Salt in food for babies
How Much Should They Eat?
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Nutrition
Medically reviewed by Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT, Nutrition — By Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL) on August 24, 2021
If you’re a new parent, you may be wondering how much salt is OK to include in your baby’s diet.
While salt is a compound that all humans need in their diets, babies shouldn’t get too much of it because their developing kidneys aren’t yet able to process large amounts of it.
Giving your baby too much salt over time may cause health problems, such as high blood pressure. In extreme and rare cases, a baby that’s had a large amount of salt may even end up in the emergency room.
Too much salt during infancy and childhood may also promote a lifelong preference for salty foods.
This article explains what you need to know about salt and babies, including how much salt is safe, and how to tell whether your baby has had too much salt.
You may add salt to your baby’s food in hopes that it’ll improve the taste and encourage your baby to eat.
If you use a baby-led weaning approach to feeding your baby, you may end up serving your baby foods containing more salt simply because you’re serving them the saltier foods you eat as an adult (1, 2).
However, babies who get too much salt through their diets can run into a few issues.
A baby’s kidneys are still immature, and they aren’t able to filter out excess salt as efficiently as adult kidneys. As a result, a diet that’s too rich in salt may damage a baby’s kidneys. A salt-rich diet may also affect a baby’s long-term health and taste preferences (3, 4).
Babies are born with a natural preference for sweet, salty, and umami-tasting foods (1, 4, 5).
Repeatedly being offered salty foods may reinforce this natural taste preference, possibly causing your child to prefer salty foods over those that are naturally less salty.
Processed foods, which tend to be salty but not typically rich in nutrients, may be preferred over whole foods with naturally lower salt contents, such as vegetables (4, 6, 7, 8, 9).
Finally, salt-rich diets may cause your baby’s blood pressure to rise. Research suggests that the blood-pressure-raising effect of salt may be stronger in babies than it is in adults (3).
As a result, babies fed a salt-rich diet tend to have higher blood pressure levels during childhood and adolescence, which may increase their risk of heart disease later in life (10, 11).
In extreme cases, very high intakes of salt can require emergency medical care, and in some cases, even lead to death. However, this is rare and usually results from a baby accidentally eating a quantity of salt much larger than parents would normally add to foods (12).
SummaryToo much salt can damage a baby’s kidneys, increase their blood pressure, and possibly raise their risk of heart disease later in life. A salt-rich diet may also cause your child to develop a lasting preference for salty foods.
Sodium, the main component in table salt, is an essential nutrient. Everyone, including babies, need small amounts of it to function properly.
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.
As such, experts recommend that you don’t add salt to your baby’s food during their first 12 months (2, 4, 5).
Having an occasional meal with salt added is OK. You may sometimes feed your baby some packaged or processed foods with salt added or let them try a meal from your plate. That said, overall, try not to add salt to the foods you prepare for your baby.
After 1 year of age, recommendations vary slightly. For instance, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers 1,100 mg of sodium per day — about half a teaspoon (2.8 grams) of table salt — safe and adequate for children of 1–3 years (13).
In the United States, recommendations for the same age group average 800 mg of sodium per day. That’s about 0.4 teaspoons (2 grams) of table salt per day (14).
SummaryBabies under 12 months should not get any additional salt through their diet. Intakes between 0.4–0.5 teaspoons of salt appear safe in children up to 4 years old.
If your baby eats a meal that’s too salty, they may seem thirstier than usual. Typically, you won’t notice the effects of a high salt diet immediately, but rather over time.
In extremely rare cases, a baby that’s eaten too much salt can develop hypernatremia — a condition in which there’s too much sodium circulating in the blood.
If left untreated, hypernatremia can cause babies to progress from feeling irritable and agitated to drowsy, lethargic, and eventually unresponsive after some time. In severe cases, hypernatremia can result in coma and even death (15).
Milder forms of hypernatremia can be more difficult to spot in babies. Signs that your baby may have a mild form of hypernatremia include extreme thirst and a doughy or velvety texture to the skin.
