While breast, formula and cows milk contain the sugar lactose,
they’re not considered to be sweet drinks. Milk is important for children as it contains calcium needed for healthy bones and teeth.
For children less than 12 months old, breast milk or infant formula
should be the main drink. Only offer plain full cream milk after 12
months, when your child has reduced breastfeeding or formula.
Artificially sweetened or flavoured milk drinks are not recommended.
Fresh fruit is best
Luckily, it takes only half an orange to provide the vitamin C
your child needs. Encourage children to eat fresh fruit instead of
drinking juice. This will:
- Help with skills such as peeling and chewing
- Teach about different textures, colours and tastes
- Supply fibre to the diet and help prevent constipation.
Problems with sweet drinks
Too many sweet drinks can cause a range of problems including:
- Excessive weight gain
Sweet drinks are high in
energy and may contribute to excessive weight gain in children if
consumed regularly in large amounts.
- Tooth decay
Children who have sweet
drinks such as cordial, soft drink and juice regularly are at risk of
tooth decay. For babies and toddlers, problems start when a bottle is
used for comfort when going to sleep, to suck during the night or to
snack on during the day. If the bottle contains any drink other than
water – even milk – the sugars in the fluid sit on the teeth and
gums for some time. This is when decay can start, even before any
teeth have broken through. Avoid using a feeding bottle for comfort
and encourage your child to start drinking from a cup from about six
months of age.
- Small appetite
Sweet drinks can fill
children up, making them less hungry for other foods. For picky
eaters, stopping or limiting sweet drinks is a helpful way to
encourage your child’s hunger so that they eat more. Sweet drinks
are lacking in protein, fat, iron and calcium needed for a child’s
growth. When consumed too often, sweet drinks may cause a low intake
of nutrients. Problems such as iron deficiency, anaemia and failure
to thrive may occur in babies and toddlers who replace food such as
breast milk, formula or solids with sweet drinks.
Suggestions for parents
Changing your child’s diet can be a challenge, but remember
that young children can only eat or drink what is given to them.
Suggestions include:
- Avoid using a baby’s bottle to settle your child to sleep.
- Be a role model by not keeping sweet drinks in the house or consuming sweet drinks yourself.
- If your child is already used to sweet drinks, start to reduce their intake – for example, you could offer watered-down versions for a short time and then move on to water.
- Be patient. This may take time, particularly if your child is in the habit of wanting juice or cordial whenever they are thirsty or hungry.
- Encourage your child to eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
- If you wish to include sweet drinks in your child’s diet, limit consumption to one small glass a day.
____________________________________________________
From United Kingdom 203 402 4400 | From Abroad +44203 402 4400
No comments :
Post a Comment