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Original poster

do you dilute your toddler's juice?

32 replies

strangerthanfiction · 31/07/2004 12:11

Just wondered as I've been giving dd undiluted pure apple juice with her lunch for months now but someone said to me recently that it should be very diluted as their kidneys can't digest it. Is this right or not? If it is have I done damage to dd's kidneys?! .

OP posts:
misdee · 31/07/2004 12:13

my dd's (almost 2 and 4) have pure juices. i dont dilute unless we are running low and they both want some.

ps, will post the info out for you later on today.

Original poster
strangerthanfiction · 31/07/2004 12:33

Oh, thanks misdee. And your dd's presumably haven't got withered kidneys?! .

OP posts:
Angeliz · 31/07/2004 13:02

I give my dd (aged 3.5) pure apple juice. She's always drank it and i don't think i ever diluted it.
(She used to drink VERY weak juice when she was tiny)

suzywong · 31/07/2004 13:54

I do in an attempt to cut down on sugar against teeth

But then let him have an ice lolly and some jelly beans everyday and a bottle of milk just before he goes to bed so what do I know

californiagirl · 31/07/2004 16:23

You're supposed to dilute the juice because it's very sweet and not very nutritious. It won't do any harm to their kidneys, it just may get them used to drinking sweet things. We are going to dilute DD's juice, because DH at 25 is trying to learn to like water, having finally realized that all the sugar he drinks contributes to his weight problem. He reckons it would have been a lot easier to learn without 25 years of habit to break. His kidneys are fine, though.

daisy1999 · 31/07/2004 16:55

I still dilute 5yr olds juice but think I probably need to stop now. I do it for their teeth.

dinosaur · 31/07/2004 17:18

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

hoxtonchick · 31/07/2004 19:01

I don't dilute juice, but ds rarely has it. I agree with californiagirl that it's incredibly sweet & doesn't have much nutritional value (though it isn't bad for them of course). ds tends to have very dilute sugar free squash (which he sees me drinking a lot of. I do worry about the aspartame, but as I have diabetes there isn't really another option). He also really likes water. But I definitely don't think it'll damage her kidneys, strangerthanfiction. The other thing is that juice fills them up much more than water, & I would rather ds ate food iyswim.

Original poster
strangerthanfiction · 31/07/2004 20:20

Ok, thanks everyone. I give dd undiluted juice just once a day after her lunch (never during or before as I know it can fill them up) mostly because she doesn't eat any fruit so I guessed it might at least replace some fruity vitamins? I think I could dilute it without her being particularly bothered as I've had to dilute it on occasion when I'm running low. She also likes water but only sparkling mineral water. I'm sure there's something not so great about that too?

OP posts:
hoxtonchick · 31/07/2004 22:36

How about apple juice diluted with fizzy water - very sophisticated!

mears · 31/07/2004 22:59

I always diluted juice because it meant I bought less because it lasted longer

Hulababy · 01/08/2004 18:31

I generally dilute my 2yop DD's juice if and when she has it.

Original poster
strangerthanfiction · 02/08/2004 12:52

LOL Hoxtonchick, yes she'd be in heaven with that mixture but I do think she'd drink it diluted with water anyway.

Why do you choose to dilute it Hulababy?

Does juice contain any useful vitamins or am I kidding myself that it makes up for dd's fruitlessness.

OP posts:
Hulababy · 02/08/2004 12:56

I am just worried that strong fresh juice might affect her 'movements' too much . And I guess it makes it go further too - she thinks she is getting more juice than she really is.

Gingerbear · 02/08/2004 12:57

apple juice + fizzy water = instant tooth rot!!!

sugar + weak carbonic acid in the fizzy water

(I stick to plain old tap water, still 2/3 water to 1/3 juice unless DD has a carton)

hoxtonchick · 02/08/2004 13:00

whoops!

NomDePlume · 02/08/2004 13:02

I dilute fresh/pure fruit juices for DD. Mainly for her teeth and general sugar intake, although like others she has lollies etc. Personally I find pure juice too strong so I drink it diluted anyway, always have. I guess I assume that DD will find it similarly strong.

Gingerbear · 02/08/2004 13:03

Went to Maccie D's the other day, DD had nuggets, fruit bag and fresh orange juice (fries fell on the floor.....)

OK I know that the nuggets are junk, but we don't visit that often.

Anyway, I was appalled to see a tiny tot(9 months old perhaps) drinking Fruit Shoot followed by a McFlurry!! Perhaps I am a food snob, but surely this should be outlawed!

NomDePlume · 02/08/2004 13:04

I dilute with bottle mineral water, again because I can't stand the taste of our local tap water.

Mo2 · 02/08/2004 13:12

I'd be interested to know, what is everyone else's 'hierarchy' of good to bad for toddler drinks (Mine are 2 and 4 yrs).
Mine is:

from GOOD (descending...)

Water
Fresh fruit juice ( 1:4 ratio) diluted with water
Diluted (Toothkind type) squash (very diluted)
Undiluted fresh fruit juice
Fruit Shoot or Carton readymade squash
Fizzy drink - lemonade
Coke
....BAD

Don't let mine have fizzy drinks at all yet (think it'll be a slippery slope, so was annoyed when found out MIL gave DS1 an Appeltise - serves her right he didn't like it!)

marialuisa · 02/08/2004 13:59

DD ended up with problems weeing when she was allowed undiluted fruit juice. could be because she's not used to it (and the acid content) though....

my hierarchy of drinks for DD(3) from Good to Bad would be:

Water (unlimited)

milk

extremely weak Earl Grey Tea with milk (we're plebs with pretensions!)

milk with fruit whizzed up in it

fruit juice (no more than one glass a day, usually with breakfast)

any squash/fruit shoot type drink

anything carbonated

I am probably a bit anal about drinks, it drives me mad to see really little ones with juice, esp in bottles....a pet peeve really.

marialuisa · 02/08/2004 14:00

should add, DD gets full sugar lemonade when she has a stomach bug and is on 24 hour fast. she's never had/asked for anything similar, and doesn't ask for lemonade when well.

Welshmum · 02/08/2004 14:23

Could someone explain what is so bad about sparkling mineral water? thanks

marialuisa · 02/08/2004 14:40

The acid used to give it the bubbles is bad for your teeth.

STF, one 250ml glass of fruit juice (unsweetened) can be counted as one of the 5 daily portions of fruit and veg, so if your DD won't eat fruit at all then it's probably doing no harm. just not good as the only drink IYSWIM.

donnie · 02/08/2004 14:52

I sometimes give in to dd's begging while out shopping and get her a carton of something undiluted, but the rest of the time I am sparing with juice and always dilute it by at least half.She does like water but as soon as she has juice she refuses water if I offer it soon afterwards! so I try not to give her juice too much.I have also noticed that orange juice makes her tum a bit runny so I stick to apple juice.