Welch's 100% White Grape Juice is the Clear First Juice Choice.

Medical research suggests that 100% White Grape Juice, such as Welch's, is the right choice for your baby’s first juice because it’s easier to digest than other popular juices.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until infants are six months old before introducing pasteurized 100% juice. Traditionally, apple and pear juice have been recommended as the first juices to introduce to babies. Yet, research suggests that not all juices are the same.

Why 100% White Grape Juice is the Gentle Juice

According to recent medical studies, 100% white grape juice, such as Welch's, is the clear first juice choice for infants and toddlers because it’s easier to digest than either apple or pear juice. One reason it is easily digested is because 100% white grape juice does not contain sorbitol (a hard-to-digest sugar-like compound). Both pear and apple juice contain sorbitol. Another reason 100% white grape juice is more easily digested is due to its carbohydrate, or natural sugar, profile. Unlike apple and pear juice, 100% white grape juice has an even balance of fructose and glucose (two easy-to-digest natural sugars). Fructose though, unless it is balanced by glucose, is difficult for the body to absorb, particularly in the delicate systems of toddlers and infants. The presence of sorbitol and unbalanced levels of fructose in a juice may lead to gas, intestinal discomfort, and even diarrhea.

Choose a Juice Based on Science

Medical research shows that white grape juice is better tolerated by infants than either pear or apple juice. In one study, infants fed pear juice experienced more restlessness than infants fed white grape juice—a reaction possibly due to gastrointestinal discomfort caused by the presence of sorbitol and the unequal amounts of fructose and glucose found in pear juice.

Additional research shows that infants with a history of colic can be sensitive to the type of juice they drink. What’s more, the type of juice they drink may cause symptoms of colic to return. In this study, infants with a history of colic who were fed apple juice cried more and slept less than infants fed white grape juice. Again, the inability of these infants to completely digest apple juice may have played a role in the return of their colic-like symptoms.

In another research study, focusing on recovery from diarrhea, young children fed white grape juice produced significantly less stool than children fed either pear or apple juice. Furthermore, the children fed white grape juice were least likely to re-experience diarrhea.

Ask tiny tummies, and they’ll agree—100% white grape juice is the gentle juice.