Is milk better to give than juice?

Shanna - posted on 03/22/2010

i seen someone post as long as it is sugar free juice. that is worse than juice with sugar in it!!!!!!! sugar free means there is some sort of chemically alterd corn in it which is bad for you!

Nathanya - posted on 03/02/2010

Hey sweetie, what a good question. Here's my answer, and I hope I'm not upsetting any mommies on here. It's really good to encourage healthy habits in your daughter, kudos for that. Sometimes, though, I let my daughter set the pace. When she started the sippy cup, she refused to drink milk much of the time, too. So I let her listen to her body, and I gave her juice when she wanted juice, water when she wanted water, and milk when she wanted milk. I'm sure this doesn't work with some kids, and maybe I'm fortunate that my daughter is superbly healthy. Since I've become a mom, my motto is this: don't sweat the small stuff. You'll end up driving yourself crazy. I've never met any mommy who, because of giving their 13-month-old juice, has suffered dire consequences. I mean, have you ever tried to force yourself to eat or drink something you didn't want? It's very hard! So I would suggest letting your little girl give you queues in this instance. Of course, I don't mean give her gallons of juice by any means! All in moderation. Don't stop offering her milk. My daughter just turned 2 and she refuses to eat any vegetables, but I never stop offering them to her. Sometimes she'll eat them, sometimes not. She sets her pace, and she's a healthy girl. Her pediatrician gave me kudos for this approach =)

Bridgett - posted on 03/24/2010

TOO much milk will constipate her and too much juice can cause diarrhea and has ALOT of sugar..

my pediatrician told me to give 16 oz milk/ day and water...to very rarely give juice and if I did, to give it to my child 1 part juice to 3 parts water.

fresh fruits and veggies give more nutrients than juice.

I would consult the pediatrician for your individual child's needs!! This will answer all your questions :)

Saira - posted on 03/02/2010

i just took my 19month old to the doc and she told me that i was giving him too much juice..(he gets 2-3 sippys a day of it watered down) She told me that he needs 24oz of whole milk a day and only 4-6oz of juice a day. I agree with food coloring thats how i get my son to drink it. He laughs as it changes color. its like a game.

Christina - posted on 03/02/2010

Hi! My boy was the same, he is now almost 2 and has only just started liking milk over juice. My advice would be that maybe u mite want to water the juice down if she drinks it often. When my boy Brando drank too much juice he would get a rashy bum because of the acidity from when he passed it as urine. He never liked water by itself either but is asking for it or milk more often now so I think he got over juice and cordial!
They are very fussy, little people.

Allie - posted on 03/02/2010

Water is the best. Yes, milk has calcium and juice Vit.C, but too much of either isn't healthy (and I have read places that it increases childhood obesity, but I can't site the source so don't take my word on it). I talked to my pediatrician and he suggested for us (obviously talk to yours before doing this) a liquid multivitamin (made for infants/toddlers). Now I add one dropper to my sons milk with dinner. The rest of the day its H2O. On special occasions I'll do 1/3 juice 2/3 H2O or add a tiny bit of chocolate syrup to his milk. Good luck! And check with her doctor before doing the multivitamin.

Jennifer - posted on 03/02/2010

After one year.. i did give mine juice 1/3 juice 2/3 water.. My daughter was very iron deficient and milk was making it worse.. vit C actually helps the increase of Iron and the easiest way sometimes to get Vit C into her.. Any absolute rule for me is never good.. balance is key ... dentists do not like the idea of juice in bottles or sippy cups.. straw cups are better while they still need the lids..

Marie - posted on 03/01/2010

milk is like a food to them because that is wot milk does feed you more than anythink else as long as she is eating then yeah its ok to give juice more than milk

Bethanie - posted on 02/28/2010

Erin: that is true of regular milk, yes. Unless it clearly states that it was not from cows that were treated with RBST or Milk from Organically raised cows. My son has only been on Organic milk since starting cow's milk.

September - posted on 02/28/2010

Milk is much better for her and more important at this stage in life. I would avoid giving her too much juice. Our son has not always been a huge fan of milk so we have to explore other ways at times to be sure he is getting enough calcium and healthy fats. There are lots of foods that provide healthy alternatives if necessary. Our son really enjoys water so we've never felt the need to give him juice at this point (16 months). I would stick to healthy fluids at this point and don't forget that solids can also provide fluids as well. Good luck!

Anna - posted on 02/28/2010

I asked my doctor the same question and she said that the most juice they should have is 4 oz a day.. it messes with their little stomachs and causes them to have loose bowels. It is better for them to have milk. Hope this helps!

Lea - posted on 02/28/2010

There are guidelines to follow as to how much juice and milk to give. I believe it is 3 cups of milk, 2 cups of juice. The rest should be water. You should really be watering down the juice too. She will end up missing the nutrients from milk and get too much sugar, and possibly get intestinal problems and diaper rash.

Vin - posted on 02/28/2010

yes as long as its sugar free juice allyssa and the one where u can water it down ok.

