What Should My Young Child Be Drinking?

What Should My Young Child Be Drinking? I’m sharing updated consensus guidelines on what beverages to give your child 5 years old and younger.

Working with a lot of parents and children, I frequently get asked, “What Should My Young Child Be Drinking?” There have been guidelines and recommendations in place from different health organizations previously, to which I often refer. However, now four leading health organizations have come together to make a first-ever consensus regarding recommendations to encourage young children’s consumption of healthy drinks.

Research has shown that what children drink from birth through five years old has a huge impact not only their on current health, but for years to come as well. America’s leading health organizations agree that for most kids, the recommendations below can help children grow and develop healthily now and into the future.

What Should My Young Child Be Drinking? See the consensus guidelines! Share on X

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association specified recommended what to drink for infants and children through age 5, as well as what drinks to limit and those to avoid. You can find all the information on their official website, but I’ve broken it down for you below, as well:

All Children 5 and Under:

Avoid:

Flavored milks (i.e., chocolate, strawberry)
“Transition” or “weaning” formulas (sometimes called toddler milks, growing up milks, or follow-up formulas)
Plant-based/non-dairy milks* (e.g., almond, rice, oat)
Caffeinated beverages (i.e., soda, coffee, tea, energy drinks)
Low-calorie sweetened drinks (i.e., “diet” or “light” drinks, including those sweetened with stevia, sucralose, or other low-calorie sweeteners)
Sugar-sweetened drinks (i.e., soda, fruit drinks and fruit flavored drinks, fruit-ades, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened waters, and sweetened coffee and tea drinks)

These beverages can add a lot of added sugars to a child’s diet and do not provide any unique nutritional value beyond that of an already balanced diet. Avoiding these types of beverages from a young age helps build healthy habits that will continue on as your child grows older.

Infants 0 to 6 months:

Drink:

Only breast milk or infant formula recommended to get enough fluids and adequate nutrition.

Infants 6 to 12 months:

Drink:

Continue to rely on breast milk or infant formula to meet the majority of their daily nutritional needs. Breast milk and/or infant formula still also provides all the fluids a baby needs during this time.
Once solid foods are introduced, usually around 6 months, try adding in a few sips of water from a cup during meals. This helps develop cup-drinking skills and learn to like the taste of water, which takes time.

Avoid:

In addition to the previously mentioned beverages to avoid:

Juice
Dairy Milk

Children 12 to 24 months:

Drink:

Water

1 to 4 cups of water daily
This may vary from day to day based on how active your child is, the weather, or the amount of fluids they get from other sources, like drinks (i.e., milk) or foods (i.e., fruits or soups).

Milk

You can now introduce plain, pasteurized whole milk, 2 to 3 cups per day. This is packed with nutrients, including protein, calcium, and vitamin D that growing children need.
Varying between 2 or 3 cups depends on how much solid food your child is eating. As they get closer to 2 years old and are eating more solid food at meals, they will need less milk.

Limit:

100% Fruit Juice**

No more than ½ cup (4 ounces) of 100% fruit juice per day.

Children 2 to 3 years:

Drink:

Water

1 to 4 cups of water daily.
This may vary from day to day based on how active your child is, the weather, or the amount of fluids they get from other sources, like drinks (i.e., milk) or foods (i.e., fruits or soups).

Milk

Transition to plain, pasteurized low-fat (1%) milk, up to 2 cups a day.
Moving to lower-fat milks helps children stay within recommendations for total daily calorie and fat intake, which helps promote a healthy weight. With that said, if your child is underweight or has other medical needs, talk to your doctor to determine the best drinks for them.

Limit:

100% Fruit Juice

No more than ½ cup (4 ounces) of 100% juice per day.

Children 4 to 5 years:

Drink:

Water

1 and 1/2 to 5 cups of water daily.
The amount of water each child needs might vary from day-to-day based on how active they are, the weather, or the amount of fluids they get from other beverages like milk or foods like soups and applesauce.

Milk

Children 4 to 5 years old should drink plain, pasteurized low-fat (1%) milk. The recommended amount is up to 2 and 1/2 cups a day.

Limit:

100% Fruit Juice

No more than 1/2 to 3/4 cup (4 to 6 ounces) of 100% juice per day.

*A Note on Plant-Based Beverages:

It is not recommended for plant-based/non-dairy milks to fully replace regular cow’s milk when there are no allergies present. Evidence points out that, other than fortified soy milk, most plant-based/non-dairy milks are not nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk and do not contain sufficient amounts of important nutrients. Even when these beverages are fortified with nutrients, studies suggest our bodies may not absorb those nutrients as well as from cow’s milk.

If your child is allergic to dairy, is lactose intolerant, or if your family chooses not to consume dairy products, unsweetened and fortified plant-based/non-dairy milks might be a good option. Always talk with your health care provider when choosing a plant-based/non-dairy milk. This will help ensure your child is getting the right amounts of important nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development, including protein, calcium, and vitamin D.

**A Note on 100% Fruit Juice:

Diluting 100% fruit juice with water can stretch it out and make the juice flavor last longer. Whenever possible, your child should meet their daily fruit intake by eating whole fruit. This can be pureed, fresh, canned, or frozen without added sugars. This recommendation comes because even 100% fruit juice contains sugars (though they are naturally occurring sugars) that can contribute to dental caries. Also, if your child is drinking more than what’s recommended, it can lead to excessive calorie intake.

To make it easier to see and read all of this at a glance, I’ve made this handy infographic below:

Pin this infographic!

Author
Recent Posts

Follow me!

Brittany

I'm a registered dietitian nutritionist and mom of four with a passion of helping families build confidence in the kitchen. I share family friendly recipes and helpful tips to help you navigate mealtime one bite at a time.

Follow me!