Top Pediatricians Advising Against Juice To Children Under A Year Old

The American Academy Of Pediatrics is advising parents to discontinue giving fruit juice to children in the first year of life.

The association says the drink is not as healthy as many parents think it is.

The American Academy of Pediatrics had for years advised parents to avoid 100 percent fruit juice for babies younger than 6 months however now the group is toughening its recommendation.

The viewpoint is that juice offers no nutritional benefits early in life and can take the place of what babies really need: breast milk or formula and their protein, fat and minerals such as calcium, the group said.

This is the first update to the pediatricians’ group guideline since 2001.

“I think this is a fantastic recommendation for infants, and it’s long overdue,” said Dr. Elsie M. Taveras, chief of the division of general pediatrics at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, “Parents feel their infants need fruit juices, but that’s a misconception.”

The recent report, published online in the journal Pediatrics, also advises restricting juice to four ounces daily for 1- to 3-year-olds, and six ounces a day for 4- to 6-year-olds.