What Can My Baby Drink?: A Guide to Suitable Drinks for Babies

Feeding a baby will look different for everybody. Around 60% of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they planned. When this happens, you start to wonder what babies can drink?

Despite there being many forms of drinks available, some are better than others for children. Read on to find out which drinks for babies are best and what you should avoid.

Breastmilk or Infant Formula

For babies between the ages of 0-6 months, breastmilk or formula are the best drinks for babies. This gives them all the nutrients they need to grow and develop. Giving infants younger than six months anything else is harmful.

Babies under six months old cannot process drinks other than formula or breastmilk. Even plain tap water can cause severe problems for these young babies. Stick to breastmilk or formula for babies for the first six months of life.

We bet you have some questions about feeding your baby breastmilk or formula. Read this article to discover the answer to the common question, “can babies drink cold milk?”.

Water

Can babies drink water? In short, no, not until they are over six months.

Your baby can drink water once they are six months old. This should not take the place of formula or breastmilk. Water should be thought of as extra during the first year of life.

Start small with about ½ – 1 cup per day until they are about 12 months old. Babies over one year can start having 1-4 cups of water per day. Water is the best hydrating drink you can give your baby once they are old enough!

Soy or Cow’s Milk

After your baby reaches age 1, you can start giving them a cow or soy milk. The recommendation for babies over age one is to stick to 2% or whole cow’s milk. Though, you should limit this to 2 cups a day or less.

Vegan soy milk can be fortified for those looking to avoid animal products or with dairy allergies, so it’s a good alternative. Unsweetened soy milk for babies is best.

Drinks to Avoid

As your baby grows, there are some drinks you want to avoid. Even drinks marketed towards babies and toddlers can have negative health benefits. Avoid these drinks or only give them on occasion.

100% Juice

A small amount of 100% juice can have health benefits for older toddlers and children. You should avoid juice for babies because of the sugar content. Babies should eat fruit instead.

Flavored/Toddler Milk

Flavored kinds of milk have added sugars. These drinks are not healthy for children under two years old. Giving young children sweetened milk may make it hard to get them to drink regular milk in the future.

Sugary Drinks

Drinks such as soda and sports drinks contain added sugar that is harmful to a young child’s health. Leave these behind in favor of water!

Drinks for Babies: Simple Is The Most Healthiest

With only breast milk or formula between 0-6 months and not yet whole cow’s milk for those one year and older, this article covers all the important points about what to feed your little one in their first year. Be sure to read more articles from our family section!