Learn which healthy drinks for kids are best, how to choose them throughout the day, and a few easy recipes for delicious options to keep the kids hydrated.
Healthy Drinks for Kids
Between the drinks the kids prefer, all of the marketing and special “kids drinks” at the store, and what we hear about the drinks kids are “supposed” to drink, knowing what to serve can be confusing! This post is here to help.
A report called Healthy Drinks, Healthy Kids was released about a year ago in a combined effort by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentists, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Heart Association.
In it, they share a consensus on what kids should be drinking:
- Breast milk or formula as the only beverages for first 6 months.
- Add a few sips of water between 6-12 months.
- After 12 months, all kids should be drinking 1-5 cups of water per day.
- Up to age 2, 2-3 cups of plain whole milk per day.
- Over age 2, switch to skim or 1% milk, limit 2-2.5 cups per day.
- Limit 100% fruit juice to no more than 4-6 ounces per day for kids over age one.
- Avoid chocolate milk, other flavored milk, plant milks, fruit drinks, sport drinks, sodas, diet sodas, and all other sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened drinks.
That’s a fairly all or nothing approach that doesn’t take real many world considerations into account, though, so I have more to say on each of these points below.
Best Milk for Toddlers
The advice for younger kids is very straight forward and not bound to raise any red flags. Toddlers should drink whole milk dairy, or a nondairy equivalent such as soy milk or plant milk with added protein, vitamin D, and calcium up until age two. (Milks like almond milk and rice milk typically don’t have fat or protein.)
TIP: You can read more about the best milk for toddlers here (including recommendations for plant milks if you want one for allergies or preferences).
Best Milk for Older Kids
Even though many health organizations still say that kids over age two should switch to low-fat milk or non-fat milk, that advice is somewhat outdated and newer advice suggests that it’s perfectly fine to stick with whole milk.
This would be something to talk to your pediatrician about if you have concerns.
How much water do kids need?
Kids should be drinking 1-5 cups of water per day and a general rule to follow would be to offer water between meals so the kids avoid filling up on juice and milk—and have the space in their bellies to be hungry for food.
You can introduce water when baby starts solids around 6 months. (It’s not recommended to do it any earlier and it should never take the place of breastmilk or formula.
Remember that foods are hydrating too.
How much juice can kids drink?
The advice in the new report says that kids over two should have no more than one small serving of juice a day. If you’re blending up fresh fruit into an all-fruit juice or smoothie, I wouldn’t consider that the “juice” they mean—we’re talking regular juice you’d buy at the store.
The reason for this is that juice contains relatively few nutrients for the calories because you’re just taking part of the whole fruit. So if you were to eat a whole apple, you’d get fiber in addition to Vitamin C. But there’s no fiber in the juice.
There is a case to be made for not wholly restricting juice though, both because it can be useful to help kids drink enough when it’s super hot, when you’re dealing with constipation, or when you really just need the kids to drink fluids.
And because restricting whole foods groups can make them more tempting to kids, causing them to potentially go overboard when they do have access, it can be perfectly fine to include drinks besides plain milk and water in the mix of an overall varied diet.
TIP: You can try watering down juice a little to give kids the flavor they like and expect to add more water into their diets.
Is chocolate milk healthy?
If a child has two servings of chocolate milk a day, that’s already almost the sugar limit for the day at 22 grams added sugar recommended per day by the American Heart Association.
That said, there’s no evidence to suggest that chocolate or flavored milks are the sole culprit behind kids bodies growing faster than they have in previous years.
I consider chocolate milk to be a food we sometimes have and try to think of it in the same category as other fun foods such as chips, desserts, and treats–some days we have them, some days we don’t. That may or may not work for your family, but it helps me to keep it in perspective and remember that some is perfectly okay, especially when my kids choose to drink it at school.
Healthy Kids Drinks for School
If your school is like ours, there is at least chocolate milk—if not strawberry and vanilla. It’s wholly unfair to ask a child to choose plain milk for health reasons because all they really care about is that food tastes good.
If you are worried about the type of milk your child is drinking at school, talk to the food director or the principal. It would be much easier for kids on a whole to make “healthier” decisions about drinks if they had fewer options at school.
(You can also consider sharing the new report with them as backup to your concerns!)
How to Choose Healthy Drinks for Kids
If you’re wanting to choose healthy drinks for kids, here’s what I would suggest:
- Rely mostly on water and milk for kids of all ages, though particularly for those two and under.
- Offer juice and chocolate milk less often (if you want to offer it at all—no pressure either way!).
- Use whole fruit smoothies and juices as you like.
- Use plant milks as needed for allergies and preferences.
- Don’t feel guilty if your kids like juice and milk—of course they do, they both taste good.
- Instead of coaching them to choose plain milk over flavored at school, work with the school to limit those options.
- Avoid drinks with caffeine, such as energy drinks or coffee (or blended coffee drinks).
- Coconut water, which has potassium and electrolytes, can be helpful for hydration and a fine option in the mix.
Easy Drink Recipes for Kids
These are some of the options I like to make at home to share with my kids.
Fresh Watermelon Juice
Learn the quick and easy method to make fresh and delicious Watermelon Juice at home with just one fresh ingredient—watermelon! It’s a Vitamin C-packed way to hydrate the kids and you don’t even need a juicer.
Banana Milk
Blend up the most delicious homemade Banana Milk with super simple ingredients and low added sugar. So good and nutritious!
Strawberry Milk
Learn how to make the BEST homemade strawberry milk with simple ingredients and very low added sugar. With vitamin C and protein!
Vanilla Milk
Learn how to make homemade Vanilla Milk in 2 minutes with just 3 simple ingredients. It’s seriously yummy, is a nice alternative to plain milk, and has way less sugar than store bought!
Chocolate Milk
Combine 4 simple ingredients to make lower sugar homemade Chocolate Milk that’s creamy and so super delicious. Plus: You don’t need any fancy tools to make it!
Healthy Hot Chocolate
Make the best healthy Hot Chocolate at home with this super simple method that takes about 1 minute. It’s lower in sugar, but full of that creamy, cozy flavor you expect. It’s so darn good to make for (and share with!) the kids.
Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie
If your kids love those expensive bottles of drinkable yogurt at the grocery store or you’re looking for a super simple (and super yummy) smoothie recipe, you have to try this one. This Strawberry Smoothie recipe with yogurt has just 3 ingredients and can even be made ahead!
Simple Green Smoothie
Start the day (or snack time!) with a simple Green Smoothie that’s designed to taste good and be easy to make—so it’s not too thick, includes accessible ingredients, and is sweet enough to help kids enjoy every sip.
All Fruit Slushie
Cool off with a refreshing Homemade Fruit Slushie that you can make with just 2 ingredients in a matter of minutes. They’re a great way to stay hydrated and to serve up nutrients in a delicious form!
Kids Weight Gain Shake
This delicious chocolate smoothie is perfect for underweight kids or just as a filling breakfast option for anyone else.
Related Recipes
How do these recommendations sit with you? We’d love to hear, so please comment below!
This post was first published April 2021.
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The way you explained it, it is very nice. I hope i can make my children away from chocolate milk and juices.
I think your recommendations sound very reasonable compared to most fear-mongering articles on kids’ nutrition these days. I personally remember having chocolate milk available at school from K-12, and no one ever told us we shouldn’t choose it – not my mom, not teachers or coaches – and I would choose the chocolate milk maybe once or twice per week. It wasn’t forbidden, and it wasn’t restricted, so I didn’t feel the need to drink it unless it sounded good with the rest of my lunch!