What Should Babies Drink From 6 to 24 Months?
Questions about drinks from six to twenty-four months involve more than the amount eaten; early feeding combines nutrition, oral skill, sensory learning, family culture and a relationship in which the adult provides safe opportunities while the child communicates hunger, fullness and readiness, so useful guidance must protect both physical safety and trust at the table.
The short answer
Breast milk or infant formula remains the main drink through the first year, with small sips of water offered from around six months as solids begin. After twelve months, local guidance usually shifts toward family milk choices and water. Sugary drinks add little benefit and can affect teeth and appetite.
What this means in practice
Offer water in an open or free-flow cup with meals and practise gradually. Do not replace formula with ordinary cow’s milk as the main drink before the locally recommended age, though it may be used in cooking where guidance permits. Seek individual advice for allergy, growth concerns, prematurity or a medically restricted diet.
What to notice first
For drinks from six to twenty-four months, look at the child’s posture, texture skills, appetite, milk intake, growth and emotional response across several meals; record coughing, choking, pain, vomiting, a wet voice, rash or breathing symptoms accurately, because these signs need a different response from ordinary caution, gagging or changing appetite.
A practical plan
- Use an open or training cup for water practice.
- Keep sweet drinks out of the routine.
- Check what childcare settings serve.
- Discuss milk choices after age 1 with the child's clinician when needed.
Use the practical steps below to make drinks from six to twenty-four months safer and easier to interpret; offer food when the child is alert and seated upright, change one feature at a time, respect clear stop signals and keep the next planned meal or snack predictable rather than pressuring the child to reach a target quantity.
Questions parents often ask
Can a 6-month-old have water?
CDC allows small amounts of water with complementary feeding; milk feeds remain the main nutrition source.
When can cow's milk be a drink?
After 12 months, according to CDC guidance.
Does a toddler need juice?
No. Whole fruit is generally preferable.
Agreeing the plan with other caregivers
Before the next likely situation involving drinks from six to twenty-four months, agree on a response that a parent, relative or nursery worker can recognise and repeat; one shared step is “Use an open or training cup for water practice”, followed by “Keep sweet drinks out of the routine”, and adults should describe what they will do rather than making promises about how quickly the child must change; also agree which signs mean stop, which symptoms require clinical advice and who knows age-appropriate first aid, so responsiveness never weakens supervision.
A useful seven-day review
Across a normal week, look at drinks from six to twenty-four months over several meals and snacks rather than judging one plate; note the range of foods offered, the textures managed, the child’s hunger and fullness signals, comfort, supervision and any coughing, choking, rash, vomiting or pain, while keeping portions and adult commentary out of the scorekeeping.
At the review point, ask whether the plan for drinks from six to twenty-four months produced safer participation, a little more confidence or a broader learning opportunity without increased pressure; continue a helpful step, adjust a texture or routine that exceeded the child’s skill, and seek nutritional or feeding assessment when growth, hydration, swallowing or severe restriction remains a concern.
Safety and dignity
Safety is central to drinks from six to twenty-four months: supervise actively, match shape and texture to the child’s current chewing and swallowing ability, keep recognised choking hazards away and learn age-appropriate first aid from an accredited provider; suspected choking or a severe allergic reaction requires emergency action, not online troubleshooting.
What commonly gets in the way
- Turning drinks from six to twenty-four months into a contest in which one more bite matters more than the child’s cues.
- Distracting a child past clear fullness cues.
- Advancing texture without modifying choking hazards.
- Removing foods without clinical nutrition advice.
How to judge progress
Progress with drinks from six to twenty-four months may be accepting a food nearby, managing a new texture, communicating hunger or fullness more clearly, using less adult help or eating a broader pattern over time; judge weeks rather than one plate, while continuing to act promptly on growth, hydration or swallowing concerns.
When to seek more support
Get qualified advice about drinks from six to twenty-four months for poor growth, dehydration, persistent pain, repeated coughing or choking, a wet voice after swallowing, suspected allergy, a rapidly shrinking food range or distress that makes meals unmanageable; use emergency services for inability to breathe, collapse or signs of a severe allergic reaction.
The point to keep
With drinks from six to twenty-four months, the adult’s role is to provide suitable food, safe preparation, supervision and predictable opportunities, while the child’s cues guide whether and how much is eaten; growth, hydration, allergy symptoms, pain or swallowing difficulty always take priority over completing a plate or following a popular feeding method.
Key point: For drinks from six to twenty-four months, choose the safest useful next step and make it repeatable.
WHO, Complementary feeding guideline