[deleted account]

Milk also contains lots of hormones from the cows which are given to mass produce milk! These hormones have been thought to cause enlarged mammary glands in boys...this and the growth hormones in foods...



My son does not drink milk, at all really...he hasn't since he went off breast milk @ 1 and other then being petite he is healthy and gets his calcium other ways...he eats tons of yogurt, cereal, cheese occassionally...broccoli, loves broccoli! ... Juice isn't that great either...if you want the benefit from the fruit EAT it! Drink water!!! Children, anyone really!, should not be drinking milk or juice at bedtime! Brush your teeth and water only after that! What is the point of brushing your teeth if you are going to suck down a bottle/sippy of sugar? Be it juice or milk??? Both will rot your teeth!

Bethanie - posted on 02/28/2010

Is juice a good replacement for milk? Certainly not. Is all juice bad? No way! I'm confused as to why people think that "natural sugar" is bad? It's just that, natural! It occurs in the fruit naturally and would be consumed by your child even if they ate the fruit itself! That being said, I still only offer juice once a day (if that) and always watered down. A wonderful juice to try is R.W. Knudsen. It is found usually in the all natural foods sections, is 100% juice, no added sugar, no sugar substitutes, no HFCS and no added coloring/artificial flavors. Like another mother said, milk also has natural sugars in it and too should be limited. It is said that a toddler should consume between 16-24 oz of dairy in ALL forms. My son gets anywhere between 14-20 oz of just milk a day and about 16oz of water with maybe 4oz of juice. PLEASE don't add artificial colorings into your childs milk...that's the last thing they need!

Theresa - posted on 02/28/2010

Yes you can have too much juice. they should be drinking much more milk than juice. Too much vitamin C (in juices) hinders the bodies ability to absorb Calcium (in milk). Calcium is needed to build strong bones and teeth especially in young children. My daughter is 17 months and the only time she gets juice is when she's having some hard stool issues. I would water down the juice so it doesn't taste as good to her. It should be at least half water. Juice has a lot of extra sugar in it (even the 100% juice has lots of natural sugars in it) which kids don't need. Juice should especially be avoided before bed since the sugars sit on the teeth and can rot them. Like I said water down the juice, it will help her not enjoy it so much. Good luck.

[deleted account]

I agree with you Maria.....milk isn't as wonderful as everyone thinks, it's just the easiest way to give ur child calcium and protein! Did you know that milk naturally has A LOT of sugar as well? There's plenty of ways to get the ' good fats ' ur baby needs for healthy brain development......my daughter LOVES avacado! Tofu is a great sourc of protein amoung other things.......my point is, you may need to do some research to find alternatives if ur daughter refuses milk BUT......there are solutions and I don't feel that juice serves any purpose! Did you know that a lot of juices have added sugar as well as the natural sugars? If you're gonna give her juice try and look for a fresh squeezed, no sugar added juices........Tropicana and Sun-Rype both offer some!

Maria - posted on 02/28/2010

Because juice does not have very much fiber in it, but it has a lot of sucrose (sugar), it is just as bad to give to your daughter as if you were giving her soda. I would definitely limit the amount of juice you're giving to her, and only give her water at night. People did not drink juice much at all until the 1960's, so milk and water should do, for the most part.

My daughter hardly ever drank milk, too. So she's mostly had water, a little milk, and one glass of watered-down juice a day. There are plenty of good fats and protein in other foods that will substitute for milk.

[deleted account]

Your daughter still needs milk fat in her diet for brain development. She also needs the calcium and vitamin D. Juice has a lot of natural sugar (or even high fructose corn syrup depending on what kind you buy). I have always limited the amount of juice my son drinks. Try adding some Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ovaltine to her milk to encourage her to drink it. Or I use to make my son banana milk by blending it with half a ripe banana.

[deleted account]

P.S. You can also try using milk as a base and blending up some smoothie's for her so she's gettin more nutrition!

[deleted account]

Sorry but in my opinion ur gettin into a bad habit at a very early age by giving her juice AT ALL! My daughter is 18 months now and she's only on a very rare occasion had any juice.......it's extremely high in sugar and completely unecessary in my opinion! By the sounds of it it's already becoming an issue for ur daughter??



As for how much milk she needs: NONE! Brandi was right that at her age she does need between 16 - 20 oz. of CALCIUM! There are other sources of calcium such as cheese, yogurt, broccoli, spinach, oranges, beans, peas etc........there's a long list and if she's not goin to co-operate and drink her milk you might need to think about using other sources! My daughter is allergic to milk so I've had to be really careful about this! Hope this helps, good luck!

Brandi - posted on 02/28/2010

She NEEDS at least 3-6oz glasses of milk per day and should be limited to 4-8 oz of juice daily. Try watering down the juice you do give her, but try to get her to drink her milk. try adding a little tiny bit of choc.syrup or strawberry syrup. You might also try some food coloring in her milk to change the color that might entice her to try it too. good luck.