Healthy drinks for kids & teens

Healthy drinks under 6 months

Under six months, babies need only breastmilk or infant convention. Breastmilk and convention contain the nutrients babies need for growth and development .

Healthy drinks at 6-12 months

You can give breastfed and formula-fed babies small amounts of cooled seethe tap water from a cup from six months on. Drinking water system from a cup – quite than a bottle – helps your child learn how to handle a cup. If your pamper has drinks early than water, breastmilk or formula in the beginning 12 months, it can stop your baby from getting enough all-important nutrients.

Healthy drinks at 12 months

After 12 months, you can give your pamper pasteurised, unflavoured, full-fat cow’s milk to drink if they ’ ra eating a balanced diet. Reduced-fat milks aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate recommended for children under two years. This is because babies and toddlers need the nutrients in full-fat milk to meet their energy, growth and development needs. You can keep breastfeed after 12 months for angstrom long as it suits you and your child. If your child has been formula fed and they ’ ra eating a balance diet, your child credibly won ’ t need recipe after 12 months. Your child can besides have tap water, but there ’ s no need to boil it after 12 months. If you ’ rhenium think of giving your child dairy alternatives as drinks, it ’ mho well to talk to your baby doctor, GP or child and family health nurse .

Healthy drinks for toddlers, preschoolers and older children

For toddlers and older children, tap water and milk are the best drinks. Your child can stay hydrated by drinking enough of water throughout the day. This is specially important in hot weather or when your child is running around a distribute. Drinking batch of water can besides help your child keep off stultification .

Encouraging your child to drink more water

hera are some tips to encourage your child to drink and enjoy water :

• Get everyone in the family drinking water as their main drink. When your children see you doing it, they’re likely to do it too.
• Make water easily available by giving younger children water bottles at home and showing older children how to get their own water from the tap.
• Have water on the table at meals and snack times.
• Keep chilled water in a jug in the fridge. You could try adding ice cubes or pieces of frozen fruit to make it more appealing for your child.
• Take filled water bottles when you go out with your child.

Unhealthy drinks: fruit juice

yield juices have eminent levels of sugar and don ’ t have much fiber. Children don ’ t need excess carbohydrate – but they do need character. That ’ randomness why it ’ randomness better for them to eat fruit, rather than drink juice. If your child drinks juice, try to limit it to ½ a cup per day. You could try giving fruit juice at a detail time or during a casual natural process to help you stick to this specify. For exemplar, you could say, ‘ We have fruit juice with our breakfast ’. It ’ s a good theme to mix the yield juice with some water or ice, and even sneak in a few vegetables. Mixing the fruit in a blender rather of a reamer will keep the fruit character in the juice. It ’ s best for children to eat whole yield and drink apparent tap urine or milk. Water is better than fruit juice, because it satisfies thirst and doesn ’ t have any extra sugar .

Unhealthy drinks: soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavoured milk

Soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks and energy drinks have a distribute of lend sugar and about no nutrients for your child ’ randomness diet. These drinks can take the place of early more alimentary foods and drinks and can increase your child ’ mho gamble of corpulence, fleshiness and tooth decay. Some of these drinks besides contain caffeine, which could make your child highly excited, then exhausted. Caffeine can besides affect your child ’ sulfur sleep. Flavoured milk and breakfast milk drinks are high in add sugar, so it ’ south better to offer your children plain milk rather.

Flavoured mineral waters can besides be gamey in total sugar .

Unhealthy drinks: tea and coffee

Tea and coffee incorporate caffeine, which can affect your child ’ mho rest, behavior and development. Some herbal teas might contain compounds that can be harmful for children. Check with your health professional if you have questions about herb tea tea for your child .