New Recommendations for Water in Early Childhood

A recently issued expert panel report, “Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A Responsive Parenting Approach” from Healthy Eating Research provides new feeding guidelines for children aged 0-2. Early life diet and feeding patterns are key to establishing healthy habits and preferences. Per the report, water is the best option to quench young children’s thirst, sugar sweetened beverages should not be offered to any children under age 2, and juice should be limited to 0-4 ounces per day maximum.

A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Fruit Juice in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Current Recommendations” adds to recommendations on beverage intake for very young children. The policy statement’s recommendations include a limit of, at most, 4 ounces of juice for children aged 1-3 and 4-6 ounces for children age 4-6. The recommendations also note that breastmilk or infant formula is sufficient for infants, and low-fat/nonfat milk and water are sufficient for older children, to meet fluid requirements.

Sources:

1. Pérez-Escamilla 2017, Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A Responsive Parenting Approach

2. Healthier Beverage Recommendations, Healthy Eating Research 2013

3. Holt 2011, Bright Futures Nutrition Pocket Guide, American Academy of Pediatrics

4. Fruit Juice in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Current Recommendations Melvin B. Heyman, Steven A. Abrams, Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Committee on Nutrition. Pediatrics Jun 2017, 139 (6) e20170967; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-0967