Liquids, Liquids, Liquids..how much do I give my child?

Believe it or not this is a HUGE question among mothers, fathers, grandparents and caregivers...How much liquid does my child need during the day?

It really is a good question...I mean...you give too little liquids and you have a dehydrated little one on your hands...and you give too much and now you have a little one that wants to "Drink" their dinner...where is the happy medium???

Well, let me first start by saying that children below 4 years of age don't need as much liquid as most of us would guess...and they certainly don't require any juice...they could go their whole childhood without drinking juice and be just fine....now water & milk...thats another thing...those are important...but juice....

I say this because although juice is good in that it helps our little ones to get some veggies (V8 Fusion) and fruits into their diets...you have to be careful and read the labels with juice...they are tricky!! Lots and lots of juices are primarily sugar...if you see "high fructose corn syrup" anywhere on the label, put it back on the shelf...

Too much sugar can cause a child whose tummy is rumbling for food...to stop because they got a quick fix of some sugar. I would suggest that if your child is not eating meals that you drastically limit the amount of juice that you allow...now do this gradually...add more and more water to the juice until the child is basically drinking just water and then make the switch to only water....or if you can't give up juice completely then feed your child first and then offer the juice at the very end of the meal...as a kind of "dessert".

Okay back to the quantities of liquids...well dieticians recommend the following:

For children ages 1 -6 years of age: 4-6 ounces
For children over 6 years of age: 8-12 ounces

WOW! Are you shocked! Look at your child's sippy cup...it probably is 6-8 ounces! That means technically they only need 1 of those a day...

Does that mean if your child asks for more you should not give it to them? Certainly not...it means that if they ask for more...give them water.

How much milk should a child get?

Dieticians recommend:

1/2 of a cup of milk for children 1 year to 4 years of age
1 full cup for children over 4 years of age

WOW! Yep, although milk is great for their little bones...milk intake also needs to be monitored. Why? Well, too much milk will also reduce your child's appetite for other needed nutrients like those yummy veggies, fruits, meats, cheese, etc... Milk is great, but they also need room in their tummies to eat those other GREAT foods....

The bottom line....

Keep close tabs...if your child's appetite is diminishing check his/her liquid intake...