My 9 month old will not drink juice. How can I fix that??

Nichole - posted on 06/27/2010

Why do you want her to drink juice? Is it because you think she needs more fruit? Just give her more fruit at meals and get her drinking water. It's so much better for her and will keep her hydrated better through the hot months. Plus, it'll be better for you in the long run. Water is always on hand and doesn't rot teeth;-) As for pulling herself to a sitting position, every kid does things at their own pace. The only think I can think of is to put her in the sitting position whenever it's play time so that she begins to really like the position. That may cause her to be a little more motivated to do it on her own. But I wouldn't worry about it. She'll do it eventually. Don't worry:-)

Holly - posted on 06/27/2010

My son is 2 yrs old and still won't touch juice hes a milk or water guy. his dr says its better for him that way because juices have so much sugar and added stuff. So honestly hun, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as your daughter is staying hydrated.

Kate - posted on 06/27/2010

She doesn't need juice. Just give her water. Put it in a sippy cup, not bottle, and have it available to her all the time. She'll eventually take it. My son didn't like it at first (he is 11 mo.) but eventually got used to it and now drinks it plenty.

As for sitting, just give her plenty of floor time to practice. 9 months is a little old to be an unsteady sitter, so you may want to talk to her doctor (many babies are crawling/standing at this time, although they do all learn on their own timetable).

Cindy - posted on 06/27/2010

Juice is overrated!! It is full of sugar and is not necessary for good health. Relax...If you really want her to drink it, try mixing it with water

Laura - posted on 06/27/2010

As others have said, at 9 months she really doesn't need to be drinking juice. I don't give my children anything but milk or water to drink until they are over 1 year old. And with the sitting that will come with practice, she will learn when she is ready. Plenty of floor time and putting things around her that she is interested in to help encourage her to work towards getting what she wants by pulling herself towards it.

Christina - posted on 06/27/2010

Hi, my name is Christina and I have a 2 yr old and a 6 mth old.. Honestly, in my opinion if your child doesnt want to drink the juice I dont think you should force the issue. You never know she might start drinking it maybe later. I didnt give my 2 yr old juice until he was 1. try giving her water maybe also as a drink to. Have u tried different flavors? I am now starting my 1 yr old on baby food and he wouldnt eat the fruits becasue they are to sour. But he will eat the rice cereal with green beans, so I think that its just her tast buds. Dont pressure it, every child is different..

Jessica - posted on 06/27/2010

Have you tried just water? My daughter hated juice till she was about 2 years old, it was just formula and inbetween that she'd drink water, then when she went to milk, then it was just milk and water, and now she only drinks a few ounces of juice a day, she mostly drinks just water, she loves water, so you can try that if you'd like.

Enid - posted on 06/27/2010

One more thing. We are never old enough to need juice. We just shouldn't drink it...there is no nutritional value at any age. Fruit is great lets enjoy eating it. Juice is just as bad as cordial and coke.

Laura - posted on 06/27/2010

at 9 months she doesn't need to drink anything but formula or breast milk. Don't be in such a hurry to give her juice or any other sweetend beverages, she will have a lifetime of that. Think of it as drinking calories and unless she is incredibly under weight she doesn't need the extra sugar in juice (even if it's "all natural"). Sitting and pulling herself up, she seems to be right on target developmentally, be patient it will all come. my favorite saying is "we spend the first year wanting our babies to walk and talk, and then spend the next 18 years telling them to sit down and be quiet". My daughters are 17 years old and 16 months old and I am amazed at how fast time goes by now, so we spend a lot of time enjoying what she's doing now, knowing it won't last and she'll be grown up before we know it.

Enid - posted on 06/27/2010

Umm, don't worry she will do these strength things in her own time. 9 months is still very young to be concerned. Juice, personally I don't believe in Juice. My 2 year old has only Milk and Water and that's all he needs for drinking. Juice is full of sugar and can rot their teeth or start the process. They get all the fruit juice they need by eating the fruit whole. I am sure you are doing an absolutely wonderful job so give yourself and bub time and don't worry about juice.

Lena - posted on 06/27/2010

I agree. There is no NEED to give water or juice at this age. My daughter is only enjoying tastes of it.. (we're talking small tastes). I should have clarified that in my last post. I totally agree that there is not a need, and it certainly can throw off electrolyte balance if too much water is given so young. My son demanded it though. He was 8 months and would cry for it. I would do the same, just give him little bits here and there. Still he is that way, Dr. says he is fine, but he loves to drink water as I do often. He is now almost 5 years old and fine. Survived water sips at 8 months old. Sometimes they know what they need. I wouldn't push it on them in any way.

