Skip to content
pullinsreport

pullinsreport

pullinsreport

  • Home
  • Personal development
  • Transport
  • Parenting
  • Foods
  • Toggle search form

Avoid Adding Salt To Baby’s Food

Posted on June 15, 2022 By admin No Comments on Avoid Adding Salt To Baby’s Food

When the time comes for babies to be introduced to solid foods, parents cannot wait for little ones to try everything. While the early days are generally filled with bland-tasting foods, adding seasonings and spices as the tastebuds begin to mature can broaden babies’ pallets so that they enjoy flavors from around the world. One of these first seasonings that many parents try is adding a bit of salt to their babies’ food.

And while it may seem like a good idea to boost the flavor of food this way, adding salt too early on can have an effect on babies’ overall willingness to try new foods. Because of this, it is best to wait as long as possible before adding salt to babies’ food.

BOOK VIDEO OF THE DAY

The goal of giving babies a rainbow of colors on their plate is to encourage them to eat a variety of flavors and textures. When the norm is to try new foods, there may be less pushback as babies age to be open to foods. Options other than mac and cheese, chicken tenders, and the like may be more accepted than if babies are only given sweet and salty foods from the get-go. And the more adventurous the eater as a baby, the more adventurous eater into the later years of life.

RELATED: Baby Food Manufacturers Hook Kids On Sugar, Salt, And Fat

Here is when salt can be added to a baby’s diet.

Age When Baby Can Have Salt Added To Food

jason-tuinstra-4OfaTz6SdYs-unsplash
via Unsplash / Jason Tuinstra

The first foods that babies get are made into a purée. Because of this, there may be the temptation for parents to add seasoning to give the purée a bit more pizzazz. But babies need to wait some time before moving from a bland diet to one filled with seasoning.

According to Healthline, salt should not be added to babies’ diets until their first birthdays. This allows the tastebuds time to enjoy different foods and grow into what they are willing to accept from food flavor profiles.

Further still, per the publication, babies’ kidneys are not mature enough to be able to filter an excess of salt as adults’ kidneys can. As a result, babies can become sick or even have their kidneys permanently damaged if offered too much salt too soon.

Therefore, parents should give it some time before adding salt to their babies’ diets. Babies’ systems will thank them for it.

Some Salt Is Necessary In Baby’s Diet

Some salt is necessary in babies’ diets in order to keep them healthy. That amount may surprise parents, however.

According to The Children’s Nutritionist, from birth to six months of age, babies should only have one gram of salt added to their diets. This is done, per publication via breast milk or formula.

After that age, babies and toddlers should have no more than two grams per day of saltaccording to The Children’s Nutritionist. Something that many parents mistakenly go over day in and day out when offering their babies solid foods.

Why Waiting To Add Salt Is Beneficial

luwadlin-bosman-K4exz1NVloo-unsplash
via Unsplash / Luwadlin Bosman

When parents wait to add salt to their babies ‘diets, they are doing their babies’ future health a great advantage. This is because once babies start to get salt consistently with their food, they begin to crave it. And it can be that the craving becomes so great that picky eaters are made as a result.


According to Health.com, babies are born with an affinity for salty foods. But when they are not afforded the opportunity to eat salty foods day in and day out, it is not something that becomes a craving. It is when salt and processed food are given at an early age, per the publication that there is a desire to have salty foods consistently.

This was proven as a result of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. What the study showed is that when babies are given salt-laden foods before their first birthdays, as kids and adults they are more prone to be drawn to eating copious amounts of food filled with salt and sodium than those who had salt delayed until after their first birthdays.

As such, the longer that parents are willing to wait to provide extra salt to their babies’ diets, the less picky an eater they will become. Something that not only applies to babies but to adults as well.

High Sodium Foods That Should Be Excluded From Baby’s Diet

The hard thing about keeping sodium intake low in babies’ diets is that foods that are geared toward babies can have a great deal of sodium in them. Does this mean that all foods with sodium should be avoided? Not necessarily. But there are some that parents should not give to infants to keep their sodium intake low.

According to BabyCentre, foods that parents should avoid giving their babies due to high sodium content include:

  • Prepared baby meals
  • Crackers
  • Soup
  • Bacon
  • Chips

Many sauces and gravies are high in salt as well, per publication, and should not be given to babies either.

The longer that parents can put off high sodium foods, the healthier babies and potentially older children and adults will be as a result.

Alternative To Salt To Flavor Food For Baby

pexels-monicore-458796
via Pexels / Monicore

As babies grow accustomed to their puréed foods, parents can begin to slowly add in spices that may change the flavor profile but do not add sodium by doing so.

According to Parent Map spices that parents may want to consider adding to their babies’ foods include:

  • Cinnamon
  • Cardamom
  • Clove
  • Saffron
  • Basil
  • Cumin
  • Coriander

All of these spices will dance on babies’ tastebuds while not making them crave saltiness. And when this happens, more adventurous eaters are made.

Source: Healthline, The Children’s Nutritionist, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Health.com, BabyCentre, Parent Map

Parenting

Post navigation

Previous Post: Social worker for 10-week-old baby ‘murdered by her parents’ had ‘generally disinterested attitude’
Next Post: Insider Tips for the 2022 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Archives

  • June 2022
  • May 2022

Categories

  • Foods
  • Parenting
  • Personal development
  • Transport

Recent Posts

  • Newark-Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. $272 (Basic Economy) / $342 (Regular Economy). Round trip, including all taxes – The Flight Deal
  • Record label boss who fired handguns from balcony thought he was the ‘reincarnation of Tupac Shakur’
  • A Behind-the-Scenes Look from the Creators of ‘BAYMAX!’ on Disney +
  • San Francisco-Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. $782. Round trip, including all taxes – The Flight Deal
  • 50 Boundaries Quotes To Remind You Saying “No” Is Necessary Self-Care

Recent Comments

No comments to show.
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • DMCA
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and conditions

Copyright © 2022 pullinsreport.

Powered by PressBook WordPress theme