Although nutrient-rich fruit juice, the American Academic of Pediatric says that babies less than 12 months old should not be given juice. Very young babies still rely on breast milk as their main source of nutrition, at least until the first year of their lives. However, you can serve fruit juice occasionally as a substitute for breast milk substitutes. Here are tips on choosing and giving fruit juices to babies.
Choose the most healthy and consumed fruit juice for babies
Orange juice contains sugar that is lower than other juices. In addition, orange juice is also rich in vitamin C and potassium so it is good for consumption. But in some cases, the baby's digestive system cannot accept orange juice so that a stomachache or a rash appears on the skin after consuming it. To anticipate this condition, you should wait until the child is 1 year old before finally being introduced to orange juice.
Some babies and children also have difficulty digesting apple, pear and plum juice because they contain sugar with a high ratio of fructose and glucose. In small quantities, this juice is very effective in treating constipation in infants. But in larger doses, juice can cause anxiety, excessive gas production, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort.
The safest juice consumed is white grape juice. This juice contains balanced sugar and does not contain sorbitol, so it may be easier to digest and does not cause stomach pain. However, wine only contains a little vitamin C and has higher sugar than other fruits.
Tips for giving fruit juice to babies
Here are some things you should pay attention to when deciding to give fruit juice to your baby:
- Make sure if the fruit juice your child will consume is pure juice from 100 percent of the original fruit.
- Wash, peel, and clean the fruit or vegetables that will be juiced well. Remember, you need to be extra careful about cleanliness, food safety and freshness of fruit / vegetables to be used as juice.
- Don't add sugar, salt, or honey to the juice. Because the digestive system of your baby may not be ready to digest all these foods. Let your little one enjoy the natural taste of the food he consumes.
- Many doctors say that it is better to introduce vegetable juice first because fruit juice tends to be sweeter. This makes the baby prefer fruit juices rather than tasteless vegetable juices. Choose vegetables that can be mixed with fruits such as carrots, tomatoes to add variety.
- Avoid giving juice using pacifier bottles. So, make sure your child is firmly holding and using a baby glass (sippy cup).
- If your child is 12 months old or older, keep limiting the amount of juice to no more than 120 ml per day. While for children aged over 7 years can consume 250-350 ml of juice per day.
- It is recommended to give juice only as a snack during meals or snacks. Avoid giving juice before going to bed.
- Don't give packaged fruit juice to babies. Because not all packaging juices have the same 100% nutritional value as the original fruit. Nutrients in fruit juices vary depending on the type and brand of juice.
Which must be considered when giving baby fruit juice
It is important to limit the number of servings of fruit juice for babies, regardless of age. Apart from causing stomach ache, drinking too much juice can also damage a child's appetite for eating healthy foods, obesity, malnutrition, and causing damage to teeth.
Basically, children need 2 servings of fruit per day. If one portion is in the form of a glass of juice, make sure the other portion is a piece of fresh fruit that will provide extra fiber and nutrients. Add water to make the juice runny to make sure the child doesn't drink too much juice. But between meals, you should offer mineral water instead.