Very young babies may start crying in a high pitched fashion if they’ve accidentally eaten too much salt.
If you think that your baby may have gotten into too much salt or is beginning to show signs of hypernatremia, call your pediatrician.
SummaryIf a baby has a salty meal occasionally, you may notice they are thirsty. In extremely rare cases, babies who have ingested large amounts of salt may develop hypernatremia and require medical attention.
As a parent, you can limit the amount of salt your baby eats in several ways.
Most baby food purées may contain small amounts of naturally occurring sodium from the foods they are made with but very little, if any, added salt. If your baby is currently eating them exclusively, they’re unlikely to ingest too much salt.
If you make your own baby food, skip adding salt, choose fresh foods, and check labels on frozen or canned vegetables and fruits to find lower sodium options.
Also, remember to rinse canned foods, such as beans, lentils, peas, and vegetables, before adding them to purées or meals. Doing so helps reduce their sodium content (16).
If you’re doing baby-led weaning, you can set aside a portion of meals for baby before adding salt or make family meals with spices and herbs instead of salt.
Check the sodium content of foods you frequently buy, such as bread, cereal, and sauces. Lower sodium versions are available for most packaged foods, and comparing labels can help you find a brand with less salt added.
Frozen meals, as well as takeout or restaurant foods, are generally higher in salt. Occasionally, it’s fine for baby to have these meals, but when dining out, a lower salt alternative would be to bring a few foods from home for your baby.
SummaryYou can minimize the amount of sodium your baby eats by offering them foods without added salt. Replacing pantry foods like bread and sauces with low sodium alternatives can also help.
Babies need small amounts of salt in their diet. However, their bodies can’t handle large amounts. Babies fed too much salt may be at risk of kidney damage, high blood pressure, and possibly even an increased risk of heart disease.
Moreover, a salt-rich diet may cause babies to develop a lifelong preference for salty foods, in turn, possibly lowering the overall quality of their diet.
Try not to add salt to your baby’s foods when they are under 12 months. After 1 year, you can include a small amount of salt in your child’s diet.
Just one thing
When cooking a family-style meal, get into the habit of adding salt near the end of cooking. This way, you can reserve a no-salt-added portion for your baby.
Was this helpful?
Last medically reviewed on August 24, 2021
- Uncategorized
- Parenthood
- Baby
How we reviewed this article:
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Current Version
Aug 24, 2021
Written By
Alina Petre
Edited By
Lisa Valente, MS, RD
Medically Reviewed By
Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT
Copy Edited By
Christina Guzik, BA, MBA
Share this article
Evidence Based
This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.
Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.
This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Medically reviewed by Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT, Nutrition — By Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL) on August 24, 2021
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How Much Should They Eat?
Salt for Babies: How Much Should They Eat?- Health Conditions
- Featured
- Breast Cancer
- IBD
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Articles
- Acid Reflux
- ADHD
- Allergies
- Alzheimer's & Dementia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cancer
- Crohn's Disease
- Chronic Pain
- Cold & Flu
- COPD
- Depression
- Fibromyalgia
- Heart Disease
- High Cholesterol
- HIV
- Hypertension
- IPF
- Osteoarthritis
- Psoriasis
- Skin Disorders and Care
- STDs
- Featured
- Discover
- Wellness Topics
- Nutrition
- Fitness
- Skin Care
- Sexual Health
- Women's Health
- Mental Well-Being
- Sleep
- Product Reviews
- Vitamins & Supplements
- Sleep
- Mental Health
- Nutrition
- At-Home Testing
- CBD
- Men’s Health
- Original Series
- Fresh Food Fast
- Diagnosis Diaries
- You’re Not Alone
- Present Tense
- Video Series
- Youth in Focus
- Healthy Harvest
- No More Silence
- Future of Health
- Wellness Topics
- Plan
- Health Challenges
- Mindful Eating
- Sugar Savvy
- Move Your Body
- Gut Health
- Mood Foods
- Align Your Spine
- Find Care
- Primary Care
- Mental Health
- OB-GYN
- Dermatologists
- Neurologists
- Cardiologists
- Orthopedists
- Lifestyle Quizzes
- Weight Management
- Am I Depressed? A Quiz for Teens
- Are You a Workaholic?
