Do your kids drink juice?

[Mama Geek]

I am not a big fan of juice although I like to have a little OJ now and then. I will give dd some juice if she is sick and dehydration is a threat. She hasn't yet had juice any other time than that. I am concerned about the concentrated amount of sugar in juice as compared to fruit.

[Snickerdoodle]

Almost never.

[MamaT]

I usually keep a few kinds of juice in my refrigerator for the kids, mostly white grape, orange, and cranberry. They drink plenty of water, too.

[Mynyel]

I can go with two but had to pick one :tongue_smilie:

 

They drink juice when I buy it which is hardly ever and it isn't required that they drink it when I do get it. :D

[twoxcell]

Yes my kids drink some juice, but only if it is 100% juice. I do not buy any with sugar added. I also try to limit it to no more than 1 cup per day. My oldest dd mostly just drinks water because that is what she prefers.

[july19]

Pretty much never.

 

We have orange juice in the house as a "treat". It's considered a dessert/candy type item - my son's choosing, not ours...he says it's so sweet that he can't stand to drink it a lot.

 

And I keep cranberry in the house for my husband and I during the summer. My son isn't a fan :p

[Dobela]

My kids go thru spurts with juice. I only buy good juices and limit it somewhat when they are going thru the spurts. More often than not though some of it will ruin before the bottle is finished. I do buy some juice boxes that i keep in dd's backpack for therapies. She goes for 3 hours straight and gets thirsty. I also keep water and shelf stable milk in her bag. Usually the milk goes first, then the water, and once every couple of weeks she will drink the juice.

[meggie]

Very rarely do I buy juice. They usually get it when they're sick. I flavor the water with it to tempt them. Even if I buy it when they're not sick, they always get it watered down. Way too much sugar, not enough vitamins.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My kids LOVE juice, so I have to limit it to one glass per day, or they would drink a whole bottle in one day.

[Carpe]

Mine don't like it.

[ocelotmom]

During the summer they get approximately 2 oz a day in the form of a popsicle. Other than that, it's an occasional treat.

[Skadi]

I think kids just like juice because it's sweet. Most juices have the same or even more sugar than soft drinks. It's way too expensive, and kids aren't going to be vitamin deficient because they don't drink the stuff!

[JudoMom]

I rarely buy juice. My guys get 1 cup of milk a day and then they drink water.

 

I'm am the Best Mom Ever when I purchase juice for them. If it were up to them, they would drink juice (and/or milk) all day long.

[Sputterduck]

No. It's sugar and water, and maybe a little vitamin C. I would rather my child eat whole fruit.

[jennynd]

for my younger one. she has eating problem when she was infant. (2% on weight) nutritionist suggested she drinking juice to add extra calories, For older one, he deosn't drink milk and hate cheese. So calcium added juice to give him extra calcium, So, both kids drink them like water

Edited June 12, 2011 by jennynd

[Daisy]

Very rarely my kids will order it when we are out to eat. Otherwise, never. I don't buy it. I have a juicer and will occasionally make them fresh juice but even that isn't very often.

 

We drink water.

[lilbean05]

I am the person who voted that it is a requirement, but there is much background behind where we are now.

 

The kids never ever used to drink juice. I was almost on the other end of the spectrum, not even allowing juice by virtue of the fact that I never bought it. Then the kids started catching colds and this that or the other as they got older and were exposed to more kids. I was introduced to Emergen-C which I really thought was great and we got into the habit of having an Emergen-C with breakfast every morning, including the kids. The incidence of colds/fevers, etc dropped and it was really great!

 

In October of this past year, my youngest at 12m old went into anaphylaxsis from peanut butter. In the months following, I did tons and tons and TONS of reading about food allergies, why they are more common, how they might be developed, etc. As a result, our family has changed the way we eat dramatically. We stopped eating all prepackaged food, almost cold turkey and starting buying as much local/organic everything as possible. We do still buy flour, baking soda, and ingredients like that, but if we want to eat something, we make it. Snacks are fruit, breads are all homemade, and if we can't make it, we pretty much don't eat it.

 

So, as a result, the Emergen-C was pulled from breakfast and is now filled by orange juice and sometimes apple juice. It is served with breakfast, the kids love it, and it is just apart of our eating habits now.

 

As an aside, we still have a long way to go with our food adjustments. I would love to branch out and learn to preserve, dehydrate, make yogurt, grind our own wheat, etc. but boy oh boy, I will be the first to admit that sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day! But, the changes we have made so far seem to have been nothing but beneficial for our eating lifestyle and health. Hubbies BP and cholesterol levels (hereditaraly high) have dropped significantly (and we eat lots of red meat, so it isn't a vegetarian thing) and I have had my most fit pregnancy that is nearing its end (38 weeks! Yahoo!).

 

So, long story short, yes we "require" it, but it is really because it is apart of our daily breakfast eating habits. And the kids don't have any complaints! :)

[Marie in Oh]

We drink Simply Orange for breakfast. Otherwise, we once and a while will have Cran -grape or something else, but that is a couple times a year-- like Christmas morning, or some other special occasion. But I believe pure OJ actually has nutritional value.

