How much salt can a baby have?
There have been many comments made by Mums in Spain about how high in salt and sugar Spanish foods can be, but just how much salt is it safe for our children to comsume? Babies require far less salt in their diet than adults do.
This is because their developing organs cannot cope with adult salt levels, particularly the kidneys, which regulate the salt and water content in the body.
Why is it so important to avoid adding salt to baby food?
Official guidelines state that while your baby’s organs and digestive system are still developing, it is important not to add any extra salt to baby food. You should also be careful not to feed babies ordinary processed foods, instead sticking to specially-formulated baby foods. This is because many processed foods already have a high salt content. Salt can be 'hidden' in many ready-made foods, such as bread, baked beans and even biscuits, and so it can be easy to ingest too much.
Babies who are breastfed get just the right amount of salt through breast milk. Infant formula milk contains a similar amount of salt to breast milk, so until your baby goes onto solids you can’t go far wrong.
What are the symptoms of salt overdose?
When there is too much salt in the body, fluid is pulled out of the cells, making them shrivel up. This can be dangerous for a baby and could, potentially, lead to brain damage. If your baby is pale and has sunken eyes, it could be a sign that he is dehydrated. You may also notice that your baby is urinating less than usual. A good check is to see if the soft spot, or fontanelle, on your baby's head is sunken. More serious symptoms include fits or seizures and finally coma.
How much salt can babies and toddlers have?
Official guidelines for children’s maximum salt consumption:
• 0-12 months - less than 1g per day
• 1-3 years - 2g per day
• 4-6 years - 3g per day
• 7-10 years - 5g per day
• 11 years+ - 6g per day
To stay within these recommendations, you should aim to:
• Limit salty foods in your baby or child’s diet
• Don't add salt during cooking
• Limit processed foods, such as ready-meals, pies, biscuits, crackers, soups, gravies, sauces, pizza, tinned vegetables, cheese, bacon and crisps, which are all very high in salt.
What to look out for on labels
As your baby grows into a toddler and starts eating more solids, it's important to check the nutritional information on food packaging. Lots of food aimed at children is quite high in salt. The salt content is usually given as figures for sodium. If the food contains 0.6g sodium or more per 100g, it has a high salt content. If the food contains 0.1g or less per 100g, is has a low salt content.
Cut down on the number of salty snacks your child has, such as crisps and biscuits, and swap them for low-salt snacks. Try a variety of dried and fresh fruit and raw vegetable sticks to keep things interesting for your child.
What products might have added salt?
Foods made specifically for babies, such as jar foods and infant cereals, have a low salt content, as salt is not added during processing. These should not be confused with foods aimed at older children. These can be highly processed and have a high salt content and are therefore not suitable for babies.
If you do choose to offer your baby or toddler high-salt foods, guidelines recommends that you only offer small amounts occasionally.
Suitable low-salt foods for your baby include fruit, vegetables and salad, plain meat, poultry and fish, eggs, pulses and milk. Whether they are fresh, tinned or frozen shouldn't make a difference as long as they have no added salt (tinned vegetables often have salt added so be especially careful to check these). Rice and dried pastas are also low in salt – and there’s no need to add salt during the cooking.
The information on this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