- How Well Do You Sleep?
- Tools & Resources
- Health News
- Find a Diet
- Find Healthy Snacks
- Drugs A-Z
- Health A-Z
- Health Challenges
- Connect
- Breast Cancer
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Psoriasis
Nutrition
Medically reviewed by Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT, Nutrition — By Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL) on August 24, 2021
If you’re a new parent, you may be wondering how much salt is OK to include in your baby’s diet.
While salt is a compound that all humans need in their diets, babies shouldn’t get too much of it because their developing kidneys aren’t yet able to process large amounts of it.
Giving your baby too much salt over time may cause health problems, such as high blood pressure. In extreme and rare cases, a baby that’s had a large amount of salt may even end up in the emergency room.
Too much salt during infancy and childhood may also promote a lifelong preference for salty foods.
This article explains what you need to know about salt and babies, including how much salt is safe, and how to tell whether your baby has had too much salt.
You may add salt to your baby’s food in hopes that it’ll improve the taste and encourage your baby to eat.
If you use a baby-led weaning approach to feeding your baby, you may end up serving your baby foods containing more salt simply because you’re serving them the saltier foods you eat as an adult (1, 2).
However, babies who get too much salt through their diets can run into a few issues.
A baby’s kidneys are still immature, and they aren’t able to filter out excess salt as efficiently as adult kidneys. As a result, a diet that’s too rich in salt may damage a baby’s kidneys. A salt-rich diet may also affect a baby’s long-term health and taste preferences (3, 4).
Babies are born with a natural preference for sweet, salty, and umami-tasting foods (1, 4, 5).
Repeatedly being offered salty foods may reinforce this natural taste preference, possibly causing your child to prefer salty foods over those that are naturally less salty.
Processed foods, which tend to be salty but not typically rich in nutrients, may be preferred over whole foods with naturally lower salt contents, such as vegetables (4, 6, 7, 8, 9).
Finally, salt-rich diets may cause your baby’s blood pressure to rise. Research suggests that the blood-pressure-raising effect of salt may be stronger in babies than it is in adults (3).
As a result, babies fed a salt-rich diet tend to have higher blood pressure levels during childhood and adolescence, which may increase their risk of heart disease later in life (10, 11).
In extreme cases, very high intakes of salt can require emergency medical care, and in some cases, even lead to death. However, this is rare and usually results from a baby accidentally eating a quantity of salt much larger than parents would normally add to foods (12).
SummaryToo much salt can damage a baby’s kidneys, increase their blood pressure, and possibly raise their risk of heart disease later in life. A salt-rich diet may also cause your child to develop a lasting preference for salty foods.
Sodium, the main component in table salt, is an essential nutrient. Everyone, including babies, need small amounts of it to function properly.
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.
As such, experts recommend that you don’t add salt to your baby’s food during their first 12 months (2, 4, 5).
Having an occasional meal with salt added is OK. You may sometimes feed your baby some packaged or processed foods with salt added or let them try a meal from your plate. That said, overall, try not to add salt to the foods you prepare for your baby.
After 1 year of age, recommendations vary slightly. For instance, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers 1,100 mg of sodium per day — about half a teaspoon (2.8 grams) of table salt — safe and adequate for children of 1–3 years (13).
In the United States, recommendations for the same age group average 800 mg of sodium per day. That’s about 0.4 teaspoons (2 grams) of table salt per day (14).
SummaryBabies under 12 months should not get any additional salt through their diet. Intakes between 0.4–0.5 teaspoons of salt appear safe in children up to 4 years old.
