Baby drinks

Advice on what to look for when purchasing drinks for your baby plus information on feeding your baby milk, juice and water to drink.

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Weaning your baby > Baby drinks

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All babies need fluid. As weaning progresses babies consume less milk and so need more fluid. Cooled boiled water is the recommended drink for infants of this age but sometimes babies will not take it.

The Department of Health recommends that babies are weaned onto foods and drinks that are free of sugar, including fruit sugar. Parents are advised to ensure that breast or formula milk and boiled cooled water make up the majority of drinks for babies under one year old. Fruit juice and other sweet drinks should be highly diluted and limited to meal times. They should not be given in bottles which increase the risk of damage to teeth.

However baby drinks, such as fruit juices and other fruit based baby drinks, help to provide extra fluid and vitamin C. Commercial baby foods and drinks do not necessarily contain lots of sugar as levels are kept to the absolute minimum needed for an acceptable taste and most of the sugar comes naturally from the fruit. Baby drinks and juices are a more suitable alternative to breast or formula milk, or water than many adult drinks which are often more acidic and may contain more sugar. However, in the interests of good dental hygiene manufacturers' instructions on usage and dilution should always be followed.

Many adult drinks are inappropriate for babies as they may contain artificial additives such as artificial sweeteners and colourings, which are not permitted in baby foods.