Thansk Goodness. Never asked since !!

Fizzy drinks is a big no no for them , but I will happily drink coke .

Original poster
curlygirl · 16/08/2006 13:20

Thanks for all the advice . A few people were asking why I am so worried about sugar, basically it is because dd hates to have her teeth brushed. She likes to play with the toothbrush and suck off all the toothpaste, but writhes and thrashes around when myself or dh attempt to give them a thorough clean, esp back teeth. We try making it into a game, singing songs, praise etc but it is usually a case of clean them as best we can without completely traumatising her. We are never sure if they have been properly cleaned. It has become a big worry for me, along with her eating habits(eats the same foods all the time, won't try new things, won't eat what we are eating). I think I probably worry too much and make things worse, so it gives me reassurance to hear what other mums have done to overcome these problems.I am expecting baby no 2 any day now, so I am a less laid back about things than usual.

OP posts:
snowlenin · 16/08/2006 14:08

Another thing you can do is giver her drinks through a straw, which helps to bypass the teeth and avoid sugary build-up.

Remember milk also contains sugars and can damage teeth.

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