SAN ANTONIO -- You may want to think twice before handing your child a juice box. 

  • Report says children's drinks should be limited
  • Applies to kids 5 and under
  • Should be given, water, formula or milk

A report from Healthy Eating Research, recommends beverages for children should be limited to breast milk, infant formula, water and cow's milk. HER gathered a panel of experts from four key national health and nutrition organizations to develop recommendations for beverage consumption for children from birth to age five. 

"Healthy Eating Research, felt that there was really a time to let parents know what was really healthy for their kids," Kevin Donly, D.D.S, M.S of UT Dentistry said. "We think it's that critical stage in life when a parent controls drinking. Once you start school it changes a little bit.”

The report says what kids drink can have a big impact on their health, and beverages make a significant contribution to daily calorie intake. 

"The first year is just breast milk. You don't come in with whole milk until basically the first year of life, and then 12 to 24 months, you use whole milk and then you cut back to skim milk or 1 percent milk," Donly said.

The panel’s recommendations can be used by healthcare providers, public health practitioners, parents and caregivers to improve the beverage intake patterns of infants and young children.