Sodium & Babies - Solid Starts (2024)

FAQs

Sodium & Babies - Solid Starts? ›

It is safe to offer food that contains salt as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age; however, be mindful of salty food. Some food tends to be very high in sodium, such as condiments, cured meats, salty cheese, and store-bought prepared food.

Young babies under 6 months of age meet their daily sodium requirements from breast milk and formula alone. Those 7–12-months-old are able to meet their needs from breastmilk or formula and the small amounts of sodium naturally present in unprocessed complementary foods.

Experts believe that babies fed a salt-rich diet may grow up to have a higher risk of high blood pressure and heart disease than those fed lower amounts of salt (11, 12, 13). So babies have a lot to gain from not being given too much salt. In sum – Salt contains sodium, a nutrient that babies need in small amounts.

Babies should not eat much salt, as it's not good for their kidneys. Do not add salt to your baby's food or cooking water, and do not use stock cubes or gravy, as they're often high in salt. Remember this when you're cooking for the family if you plan to give the same food to your baby.

Daily recommended sodium intake guidelines for children and adolescents are: Ages 1–3 — Less than 1,200 milligrams. Ages 4–8 — Less than 1,500 milligrams. Ages 9–13 — Less than 1,800 milligrams.

A sodium (Na⁺) value of 135 – 145 mEq/L is indicative of appropriate total body weight and sodium balance which are important factors in maintaining hydration status in the neonate.

There is now evidence to show that a high salt intake in children also influences blood pressure and may predispose an individual to the development of a number of diseases including: high blood pressure, osteoporosis, respiratory illnesses such as asthma, stomach cancer and obesity.

Many people are often worried about the salt content in cheese. Whilst cheese is a food that is naturally higher in salt, it is still fine to offer to babies as part of a balanced diet. It provides a variety of other nutrients as well as flavour and texture. The quantity that it's offered in is important.

The effects of eating too much salt can be hard to spot and tend to come on over time. You may notice after eating salty food your baby is thirstier than normal or has darker urine. If you're worried that your child may by eating too much salt, chat to your GP or health visitor for advice.

You mustn't add salt to your baby's food. This is because their bodies can't yet process it and they need only a very small amount of sodium in their diet, the mineral that's in salt. Before they're six months old, they will get all the sodium they need from your breastmilk or infant formula milk .

Can we give salt to a 6 month old baby? ›

Most nutrition guidelines recommend avoiding foods with added salt for infants aged 6-12 months.

Babies up to 6 months: Less than 1g salt per day (they'll get this in their milk). 7-12 months: 1g salt per day (they'll get about 0.5g from their milk and the other 0.5g from the weaning foods they eat).

"Up until 12 months of age, your baby is getting enough salt from formula and breast milk, so there is no need to add salt to any other foods," says Preeti Parikh, MD, a pediatrician and the executive medical director at GoodRx.

Too much sugar is bad for your baby's emerging teeth, and limiting sugary drinks and snacks can help prevent tooth decay. And too much salt is bad for your baby's kidneys (BNF 2023, NHS 2022b). If your baby gets a taste for sugary or salty foods, it may be harder for you to persuade them to try healthy options .

A gram of salt clocked in at about 1/6 tsp, making it the heaviest ingredient. But salt is composed of chloride as well, with only 40% of its weight accounting for pure sodium. Doing some math there gives us about a 1/2 tsp of salt to amount to 1 gram of sodium.

There are many foods out there that have a naturally 'salty' or savoury taste, without adding any unnecessary sodium. These include eggs, beetroot, chard, celery, artichoke and arugula. Options like nutritional yeast, or low-salt yeast extract are also great options to add to meals.