[OrganicAnn]

DD doesn't like OJ, but she likes apple juice. I don't buy juice very often. We used to use pear juice to help with constipation (pears, pear juice, canned pears all good).

 

When we have family over for Thanksgiving, Christmas etc I'll buy juice especially if we are serving brunch.

[Punks in Ontario]

When my guys were little they could have no more than about 4 oz/day unless there were special circumstances such as being sick or if we were away and it was all that was easily available.

 

Now they are allowed to drink either milk or water most of the time and juice is only for when we are away or when we have company. I'd serve company water too, but many aren't used to the taste of our country water, so I try to serve something everyone will like.

[BarbecueMom]

Mine get about a tsp. apple juice in each water cup. They'll drink plain water, but the 2yo gets badly constipated if we stop even that tiny bit of juice. They don't like undiluted juice and they don't like any other flavors. Since they drink so little, I have to be careful what brands I buy, or else it starts to smell funny after a while. My kids are goofy enough, they don't need fermented juice!

 

I have to swallow pills with either juice or soda, so we'd have to keep it around anyway.

[texasmama]

I give my kids orange juice or grape juice several times a week. I have three kids who will drink V8, as well. We don't drink milk so I choose the OJ which is calcium fortified.

[JoyfulMama]

I require them to drink juice (9/10 it is OJ), as we don't always have fresh fruit, at breakfast. Also, our breakfast time has significantly decreased, and it's much easier for me or them to pour juice than to cut more fruit. (A whole cantaloupe only lasts a few hours here once it is cut.)

 

I have been making OJ popsicles a couple times a week these last couple weeks, and they have been enjoying that in the hot afternoons. I'd rather they enjoy that than another type of popsicle.

 

ETA: Also, my youngest can drink juice throughout the day, as a way to increase her caloric intake, as water doesn't add calories.

[sassenach]

They like it and will drink it if available. I never buy it, so they rarely drink it.

[nukeswife]

yes my dd and youngest ds drink Juice, but only 100% juice. My oldest won't touch the stuff, he never did like it and he never wants soda either only milk or water for him.

[AngieW in Texas]

My 15yo and 13yo both drink a cup of juice first thing in the morning. My 18yo won't touch juice.

 

When my 13yo has her sinuses draining down her throat she drinks juice almost exclusively. Water tastes just like snot when the drainage is heavy.

 

My 13yo likes only apple juice. My 15yo likes apple juice and grape juice.

 

My 15yo also has a smoothie every night. It's frozen banana, cherries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries blended with orange juice.

[Pamela H in Texas]

We sometimes have juice in our green smoothies.

I don't give children glasses of juice.

I'd prefer to hand them an apple than a glass of apple juice.

[Jennifer3141]

My kids love Vruit juice so they drink a box-ish of that a day along with water and milk.

 

I love red grape juice!

 

For family reuinions, we have orange juice.

 

And in the fall, apple cider and sometimes I make pumpkin juice. :)

[Guest momk2000]

My kids drink juice, but I will only let them have 100% juice. No Hi-C or Hawaiian Punch here.

[JustGin]

We do 100% oj only and just for breakfast. Once in a great while we'll have 100% grape juice. To me the amount of vitamin C in the oj more than makes up for the sugar. We've never done apple juice since both my dd and I can't tolerate it, and none of us like grapefruit juice.

Edited June 12, 2011 by JustGin

[Sushi's Mom]

My daughter does not like to eat fruit and rarely likes juice. She especially hates Capri Sun (added sugar drinks), so if we are at a meeting and that is what is served, she will ask me to find her some water or else she waits until we leave. Because she does not eat fruit, she has intestinal issues. The doctor told us to give her Miralax, but I don't like to give her that. So at those times we make her drink apple cider. She will reluctantly drink that. We make sure to get the one with the fiber still in it (some places filter it and remove the fiber.)

 

Mainly she drinks water or milk.

[eternalknot]

I voted other.

 

My kids don't drink it, but that's not because I don't let them; they just never developed a preference for it, probably because I never offered it to them. In public, they've always -on their own- asked for water, even when offered juices or sodas (such as at birthday parties, etc.)

 

I didn't grow up drinking juices or sodas, so I don't have that taste or psychological habit associated with them (juice boxes in lunches, sodas at ballgames, etc.) I've never bought any for our home, and don't think I ever would ... but I would have no problem if my kids wanted/ordered/drank juice somewhere else. Both have taken sips, and spit them out - finding it way too sweet. As do I.

 

I'll occasionally take a sip of OJ at work, if I'm feeling sluggish and need a quick pep. It's so sweet I usually cut it with club soda, and even then I can't stomach more than a few sips of it.

[YLVD]

I don't let her drink juice only because she's insulin resistance. I mean, if we are out and about, she may drink a touch of orange juice once a month.

 

She just isn't able to moderate well with the juice and the sugar hurts her healthwise. I have to just keep it out of the house. She's aware of why she can't drink it.

 

I don't like juice so it's never around anyway.