If your baby eats a meal that’s too salty, they may seem thirstier than usual. Typically, you won’t notice the effects of a high salt diet immediately, but rather over time.
In extremely rare cases, a baby that’s eaten too much salt can develop hypernatremia — a condition in which there’s too much sodium circulating in the blood.
If left untreated, hypernatremia can cause babies to progress from feeling irritable and agitated to drowsy, lethargic, and eventually unresponsive after some time. In severe cases, hypernatremia can result in coma and even death (15).
Milder forms of hypernatremia can be more difficult to spot in babies. Signs that your baby may have a mild form of hypernatremia include extreme thirst and a doughy or velvety texture to the skin.
Very young babies may start crying in a high pitched fashion if they’ve accidentally eaten too much salt.
If you think that your baby may have gotten into too much salt or is beginning to show signs of hypernatremia, call your pediatrician.
SummaryIf a baby has a salty meal occasionally, you may notice they are thirsty. In extremely rare cases, babies who have ingested large amounts of salt may develop hypernatremia and require medical attention.
As a parent, you can limit the amount of salt your baby eats in several ways.
Most baby food purées may contain small amounts of naturally occurring sodium from the foods they are made with but very little, if any, added salt. If your baby is currently eating them exclusively, they’re unlikely to ingest too much salt.
If you make your own baby food, skip adding salt, choose fresh foods, and check labels on frozen or canned vegetables and fruits to find lower sodium options.
Also, remember to rinse canned foods, such as beans, lentils, peas, and vegetables, before adding them to purées or meals. Doing so helps reduce their sodium content (16).
If you’re doing baby-led weaning, you can set aside a portion of meals for baby before adding salt or make family meals with spices and herbs instead of salt.
Check the sodium content of foods you frequently buy, such as bread, cereal, and sauces. Lower sodium versions are available for most packaged foods, and comparing labels can help you find a brand with less salt added.
Frozen meals, as well as takeout or restaurant foods, are generally higher in salt. Occasionally, it’s fine for baby to have these meals, but when dining out, a lower salt alternative would be to bring a few foods from home for your baby.
SummaryYou can minimize the amount of sodium your baby eats by offering them foods without added salt. Replacing pantry foods like bread and sauces with low sodium alternatives can also help.
Babies need small amounts of salt in their diet. However, their bodies can’t handle large amounts. Babies fed too much salt may be at risk of kidney damage, high blood pressure, and possibly even an increased risk of heart disease.
Moreover, a salt-rich diet may cause babies to develop a lifelong preference for salty foods, in turn, possibly lowering the overall quality of their diet.
Try not to add salt to your baby’s foods when they are under 12 months. After 1 year, you can include a small amount of salt in your child’s diet.
Just one thing
When cooking a family-style meal, get into the habit of adding salt near the end of cooking. This way, you can reserve a no-salt-added portion for your baby.
Was this helpful?
Last medically reviewed on August 24, 2021
- Uncategorized
- Parenthood
- Baby
How we reviewed this article:
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Current Version
Aug 24, 2021
Written By
Alina Petre
Edited By
Lisa Valente, MS, RD
Medically Reviewed By
Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT
Copy Edited By
Christina Guzik, BA, MBA
Share this article
Evidence Based
This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.
Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.
This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.
Medically reviewed by Jerlyn Jones, MS MPA RDN LD CLT, Nutrition — By Alina Petre, MS, RD (NL) on August 24, 2021
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When Should My Baby Drink Water?
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Salt for children: benefits and harms
Salt is one of the most ancient and popular food additives to this day. About whether it is necessary to introduce it into the child's diet, what are the benefits and possible harm of salt for the child's body, read in this article.
Salt is an irreplaceable source of useful trace elements
Sodium chloride, which is the main element in the composition of table salt, plays an important role in ensuring the correct functioning of various body systems, including the body of a child. For example, salt components (sodium, chlorine) contribute to the elimination of toxins, the absorption of a number of micronutrients, the normal metabolic process, water-salt metabolism, the proper functioning of the heart muscle, and neuromuscular endings. The use of salt by ninety percent covers the deficiency of chlorine in the body.
