Parents are again advised against giving juice to babies

A new guideline has been introduced in the US advising parents against giving juice to babies, unless advised to do so by a doctor.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is again advising parents to not let babies drink juice, and to limit the amount given to toddlers and older children. The AAP had previously only advised parents to refrain from giving their children juice until they were six months old, however now the group have updated their guidelines to combat the increasing obesity rates. “The new advice indicates that fruit juice should not be provided to children younger than one year of age unless there is a strong clinical basis for it in the management of constipation,” the authors of the new guidelines statement. “For older children, maximum daily intakes of 100 percent juice products should be four ounces for children ages one to three years, four to six ounces for children ages four to six years, and eight ounces for those seven and older.” The group also went on to recommend parents don’t give their children juice in sippy-cups as to stop them from continually drinking throughout the day. “The practice of allowing children to carry a bottle, easily transportable covered cup, open cup, or box of juice around throughout the day leads to excessive exposure of the teeth to carbohydrate, which promotes the development of dental caries.”