At what age and what juices can a child be given?

Juices appear on the children's menu as early as the first year of life. However, you should not start complementary foods with them, since these drinks have some disadvantages.

Acquaintance with fruit and vegetable juices, according to pediatricians, should occur when the baby has already tasted boiled vegetables, dairy-free cereals and fruit puree. Only after that, you can offer the baby natural juice, which can be either freshly squeezed or from manufacturers of baby food.

Benefit

Thanks to the regular use of juices:

the body receives useful minerals and vitamins;
improves appetite;
metabolic processes are normalized;
increased resistance to colds;
the work of the central nervous system improves;
the water-salt balance is maintained, which is important in case of intoxication or poisoning;
the state of the intestinal microflora is normalized;
reduced blood viscosity, which is in demand at elevated body temperature;
the elimination of excess salts, toxins and other harmful substances is stimulated;
the diet is becoming more varied.

Certain types of juices have their own beneficial properties.

Apple especially rich in ascorbic acid, thiamine, vitamin E, pectin.
In pear a lot of folic acid, vitamins PP, B1 and C.
Peach and apricot good for vision, gums, teeth, and bones.
In pomegranate many vitamins gr. B, polyphenols, ascorbic acid, potassium, phosphorus and calcium.
Tomato - an excellent source of vitamins C and A, lycopene, pectin and many minerals.
Pumpkin and carrot juices, the child will receive beta-carotene.
Plum - vitamins PP, B1, A, natural sugars and fiber.

Harm

Once upon a time, juice was introduced into the diet of infants very early. Many babies have tried it at 3 months old or even earlier. However, later they studied in more detail the effect of juices on the baby's body and found out that such a product at an early age is more harmful than brings tangible benefits.

Organic acids are one of the components of juices. Once in the fragile intestines of an infant, they can provoke gastrointestinal diseases and allergic reactions. If the baby has a tendency to allergies, juices should be tried as late as possible and in small quantities.

Due to the irritating effect of acids on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, even a small dose of fresh drink can lead to severe stomach upset with colic. Such a reaction, judging by the reviews, is often observed at 4-6 months of age and confirms that the gastrointestinal tract of the toddler is not yet ready for a new product.

If a child has any gastrointestinal pathology, juices are not included in his menu at all.

At what age to give?

If your baby's main food is mother's milk, pediatricians recommend introducing him to juices at 8 months of age.

Before that, all the vitamins and other compounds important for the development of the baby will receive from mother's milk, so there is no need to feed it with something vitamin.

At 8 months, a portion of juice for a baby is 10-30 ml.
At 9 months, babies are given 50 ml of such a drink.
From 10 months - 60-110 ml.

If the baby is fed adapted mixture then juices can be included in his menu a little earlier - from 7 months.

How to introduce into complementary foods?

The first juice a child tries must be hypoallergenic.

Most doctors recommend starting with green apple juice. It is necessary to give it to a baby for the first time in a small amount - just a few drops.

Having offered the little one a drink in the morning, then the mother should observe his behavior and state of health.

If a rash does not appear on the skin, the stool has not changed, the baby is vigorous and active, next time you can give the baby a little more of the same juice. If there are any negative changes, it is worth giving up the introduction of a new product in the child's menu for a while.

When the baby gets used to one juice, you can offer him another kind, for example, from pears or carrots.

A minimum of 7 days should elapse between the introduction of two different juices. Acquaintance with each new type of drink should be carried out according to the same scheme as the introduction of the very first juice - first a few drops, and then increase the portion every day.

After apple juice, the child is usually introduced to pear, peach and apricot juices. Further, drinks from cherries, plums, bananas, currants are gradually introduced into the diet.

Of vegetable juices first, the baby is offered carrot and pumpkin.

With the introduction beet juice rush is not advised, since it has a laxative effect. Fresh beetroot can be given to babies over 8 months old only with constipation, after consulting a doctor.

When introduced into the diet pomegranate juice be careful. Despite its benefits, rich composition and beneficial effect on blood formation, children are recommended to drink it only from 1 year old. In addition, the drink must be diluted (first in a 1: 4 ratio, and then it can be diluted even less).

Two-component juice mixtures are offered to children no earlier than 9 months old and only from those drinks that have already been tested separately. The most popular are combinations of apple with other fruits (peach, banana, plum) or vegetables (pumpkin, carrot).

Use citrus juices or any exotic fruit it is forbidden for up to a year, and older children need to be given them with extreme caution. If the child is prone to allergies, then it is recommended to wait until 12 months of age and with any drinks from red berries, as well as from tomatoes.

Buy or squeeze at home?

The range of juices for babies is quite wide these days. Such drinks are offered by different manufacturers of baby food, noting on the packaging the age from which they can be given to children.

Such juices do not contain any harmful additives, and the raw materials for their manufacture are seriously checked to prevent the ingestion of heavy metal salts, nitrates or pesticides into the child's body. The release of such products takes place on specialized equipment that is used only for the manufacture of baby food.

The law prohibits the addition of flavorings, colors or preservatives to these drinks. So you can not worry and boldly offer them to the baby, checking the expiration date and integrity of the package before opening.

The main advantages of factory children's juices are the possibility of long-term storage (if the package has not yet been opened) and readiness for use. They do not need to be diluted with water, but can be given to the child directly from the bottle or box.

If the mother decided to prepare the juice for the baby on her own, it must be diluted with water. Pediatricians recommend a 1: 1 ratio.

For freshly squeezed homemade juices, it is necessary to select ripe and juicy fruits without damage or traces of rot. After washing them and removing the peel, the fruits are rubbed on a fine grater and the resulting mass is squeezed out with gauze or a strainer. This method of preparation is in demand when a child is just starting to taste juices and they are given in small quantities.

For older children, a drink can be prepared using a juicer, as well as for other family members.

The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

A well-known pediatrician, like most other pediatric doctors, does not recommend giving juice to children under 6 months old. He does not consider this drink to be any particularly important and useful product. On the contrary, according to Komarovsky, fruit purees have much more advantages. One of them is to aid the digestion of babies, in particular, with a tendency to constipation.

As for the type of juice for the first sample, the popular doctor does not advise choosing some kind of exotic. The best option, according to Komarovsky, is apple juice.

It is preferable to give the baby a product of your own manufacture and in small quantities. Then mom will be sure that there are no additives and preservatives in the drink.

Useful Tips

Don't give juice from a baby bottle so as not to provoke the development of the so-called "bottle" caries. Kids should drink this drink from non-spill mugs or ordinary cups and glasses.
To prevent juices from interfering with your child's appetite, do not offer them as a snack or after meals. Let your baby drink it after eating the main food, which will be his main source of calories and nutrients.
Read carefully the labels on the pre-made juice bottles and boxes. Match for toddlers 100% drinks without added white sugar and fructose.
Keep track of the daily portion that the child uses: it should not exceed 120 ml for babies under one year old and 200 ml for older children. If your child is constantly asking for and drinking a lot of juices, offer them water often to quench their thirst, and dilute fruit juices with water. Remember that this drink is a source of extra calories, so limit it in the diet of children who are gaining weight quickly.