Juice for babies and toddlers

Under 12 months: no juice

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the CDC and the US Dietary Guidelines all say babies under 12 months should not have fruit or vegetable juice.

The AAP gives three reasons:

• No nutritional benefit. Juice offers babies nothing that breast milk, formula and whole fruit don’t.
• Tooth decay. Juice is sugary and acidic, and sipping it bathes new teeth in sugar.
• A taste for sweet drinks. Babies who get used to juice may come to prefer it over plain water.

Juice can also fill a small tummy: the AAP says it reduces a baby’s appetite for more nutritious foods, including breast milk and formula.

What babies drink instead: breast milk or formula, plus small sips of water from a cup with meals from about 6 months, up to 4–8 oz (120–240 ml) a day. See water for babies.

Instead of juice, offer the fruit. Mashed, soft or finely sliced fruit has fiber and takes longer to eat. Try ripe banana, avocado or orange from 6 months, prepared as each food page shows.

1 to 3 years: optional, and small

Juice still isn’t needed after the first birthday. The US Dietary Guidelines say most fruit should come from whole fruit. If you do offer juice, the AAP recommends:

• No more than 4 oz (120 ml) a day of 100% juice for children aged 1 to 3. That’s half a cup. Most juice boxes hold about 6 oz, more than a toddler’s daily limit.
• In a cup, as part of a meal. Not in a bottle, and not in a covered cup your toddler carries around and sips all day.
• Never at bedtime.
• Pasteurized only. Unpasteurized juice can carry germs that cause diarrhea (AAP, CDC).

For children aged 4 to 6, the AAP limit is 4–6 oz (120–180 ml) a day.

The NHS goes further. Its foods-to-avoid page suggests avoiding fruit juice and smoothies for children aged 4 and under, because of their sugar. If you do give juice, the NHS says to dilute it (1 part juice to 10 parts water) and serve it only with meals; undiluted juice is for children aged 5 and over. See the US and UK section below.

Read the label: 100% juice vs. juice drinks

“Fruit drink”, “fruit-flavored drink” and “juice drink” are not the same as juice. They contain added sugars, and the CDC says young children should not have them. The US Dietary Guidelines (2025–2030) and the NHS say to avoid added sugar up to age 4, which rules out soda, sports drinks, flavored water and flavored milk.

Check that the label says 100% juice, then still keep to the 4 oz limit. The AAP suggests you can dilute juice with water at home. Store-bought “pre-diluted” juice drinks often still have added sugar.

Juice is not for tummy bugs

The AAP says juice should not be used to treat dehydration or diarrhea. Too much juice can actually cause diarrhea, gas, bloating and tummy pain in toddlers, sometimes called “toddler’s diarrhea”. The AAP lists excess weight gain, tooth decay and loose stools as signs a child may be drinking too much juice.

If your baby or toddler is sick and not drinking well, ask your pediatrician or health visitor what to give. The AAP policy statement notes that oral rehydration (electrolyte) solutions, not juice, are what’s used to rehydrate young children. See feeding a sick baby.

Constipation? If your baby is constipated, ask your pediatrician before giving any juice. Don’t start it on your own. See foods that help with constipation.

Juice and arsenic

The AAP notes that concerns have been raised about arsenic in apple juice and other juices, and that this is one more reason to limit juice and offer whole fruit instead. In 2023 the FDA set an action level of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in apple juice, the same as the US limit for drinking water. For more, see rice and arsenic.

The best drinks for toddlers

The AAP’s advice is simple: water and plain milk.

• From 12 months, plain pasteurized whole milk, about 16 oz (480 ml) a day. See cow’s milk at 12 months.
• Plain water between meals, about 8–32 oz (240–950 ml) a day.
• Breast milk, for as long as you and your child want.

Where US and UK advice differs

The AAP says no juice at all before 12 months. The NHS says babies under 12 months don’t need juice or smoothies, but if you choose to give them, dilute them (1 part juice to 10 parts water) and serve only at mealtimes to reduce the risk of tooth decay.

The NHS says undiluted juice and smoothies are for children aged 5 and over, at no more than 1 glass (about 150 ml) a day with a meal. Its foods-to-avoid page goes further and suggests avoiding sugary drinks, including fruit juice and smoothies, for children aged 4 and under.

Both agree on the basics: whole fruit over juice, juice only with meals, never in a bottle at bedtime, and water or milk as everyday drinks.