Support Your Child’s Growth With the Best Toddler Nutritional Drinks

Buying Guide: Toddler Nutritional Drinks

What To Look For in a Toddler Nutritional Drink

When you have kids, it is quite normal to worry about their proper nutrition. A nutritious diet is not just about feeding them healthy and balanced meals, you also have to worry about what they drink. If you plan on adding a nutritional drink to your toddler’s routine, be sure to check out the following:

Ingredients 

The first thing you will most likely notice in any nutritional supplement drink is its list of ingredients. The long list may seem overwhelming or off-putting, but you should remember that a toddler nutritional drink’s purpose is to promote weight gain and provide the nutrients that are missing in your child’s regular diet. 

What you should check when looking at the ingredient list is how many of them appear to be processed. Any formula with a majority of ingredients derived from whole food sources is a good choice, but if you find yourself looking at a long list of foreign substances, it’s a red flag and you should steer clear from it. 

Certifications 

When examining the different toddler nutritional drink options, make it a point to check their certifications for purity. If a product is certified, it means that it has been thoroughly tested before being verified to be free from potentially harmful levels of contaminants. 

Many contaminants, like heavy metals and pesticides, exist in nature, so they can end up in drinks like nutritional supplements. That’s why many manufacturers try to source clean ingredients, rigorously test their products, and get them certified to make sure they’re fit for consumption. 

Look for certifications like the Clean Label Purity Award, which looks for compounds that are not listed on the label, but can be a cause of concern if present in high quantities. 

Purpose 

The one thing you should know about nutritional supplements is that they all are intended for different purposes. Some help children gain more weight, while others prevent excessive weight loss in physically active kids. Some are rich in calories that are beneficial for malnourished kids, while others are formulated with more protein, vitamins, and minerals to bridge the nutritional gaps in their diet. 

So what’s your purpose for adding a toddler’s nutritional drink to your kid’s diet plan? If it’s weight gain, choose a calorie-dense formula. But if you want to fill the nutritional gaps caused by your little one’s selective eating, choose an option that is full of vitamins, minerals, and protein instead. 

Added sugar content 

The lower the added sugar content in a toddler’s nutritional drink, the better it is. This is because high sugar intake not only leads to obesity and unwanted weight gain, but also puts them at risk of dental cavities. Not to forget that a child who consumes a diet higher in sugar is more likely to develop a taste for more sugary foods.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely avoid sugar because even nutritional drinks these days are packed with sugar. This is not only to make them taste better, but also to make them more addictive. So you have to be very conscious of where this added sugar is coming from. 

Choose products that list cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, cane syrup, brown rice syrup, and glucose towards the end of the ingredient list, which means they’re present in small quantities. Or you can also opt to purchase a product that is free from added sugar. 

What Are the Least Nutritious Drinks for Toddlers?

Milk, water, and pure juices are considered to be the most nutritious drinks for any toddler. You should try to give these to your little one as much as possible. That said, there are some beverages that you should avoid feeding to your kid.

Caffeinated drinks 

Caffeine is just as stimulating for kids as it is for adults. In fact, it affects kids more strongly even if consumed in a very small quantity. It can disrupt their naps, cause stomach aches and shakiness, and even raises blood pressure, which can hinder brain development in small children. So, avoid giving your child any caffeinated drinks. 

Artificial juices 

While most think of juice as healthy, artificial juices are just about as unhealthy as a bottle of soda. Both contain high amounts of sugar that pose a risk of excess weight gain and tooth decay. If you decide to give your toddler juices, make sure that they are 100% fruit juice without added sugar.

Energy drinks 

As colorful and inviting as they may appear on the shelf, energy drinks are also not safe for your tot. They are rich in both sugar and caffeine which can be seriously overstimulating. You should never let your toddler consume them because it can lead to jitters, anxiety, and sleeplessness, not to mention the variety of health issues that they can cause in children and adults alike.