Sarah - posted on 06/27/2010

A 9 month old does not need juice and neither does she need a drink of water either! The reason she doesn't need juice is that there is too much sugar in it, (natural sugar) that can cause stomach upset like diarrhea. Too much water (plain water) can cause electrolyte imbalance and make her really sick and can cause heart beat irregularities. Breastmilk or formula should be her only drink right now.
As for her development, all children develop at their own pace. She will sit up when she is ready.
Hope this helps!

Lena - posted on 06/27/2010

I too say forget the juice. It is all sugar and a bad habit to start. Water is excellent for starting fluids other than breast milk or formula. They should have that for hydration, and also get accustomed to drinking water vs. juice. I found that my daughter loves to drink water through a straw, I hold the end of the straw and allow small amounts of it to go in her mouth at a time. She gets excited and it even calms her when she is fussy. She is almost 8 months..really she is just dabbling. I am not worried about her getting hydration from water just yet. I also hand her a sippy cup with water to play with and get used to. No rush.

Deborah - posted on 06/27/2010

My children are 6 and 9 and I still only allow them to have juice as a "goody."
All babies need lots of tummy time. You can lay on the floor on your tummy also and encourage her to do things. Put her favorite toy just a few inches out of her reach to give her a little challenge. Good luck.

Beth - posted on 06/27/2010

Trust yourself. If your daughter is healthy and you don't have any REAL worries about her other than what you THINK she should do, then don't worry. I have 5 healthy kids and now 4 healthy grandkids. One of my daughters spent 2 months eating nothing but peanut butter sandwiches. Offer her things, but she's pretty aware of what she needs.

Annette - posted on 06/27/2010

Don't bother just give her water better than juice anyway and with her balance get a baby walker helps support her back and strenghten it don't worry it will come in time enjoy her whilst she's still a baby she'll be running round soon enough :)

Richa - posted on 06/27/2010

No probs. Give her fruits etc. No need for juice if she does not drink. As she is 9 montsh old she must be eating solids 2-3 times day?

Holly - posted on 06/27/2010

water!!
even the flavored water they have in the baby section, usually a bottom shelf around the foods/snacks. Graduates flavored water.
but definitely just plain water...but that is great in a way, i think, i heard of someone rotting out their child's couple teeth before they were 1 all because of juice :(

Eva - posted on 06/27/2010

formula is great and most babies needs it until they are about 1. if she refuse's to drink juice add a little of the rice to it, she may just like the consistence of the formula.
now for the sitting up thing, spend a lot of time with her on her back and helping her pull herself up with you finger in her little hands and boppies are great. and maybe get some interestin tos for her that she has to sit up and play with.

Narelle - posted on 06/27/2010

Your daughter does not need juice. Offer water between meals. If at this early age juice can damage teeth.

Michelle - posted on 06/26/2010

I haven't read all the posts so I'm probably repeating what has already been said.

Why do you want to give your child juice? It has the same amount of sugar as soft drinks. If you want to suppliment the formula feeds then go for water in a cup if you can. On a really hot day if she won't take water from a cup or bottle try offering a wet facecloth that has been chilled in the freezer for your child to suck on. Great for soothing sore teething gums too.

As for sitting up, don't rush her. Children all do things in their own time. good luck

Cassie - posted on 06/26/2010

Juice isnt a necessity... Water and fruit and Milk are... Juice can tend to have way too much sugar so if she would rather drink milk thats ok for now, water is great... if she doesnt want to drink water then supplementing for a while with water ices (ice blocks), fruit pieces.. fruit ice cubes and so on.. will help.. Juice isnt so important to start with.. specially at 9 months.. after 12 months is when they can explore other drinks like juice and flavoured milks and so on... :)

Good luck.

Becky - posted on 06/26/2010

Try giving her water in a sippy cup not her bottle. give her sips from your glass. She will like sharing, water is good for her and it doesn't stain if she spills.

Sharon - posted on 06/26/2010

Forget the juice, it's full of sugar and acid which ends up rotting their teeth. My 2 & 1/2 year old has never had juice and doesn't miss it because you can't miss what you've never had. He loves water and likes milk and I'm happy with that. Stick with the formula, and if you want to give your daughter variety, give her real fruit to chew or suck on.

Heidi - posted on 06/26/2010

Good for her! Juice is so bad for babies and kids! If you want her to drink something between feedings, offer her a cup of water.

