What children drink is just as important as what they eat. With the growing variety of so-called "healthy" drinks on the market, from fruit juices and flavored milk to plant-based alternatives and fortified beverages, choosing the right one might be overwhelming for parents.

To help parents make informed choices, an expert panel convened by Healthy Eating Research (HER), has issued healthy beverage recommendations for kids, highlighting the importance of considering factors such as hydration, calorie intake, calcium levels, and overall well-being.

Megan Elsener Lott, MPH, RDN, deputy director of HER, which convened the expert panel hopes the recommendations would "provide a gold standard based on the latest research and can serve as goals that families work toward together."

"For kids of all ages, water and milk are the best choices, so let them flow. Besides having zero calories, water is a no-sugar thirst-quencher. And 1 cup of milk has 300 milligrams of calcium, so it's a big contributor to a child's daily needs," the experts wrote in a news release.

Children between the ages of 1–3 need 700 mg of daily calcium, while kids aged 4–8 need 1,000 mg, and those 9–18 should get 1,300 mg. To meet these needs, dietary guidelines recommend 2 cups of milk or equivalent dairy/fortified soy beverages for ages 2–3, 2.5 cups for ages 4–8, and 3 cups for those 9 and older. While choosing milk, experts recommend opting for fat-free or low-fat milk.

The panel also advised limiting plant-based milk alternatives and flavored milk while completely avoiding sugar-sweetened drinks, beverages with non-sugar sweeteners, and those containing caffeine or other stimulants.

For kids who enjoy juice, serve only 100% juice and follow recommended limits: none for babies under 6 months, up to 2–4 ounces daily for 6–12 months, 4–6 ounces for ages 1–6, and 8–12 ounces for ages 7–18.

Sodas are not recommended because they lack nutritional value and are high in sugar. They also contribute to tooth decay, often contain unnecessary caffeine, and can replace calcium-rich milk in a child's diet. Parents are recommended to completely avoid serving soda to young children, and for older kids, treat it as an occasional drink rather than banning it completely.

"What children drink has a direct impact on their oral health, and making the right beverage choices can help prevent cavities and protect developing teeth. Sugary drinks are some of the biggest culprits for tooth decay in kids, and we hope the recommendations that this expert panel developed will be a useful tool for parents to make decisions to support their child's overall health," said Dr. Paul Casamassimo, who represented AAPD (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) on the expert panel.

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