Should children drink only milk and water?

Read on to know about the best beverage that children should consume!

It is extremely important for people of all age groups to stay hydrated. As kids stay active for practically 23 out of 24 hours in a day, they should be given some kind of beverage throughout the day to maintain their hydration level.

Children these days are exposed to several kinds of beverages, both fruit-based and otherwise, apart from the regulars such as milk and water. But, are these beverages really helpful for the younger population or is milk and water sufficient for them.

According to recent research, milk and water stood out to be the best beverage option for the kids. Until 6 months of age, the baby should be fed only breast milk or milk formula. Water can be added after six months of age and after 12 months infants can be introduced to cow’s milk. Until the first 5 years of life, children should drink mostly milk and water.

This means until 5 years children should not be given any beverage containing added sugar or other sweeteners, artificially sweetened beverages, chocolate milk, flavored milk, caffeinated beverages, toddler formulas, and even plant-based beverages such as almond milk, oats milk, or rice milk. Children should also avoid consuming even 100% juice or limit it to less than 1 cup per day. These new guidelines were given by Healthy Eating Research.