Trisha - posted on 06/26/2010

She should not be drinking juice due to the high sugar and acid content. Formula and water will suffice at her age!

Michele - posted on 06/26/2010

I wouldn't worry about the juice. My 1st was hooked on diluted OJ and wound up with cavities, poor thing. For my 2nd I followed the doc's advice and stuck to water, which she now loves!

Christina - posted on 06/26/2010

Don`t fix it - if it`s not fruit it is just fancy sugar water. Avoid it and all other sweet drinks for as long as you can. The best advice our paediatrician ever gave me was to avoid juice and go straight to water. She said if I insisted on giving my child juice it must be at least 50% water. BEST advice I ever listened to. As an adult I have struggled with weight issues related to a sweet tooth. Spare your family the difficulties associated with sugar addiction.

Alexandra - posted on 06/26/2010

Juice isn't something you want her to drink!! It will only lead to trouble! Let me explain - fruit juices have all the best part of the fruit taken out; they have none of the roughage left behind, orange juice loses it's enzymes and can cause terrible diarrhea, and they are very acidic leading to erosion of tooth enamel.

Try giving her formula and making it weaker with each bottle/sipping cup gradually she'll get used to drinking plain water which is the best thing for her healthwise and her teeth for the future.

Sitting etc. she'll manage when she's ready - does she crawl? This is a really important part of her development - it teaches children to fall instinctively and keeps that reflex alive, don't stand her up too soon - you could use a baby bouncer for short periods of time, but her body will do these things when it is ready, just let her have time to crawl about etc. A 'V' shaped cushion put behind her back will give her support, but if she's always falling she's not ready. Put her on her tummy and back and encourage her to roll to strengthen her muscles. Do you take her swimming? It's great and they love it if you start off gently and get her confidence going.

Ashley - posted on 06/26/2010

My doctor said not to give juice until after a year, and then only one cup a day. I regreted giving him too much juice after I weaned him from the bottle. He wouldn't drink millk, and I was afraid he wasn't getting enough to drink. What he really needed was more food and less empty calories like juice. I later learned that juice is just like soda as far a sugar and empty calories. (it does come from fruit instead of just chemicals so that's better I guess, but if you are diabetic, etc. it's just as bad for you). He ended up trying to drink juice instead of eating most of the day, and would cry and cry for juice when I would say no. I honestly wish I never gave him juice at all. Now we have one juice a day in the morning and either sugar free lemonade (just because he hates water thanks to the juice) or water (which I fight him over thanks to the juice) the rest of the day.

Michelle - posted on 06/26/2010

My daughter is now 12 years old and doesn't like juice either, since water is better for their teeth why not push that as water flushes toxins out of the body and is for her health

Janneke - posted on 06/26/2010

You shouldn't be worried about your baby not taking juice. Juice is both acidic and high in sugar and therefore bad for teeth... Milk and water are just fine.

Shalah - posted on 06/26/2010

Give her fresh fruit, not juice. You loose a lot of the nutrition in fruit by making it into juice, it's just fruit sugar water with flavor. But deffinately offer water!

Stephanie - posted on 06/26/2010

Ice water really helps them want to drink water also. I would NOT recommend juice at all. It is a big factor in child obesity because of all the sugar. j
I have three children and with the first I pushed the juice. She woudn't drink anything else. Even in the middle of the night and it waw chaos. by second drank so much that she pooped ALL day long. One day i counted 23 poos. The diaper rash was so bad and lasted for 4 months untils I noticed it was the juice. Once I stopped everything returned to normal. My third LOVES water and ca't stand juice because it is so sweet.

Nete - posted on 06/26/2010

I agree hold the juice she's only 9 month.... on the water... I give mine twins the flavored raspberry water instead of juice

Linda - posted on 06/26/2010

I work in oral health and happy to hear most of you agree juice is NOT a good idea for our children no matter how old they are! All it will do is decay their teeth, if you do decide to give juice, the ONLY safe time to do it is with a meal - never give it between meals! Milk and water only between meals is the best thing for our children. Also, no need to waste your money buying baby juice - regular fruit juice diluted 50/50 with water is fine. Try and only give non sugary snacks between meals as this will also help prevent tooth decay, any foods at all that contain sugar should be kept to a meal time. Start brushing as soon as their teeth appear through the gums, twice a day but not straight after eating/drinking, wait at least 20 mins if possible. This way it will help prevent your children having tooth decay and hopefully stay pain free! Good luck

Kerry - posted on 06/26/2010

My daughter is 2 and 2 months and still pretty much only drinks water. Juice is a special treat and even then is watered down. She has one cup of calcium fortified OJ in the morning but then it's water (and occational milk but she isn't crazy about milk) from there on. I say put off the juice for as long as possible, they don't need it and it isn't good for their teeth anyway. Offer water in a sippy cup throughout the day. Sometimes you need to try an assortment of sippy cups before you find one she likes. What does her doctor say about how much extra fluid she needs? I would check with them before flooding her away. As for the sitting up, it will come. Tummy time will certainly help build those muscles.

