When can I give the baby juice?

Fruit juices are known to be a very useful product. They contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and organic acids. And many parents want to give all this benefit to their child as soon as possible. Let's consider the question of when you can start giving your baby juice.

When to give juice to a child?

In the days of our mothers and grandmothers it was believed that the juice can and should be given to the child from two months on. However, since that time, numerous studies have been carried out, which proved that juices are not at all useful at such a young age. On the contrary, they can even harm the baby, and there it is.

In the first months of a child's life, the digestive system only works, and the pancreatic enzymes necessary for the cleavage of fructose are simply not produced. Because of this, the child may have problems with digestion of food (constipation, bloating, colic), often there is a laxative effect.

The necessary enzymes begin to be produced from about 4 months, and the lure is never introduced before this time. Give the children the juice should only after the lure has already been introduced fruit sauce. The later this happens and the more products by this time will be in the baby's diet, the better its digestive system will perceive the juice. Some doctors even recommend refraining from juices until the baby is one year old.

What juices should be given to a child?

It is best to start with apple, pear and carrot juice. When the baby gets used to them, you can try other types (peach, plum, cranberry). The ideal option is the juice of industrial production, designed specifically for baby food, and it is desirable to do without "exotic" orange, pineapple and other juices. Freshly squeezed juices for children are quite aggressive, and they should be diluted with water in a proportion of 1: 1, at least until the child is 3 years old.

How much juice can be given to young children?

The first portion of the juice should be just a few drops. Then this dose for 2 weeks is gradually increased to a teaspoon, etc. A one-year-old can drink 100 ml of juice a day. Juices can be given not every day, but, for example, every other day, alternating them with compotes. Do not get carried away with packaged juices: they are not meant for children under 3 years old, and often contain sugar and citric acid. This has a harmful effect not only on digestion, but also on the state of the child's teeth.

Thus, juices are not such an inoffensive product, although certainly useful.