The American Academy of Pediatrics is out with new recommendations concerning children and juice. Guidelines released Monday advise no juice at all for children under one year old. In the past, the group said no juice for babies 6 months and under.
Academy spokeswoman Dr. Preeti Parikh said, “it takes away the need for the infant to feed and drink the breast milk and formula because breast milk and formula has so many nutrients and protein that juice doesn’t. So, it’s a big concern that can lead to could lead to malnutrition and obesity,” she added.
The new recommendations also call for children 1 to 3 years old to limit juice to 4 ounces a day. They recommend that 4 to 6 year olds have no more than 6 ounces, and that those 7 years and up consume 8 ounces per day at most.
Experts suggest if you plan on giving older children juice, stick with 100 percent fruit juice. The recommendations also say that toddlers should not be given juice in sippy cups that they can drink all day long. That constant exposure can lead to tooth decay.