Edited June 12, 2011 by YLVD

[daffodil]

They both like juice. I don't always keep it in the house, but when I do I only buy 100% and they're limited to one glass per day.

[mommaduck]

I don't have to require it because they love it. One thing I do sometimes is water down the juice...50/50.

[CalicoKat]

But recently we started serving homemade ice tea with lemon and sweetened with stevia.

 

Juice? Aldi's version of V8 Fusion only and rarely in their water bottles for their coop lunch bag.

[sewingmama]

Yes my kids drink limited amounts of it - they drink a lot of water without me pushing them anyway - so it's for variety. I tend to serve it only at meals and only half a cup. I never buy "fruit drinks" or all those other horrible "kid" drinks - just 100% juice.

 

We never drink soda, coffee or tea so a little juice isn't going to hurt them.

[Barb_]

I buy it sometimes. A couple of my kids love it, others can take or leave it. When I buy it, other than orange juice, I make sure it's a deep color red or purple (cranberry, grape, cherry, blueberry, that sort of thing) for the antioxidant properties. Hey, if red wine is good for you, red grape must be too :) I still limit to one cup a day and we don't buy soda, sugar or diet. Moderation and choices.

[specialmama]

My dh is a juice nazi. He will only buy 100% real NOT from concentrate. Apparently the concentration process removes vitamins. So around here it's the real deal only. I had to vote other because my ds will ONLY drink juice so I am glad it's the real stuff, and my dd never drinks it. She's a water-only girl. My ds does have (classic) autism so that is why it's all he drinks, he self-limits to the extreme. I'm SO glad I never gave my kids soda. I'd hate him to get stuck in THAT rut!

[Tarreymere]

Not only is juice full of sugar, for us it is too expensive for what you get. My kids drink water or unsweetened ice tea. Sometimes I put a slice of orange or lemon or lime in the ice tea. Sometimes they will put a slice of orange or other citrus fruit in ice water. Sometimes we freeze mandarin oranges or other cut up fruit and they put those in their drinks.

 

We are a lactose-intolerant group too so no milk and soy milk is too expensive. I did make homemade rice milk once, but they looked at me like I was torturing them.

[BeautifulLife]

Both of my children like juice, but rarely drink it. When they do, it's 100% orange juice with breakfast.

[Audrey]

We might have orange juice with breakfast every once in a while. I might buy perhaps 3 or 4 gallons of it in a year. Other than that, we aren't juice drinkers.

[twoforjoy]

My DS is a big juice fan. He likes all kinds of juice, including things I can't stand like regular V8 (I do like the V8 fruit blends, though). He doesn't complain if we don't have it, but I usually buy a bottle of some kind of juice he likes while grocery shopping. Unless I feel like he's really being absurd with how much he's asking for, I don't restrict; if he wants a cup, he can have one. But when the bottle is done, he's not getting another until I go shopping again. I can't say he's ever chosen to drink more than maybe 2-3 small cups of juice a day, and that's at most. Most days he might ask for one.

 

DD rarely drinks juice, but I'll give her 50/50 juice/water once in a while (like maybe twice a month).

[Cindyz]

OJ for breakfast, water throughout the day, milk with lunch and dinner, one juice during the day with a snack. Juice we buy is 100% apple juice not from concentrate, Trader Joe's Dynamo, or Trader Joe's Carrot/Fruit juice.

[Peela]

I think your concerns are valid and I also wouldnt and didnt feed juice to my kids when they were little.

While they are little, you have a lot of control and its a good time to really make their diet as good as you can.

 

But once they start going to birthday parties and social events, tasting sweets and junk food and what other people eat- it gets harder and harder to completely control their diet and keep it really healthy. I don't think juice is important unless a kid refuses to eat any fruit at all, and even then, not much.

 

My kids eat a LOT of fruit and always have. Its the main snack around here. I didn't buy juice much for years, and we had it diluted when we did buy it ( I would add water to the bottle as it went down). I still sometimes don't buy it for periods of time (I pretend to forget) but they do like it and i prefer they drink juice, to the soda that their dad insists of buying for himself. So , its a compromise.

 

But I think there is a big difference between feeding a much older kid juice, to a young one like the OP's. THey just don't need it- get them in the habit of drinking water.

[TammyinTN]

I buy Minute Maid oj and apple juice boxes. I keep them in the refrig for when they want them. I usually go through 1 pack of each every two weeks.

[Laura Corin]

Mine drink juice at breakfast, but not otherwise. I don't think it has enormous nutritional value, but I allow it as one of their five-six a day. They have juice and a piece of fruit at breakfast, veg and fruit at lunch (if at home), veg (often double portion) and sometimes fruit at supper, and they often snack on fruit.

 

Laura

[kewb]

My kids love juice but it is a rare treat around here. Empty calories.

[MissKNG]

Very rarely and when they do get juice, I only use "Apple & Eve" brand juice boxes.

[desertmum]

I buy 100% no sugar added apple juice. My ds loves it. I always dilute juice (even for us grown-ups in the house). Don't know why. My mum used to do it too.

 

When we go out I tend to order lemon and mint juice (they put mint in everything around here). Very strong but very nice.