Easy diluted juice: freeze juice into cubes first

Emily's "juice cube" tip is a slight variation on a hack we published about a year ago, but I thought it was worth revisiting as Emily adds the dilution twist:

My daughter is only 9 months-old and doesn't drink that much juice yet.  Being the frugal mom I am, I hate to buy the little "baby-sized" bottles of juice major baby food manufacturers try to sell to you.  Considering that she takes in about 2 oz. of juice and 2 oz. of water mixed together, I buy a large bottle of all-natural apple juice and freeze it in ice cube trays.  I store the cubes in a large freezer bag.  When my daughter is ready for a drink, I fill her sippy cup with a little bit of water and drop in a juice cube.  That way my juice doesn't go bad in the fridge (considering she goes through it so slowly) and my daughter gets the perfect juice/water mixture.  This is great for teething since it's nice and cold, too!

AND it's better for her teeth (and, eventually, her calorie intake). Juice is little more than empty calories, so it's smart to tone down her exposure to the sweetness before she has an opinion on the matter.

Pictured here is the Orka ice cube tray I use at home. The bottoms of each of the ice cube molds are soft silicone, making it easy to pop out individual cubes, and the cover keeps the cubes from getting that off-taste in the freezer.

Related: Juice keeps longer when frozen into cubes

Comments

[Zed]

I don't know why a 9-month-old needs juice at all.

Unless you like giving it as a special treat. I think even then it can be reserved for after age 2. My three kids (18 mo., 4, 6) rarely drink juice. We may bring some along for a picnic or something, but I don't see the need for it in the house.

With that being said, this is a nice hack for parents who often enjoy drinking juice themselves and want to share some with their kids. I don't want to discourage a hack!

[Zed]

On reflection, I need to add that this mom is obviously being responsible with the small amount of juice she's giving to her baby, so maybe I should have just shut my yap in the first place. It's not like I don't share ice cream or cookies with my 18 month old periodically!

It all comes down to the chip I have on my shoulder about the "Your Baby NEEDS Juice" statements frequently put out by the juice industry.

[Jill in Atlanta]

What do I do with the kid who won't drink anything colder than room temperature? He wants juice at breakfast, and diluting it with tap water warms it up some, but not enough for him. I need the opposite of an ice cube somehow.

[Tara]

Jill - Could you zap in it the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up? I make our own baby food and freeze it in cubes. Before serving, I thaw it to room temperature in the microwave. It works really well at our house.

[Shelley]

No Zed, I agree. Babies don't need juice at all, it's nothing but empty calories. We didn't give our daughter juice until age 1, we've always given her pure unadulterated fruit, and water and milk to drink (cows milk after 1). After we tried to give her juice, she wouldn't take it. Go figure hey? I don't want to discourage a hack either, but kids don't really "need" juice. (she's 20 months now, and still won't drink juice)

[Emily]

Being the one who submitted the hack, I just want to clarify that I was only giving my daughter juice to help with some constipation issues. Also, at that age we were still transitioning to a sippy cup, so we were just trying to get her to drink anything from it in order to get her used to it (mostly water because she refused to drink breastmilk from the cup). Luckily, now she drink milk like a champ and hates juice, so my hack in no longer needed.

[Brooke]

Um, seriously, what the heck is wrong with giving a child 100% juice that is watered-down? NOTHING. You people need to chill. Emily had an awesome idea!

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