Catherine - posted on 06/26/2010

HI
She doesnt really need to drink juice cos its bad for their teeth. Try her on some cooled boiled water.

Beth - posted on 06/26/2010

Our pediatrician recommended having our son drink only formula for the first year, and introducing some fruits and vegetables. Our son is now 3 and has never liked juice much of any kind. After the first year of formula, then we did one year of whole milk then switched to 2% milk when he turned 2. He prefers only milk or water to drink, and I'm thankful for that actually since juice can contain lots of sugars and be more harmful to his teeth. If she wants formula then that's great since it's exactly what she needs right now, it contains everything her body requires at this point. As far as sitting up and pulling herself up, just let her go at her pace, it will all come naturally to her in time like instinct.

Crystal - posted on 06/26/2010

mix juice&water, a very small amount like 2oz, and mix it in WITH formula. or if you think she needs more water, just put a little extra water in her formula.

Kerri - posted on 06/26/2010

Oh and as a reply to the no need for juice or water this simply is not true..water helps prevent constipation when babies are on solids and also quenches thirst more than milk...I don't think it is a 'problem' as such to use milk however to prevent constipation i would definately recommend getting her to drink water with meals.

Kerri - posted on 06/26/2010

I never gave my eldest juice until he was a toddler there tastebuds are not formed properly so really there is no need and only ends up giving them a sweet tooth-not good. My daughter is 6 months and I give her water whilst she is having meals and breast milk the rest of the time. I would suggest only giving her cooled boiled water in a sippy cup when she is eating meal to quench her thirst and formula when she need her milk. I don't think her not being able to sit up well contributes to her not drinking juice. I would just try the water like I said if there is any problems the key is perseverance I had to do training and my daughter would only take breast She would spit out the teat of a bottle everytime i tried (she was 4 mnths) eventually after much perseverance she would take it sometimes you just have to keep trying even if they do not seem happy with what you are doing. She is now six months and takes breast all the time and water from a bottle/sometimes sippy cup to keep her used to taking from it, we found it even more difficult getting her to take milk from the bottle (she eventually started taking the water), and this was breast milk. It was only this week I finally managed to get her to take formula after a friend suggested aptamil was favoured by breast fed babies and true enough she took it without any problem.

Tiffany - posted on 06/26/2010

I usually give my son the fruitables or V8 splash juice since each has fruits and vegetables in it. I think at 9 months, he was drinking mostly milk and water though.

Tenille - posted on 06/26/2010

No honey for kids under 1, right?

Tenille - posted on 06/26/2010

I've spent years trying to keep my kids from juice- empty calories- right?

Autumn - posted on 06/26/2010

What I did was I put some juice in her formula or Milk to kind of introduce the flavor and then if you can get her to drink water then try to mix mostly water and a little juice and gradually add more juice every other time you give her something other than milk!

Amanda - posted on 06/26/2010

She doesn't need to be drinking juice. Water is way better. My daughter is almost 1, and she has never had juice. Juice is empty calories and sugar she doesn't need. I wouldn't worry too much. As for the sitting, if you don't have a "bumbo or bebe pod" seat, you should definitely try one. They will help her sit. :) Good Luck!

Hillary - posted on 06/26/2010

At her age, there is no need for juice or water. Just keep giving her formula.

As for sitting, have you showed her how? Anything that my son struggled with, my husband showed him how to do, and he learned it from watching Daddy. He wants to do everything that daddy does.

Charmaine - posted on 06/26/2010

Hi A good "in-betweener" is cold rooibos (red-bush) tea. Ad a little brown sugar or honey. When adding brown sugar, it helps with unsetteled tummys to.
Good luck
Charmaine Wolmarans

Catherine - posted on 06/26/2010

Have you tried her with water? Water and milk are the most important drinks - she doesn't need juice at this age. Try giving her water in a cup with handles and a soft spout. Mostly she will like to play with it, but eventually (and sometimes with a guiding hand!) it will make it into her mouth and she will get the idea! It took my 10 month old about 5 weeks to really "get it".