[*Cyndee*]

What is the best juice box option on the market?
School wants a juice "BOX", something she can open on her own. I was thinking of offering her water 'pods' that I pre-open for her but I am also looking for simple fun on the go options for summer too.

So what doesn't contain HFCS or is super inflated with teeth rotting sugar? Any suggestions?

[WineKeepsMeSane]

They won't allow a reusable bottle that she can open and close on her own? She could pick one out, and you could put whatever you want in it.

[*Cyndee*]

I've tried a few but they leak loose in her backpack, she doesn't have a lunch sack per-say. I was hoping to wait for full time pre-k to find a thermos based option. They insist on mess-free disposable options and I also want something for easy on hand for summer time. Are there no good options out there?

[horseradishmayo]

it HAS to be disposable? how weird! i was going to suggest you get her a SIGG. it has a top that snaps on and then you twist the mouth piece to open it...it doesn't leak at all.
anyway...apple and eve has those tiny juice boxes that are organic. i don't buy them anymore, but when Vincent was a newborn i kept some in the fridge so Sarah could help herself to a drink if i was busy nursing him or something.

[.Michelle.]

What about something like this? Amazon.com: Thermos Foogo Phases Leak Proof Stainless Steel Straw Bottle, 10 Ounce, Blue/Yellow: Baby

I haven't used them but it says it is leak proof.
Other than that I am unsure of what good juice boxes there are. I don't buy them.

[TheMommyProject]

Sorry, I don't have any juice box recommendations, I've never bought any. Just wanted to say that the onw Michelle linked looks awesome. I'm starting to look for options for Aidan when he starts JK in the Falk and putting that one in my list for sure.

The Apple and Eve Fruitables that Jac mentioned are a good option. The boxes are kind of small so she might need two of them for each lunch. They are 100% juice and have no added sugar/sweeteners.
Here's what is in them.
Juice from apple, purple carrot, sweet potato, butternut squash, beet, pear, strawberry, raspberry and tomato juice concentrates, filtered water, natural flavors, citric acid, vegetable color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin E acetate.

Another good option are Honest Kids Organic Fruit Pouches. The only thing I don't like about them is they are not 100% fruit juice (they are only 6-10%) but they have no added sugar and no artificial sweeteners like HFCS.

Here are the ingredients in the drinks.
Goodness Grapeness: Purified water, organic cane sugar, organic grape juice concentrate, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic grape flavor, organic pomegranate juice concentrate, vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Contains 10% Juice.

Berry Berry Good Lemonade: Purified water, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic cranberry juice concentrate, lemon extract, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), natural berry flavor, purple carrot juice (color). Contains 6% Juice.

Tropical Tango Punch: Purified water, organic cane sugar, organic white grape juice concentrate, organic lemon juice concentrate, natural mango flavor, organic orange flavor, organic orange juice concentrate, beta carotene (color), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), organic mango blend. Contains 7% Juice

[bostoncreampie]

We buy The Apple and Eve Fruitables mostly.

[*Cyndee*]

Thank you! I have bough Apple & Eve before, they are pretty small but I did love the ingredients. The Honest Kids pouches she still has a harder time with doing herself but maybe after this summer she'll get the hang of it.

I sent her with thermos type bottle today. the lid is too hard for her to get off but an aide can help her, the pop up sports top style she can pull open using her teeth but not her fingers, so I sent her with water today and will see what they say. The other thermos I had had an icepack center and they told me it can't have that due to condensation and it leaked. It may just be finding the right bottle to get the leeway I need.

[bostoncreampie]

Weird, I've always bought the Fruitables in the standard juice box size boxes. Juicy Juice isn't all bad either.

Just bought some Honest Kids organics from Target yesterday, 10 g sugar in 6.75 ounces.

[*Cyndee*]

I found this:

Good Name Brand Choices

Juicy Juice
-All Juicy Juice products are 100% juice
-All Natural, no high fructose corn syrup

Juicy Juice
6.75 ounce slim juice boxes (apple) = 100 calories 22g sugar
4.23 ounce fun size juice box (apple) = 60 calories 14g sugar

Juicy Juice Sparkling Fruit Juice
Lower in sugar (20 grams per can) than regular juicy juice
1 can = ~8.26 ounces = 90 calories and 1 serving of fruit

Minute Maid
-All natural, 100% juice
1 juice box = 100 calories
(16g of sugar)

Capri Sun 100% Juice Pouches
- All natural, no artificial color, flavors or preservatives, 100% Juice
o 1 pouch = 80 calories = 1 full serving of fruit
20g sugar


Next, Tier of choices. Not as good as the ones listed above but still better than some of the options on the market. While these products have added juice they don’t use high fructose corn syrup.

Capri Sun
-Sugar added as second ingredient behind water and before juice
Capri Sun 25% less sugar
Sugar is the second ingredient. Less sugar but not 100% fruit juice.
1 pouch = 60 calories, 16g Sugar

Capri Sun Sunrise
2nd ingredients is sugar (before juice concentrates)
1 pouch = 60 calories

Juice Boxes I wouldn't recommend. These juices used high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener and had more added sugar.

Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters
uses High Fructose Corn Syrup and splenda added
1 pouch = 30 calories

Sunny D Orange Juice and blends
-High Fructose Corn Syrup added to sweeten it. Listed as the second ingredient
8 ounces = 100 calories

Hi-C
-Use High Fructose Corn syrup and sugar to sweeten
-Juice from concentrate
1 bottle = 6.75 fluid ounces = 90 calories
Posted by Sina Teskey, RD, LD


I usually buy JuicyJuice or Minute Maid since they have coupons out regularly. I'm glad to read not all Capri Sun contains HFCS.

Really, they all suck. ugh.

[spicymustard]

I don't buy juice boxes. We've only give her odwela before. She goes to daycare with her kleen kanteen and Oliver with kleen kanteen sippy. She has the sports cap on hers and we need to make sure it is fully shut before putting it in a bag though. She doesn't always close it all the way.

I need to save your list somewhere though in case I ever want any. I've never heard of apple and eve before. It's kind of nice to have options.

[bostoncreampie]

Just tried the Honest Kids organics at the zoo and the kids didn't drink it. Tastes like grape water. Not really like juice.

[~Devon~]

Jacob doesn't like the Honest Kids either, even though when he gets juice at home I water it down.

[WineKeepsMeSane]

Wow, I can't believe they require disposible! Up here a lot of schools are demanding waste free lunches! Glad there are at least some okay options.

[*Cyndee*]

Well she came home with the thermos and some had leaked in her backpack but it was just water. She later told me her teacher was sick so there was a sub and the teacher's aide so I'm not sure if I got away with it. I really need to find a no-excuse reusable option. Her teeth can't take juice options (non diluted) anymore.

[kimmiejo]

the only juice boxes I ever buy are Juicy Juice, neither of my kiddos drink much juice these days, Sam drinks a ton of milk and Syd likes water or milk. As for school we don't have to provide anything, if we did and it needed to be disposable, I guess I would do Juicy Juice or one of those little bottles of water with the pull up top. (like the sports bottle top) does she like water? maybe that's an option. or maybe you could use the water container and splash it with juice for flavor, that way not so much sugar and she still throw away the water bottle.

Could you get a backpack with a side pocket on the outside to put the water in, that way it wouldn't leak inside her backpack? Kleen kanteen or Sigg are probably the 2 best options for a reusable.