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If your toddler already eats a lot of sugary foods, you can change the routine gradually: cut back on how often sweets and sweetened drinks are offered, swap in water or suitable unsweetened milk, and choose whole fruit instead of juice or sweet snacks. There is no need to shame your child—or yourself. For children under 2, guidance is to avoid foods and drinks with added sugars.
Start by finding the regular sources
For a few days, notice when added sugar is showing up: in drinks, between-meal snacks, or packaged foods. This is a simple way to decide what to change first, not a formal clinical tracking plan. Begin with the source your toddler has most often; changing one familiar routine may be easier than trying to overhaul every meal at once.
Added sugar is not the same as the naturally occurring sugar in whole fruit or plain milk. The CDC quotes the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: “Infants and young children have no room in their diet for added sugars.” The CDC page was updated April 14, 2026. CDC guidance on foods and drinks to avoid or limit
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| Child’s age | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Under 12 months | Do not give fruit juice. The AAP advises avoiding foods and drinks with added sugar for children under 2. AAP guidance |
| 12–23 months | Avoid foods and drinks with added sugars. Juice is unnecessary; if you give 100% fruit juice, the AAP maximum reported by the CDC is 4 ounces a day for ages 1–3. CDC guidance |
| 2–3 years | Continue limiting added sugar. The AAP suggests less than 25 grams of added sugar per day for children aged 2 and older, and no more than 4 ounces of 100% juice daily for ages 1–3. The AAP page does not state a year for these quantities. AAP guidance |
These recommendations are not interchangeable: the under-2 advice to avoid added sugars is not a 25-gram allowance. Whole fruit and plain milk are not equivalent to candy or sweetened drinks.
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Change drinks before tackling every snack
If sweetened drinks are a regular part of the day, make water easy to reach and offer it routinely. For children over 12 months, water and unflavored, unsweetened milk are no-added-sugar choices. Avoid replacing a sugary drink with a fruit-flavored drink or another sweetened beverage.
Juice is different from whole fruit: it is not needed after 12 months, and whole fruit is generally the better choice when suitable for your child. Fruit drinks and fruit-flavored drinks may contain added sugars, even when their names or packaging suggest fruit.
Check packaged foods for added sugar
Added sugars can appear in foods that seem like everyday staples, including muffins, flavored yogurt, and cookies. The AAP also identifies less-obvious examples such as ketchup, dried cranberries, salad dressing, and baked beans.
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Read the Nutrition Facts label and look for the “Added Sugars” line. Ingredients can also list sugar under names such as corn syrup, dextrose, honey, molasses, and sucrose. Compare similar products and choose one with no added sugar or less added sugar when that option works for your family.
Offer fruit and adjust when sweets are served
For a snack, offer whole fruit instead of juice or a sweet packaged food when it is appropriate for your toddler. If you do serve a sugary food, the NHS advises offering it with a meal rather than as a between-meal snack, and avoiding it before bedtime. Its guidance also recommends serving dried fruit with meals because its sugars can contribute to tooth decay. NHS guidance on feeding young children
The NHS meal-timing advice is about reducing frequent sweet exposures; it does not make a sugary food a necessary part of a meal.
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- Pick the most frequent sugary drink or snack as the first routine to change.
- Keep water available and offer unsweetened options instead of sweetened drinks.
- Use whole fruit as a suitable sweet-tasting snack, rather than juice.
- Check labels on packaged foods your toddler eats often.
- Keep occasional sweets with a meal rather than offering them repeatedly between meals or at bedtime.
These are general food and drink recommendations. If you have questions about what to limit or avoid, or concerns about your toddler’s eating, growth, or food restrictions, ask your child’s doctor or nurse. The CDC recommends speaking with a clinician when you have further questions about foods and drinks for a young child.
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