With insufficient salt intake, the child may complain of a constant desire to sleep, lethargy, loss of strength, deterioration in general well-being. Perhaps the occurrence of apathy, the disappearance of appetite. Toddlers may suffer from cramps and muscle pain. Thus, salt is a necessary element in the diet of a child, but it must be consumed based on age norms, since an excess of sodium chloride also threatens with negative health consequences.
Salt guidelines for children
Most pediatricians and nutritionists tend to believe that babies under the age of one and a half years do not feel the need to use salt as a dietary supplement, that is, they do not need to add salt to food. Children receive all the necessary amount of useful elements (for example, sodium) from their mother's breast milk and milk formula if the child is formula-fed, as well as from cereals, vegetables and fruits, meat, dairy products during the introduction of complementary foods. For adults, such food may seem insipid and tasteless, but the “unspoiled” receptors of the child perceive it quite normally, so parents should not reach for the salt shaker to enhance the taste of children's dishes.
You can start adding salt to babies after they reach one and a half years of age, while monitoring the daily amount of salt that the child consumes. Children aged one to three years should not eat more than 0.5 grams of salt per day, three to six years old - more than one gram, six to eleven years old - more than three grams, over eleven years old - no more than five grams of salt should be consumed. It must be borne in mind that the norms are indicated taking into account the amount of salt contained in breast milk, formula and foods that the child eats during the day.
What threatens the excess of salt intake
With excessive intake of salt in the child's body, there is a violation of the normal functioning of the kidneys and pancreas (which are especially sensitive at an early age), the nervous and endocrine systems, and the thermoregulation system. The formation of salt deposits in the joints begins, the load on the heart increases, the risk of developing hypertension increases, and disturbances in water-salt metabolism occur.
Symptoms of an excessive amount of salt in the body of a child are the presence of swelling of the face, eyelids in the morning, complaints of headaches, whims for no apparent reason and irritability, a decrease in the number of urination, and an increase in blood pressure.
Which salt to choose
Now on the shelves of shops there are many types of salt. For use in baby food, rock (table, table salt) is recommended, which can be of various grinding. Refined and black Himalayan salt are not suitable for a children's menu. Iodized (with the addition of iodine-containing components) can be included in the child's diet after consultation with a pediatrician. The use of sea salt is acceptable in baby food after the child reaches the age of five years. Pink Himalayan salt, according to manufacturers, is distinguished by its natural purity and healing effect, however, experts differ on the possibility of using it for food by children.
Is it necessary to salt the food of a child up to a year
— Anastasia Ivanovna, what role does salt play in metabolic processes and why is it harmful?
— These questions are often asked during consultations. You can't do without salt. The basis of table salt is sodium chloride, which:
- helps to improve metabolism;
- has a beneficial effect on the pH balance;
- stabilizes hydrobalance;
- affects blood metabolism;
- prevents dehydration of the body.
The value of salt for the body is high, but we forget that vegetables, fruits, bread and other products already contain salt. And we don’t think about it, so an excess of salt often occurs in the body.
Pay attention! When sodium chloride is low, there may be loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, and excessive flatulence. Someone also talks about dizziness and a drop in blood pressure, but all conditions should be observed with doctors.
Why don't they salt their food to children? And in general - do children need to salt their food?
- As I said, many foods contain natural salt. Nature is so thought out that the first salt children receive from breast milk or formula and in a form that does not harm them. For example, 100 ml of breast milk contains 0.17 sodium. From six months, you can switch to other types of food, making sure that it is suitable for your child's age. I will especially note that cow's milk contains more salt than goat's milk, but in any case, whole milk is not recommended for babies under a year and a half years old.
- And yet, from the point of view of pediatricians, when is it possible to salt food for a child?
— Pediatricians recommend starting salting complementary foods no earlier than 7-8 months, but I would advise you to refrain from salt in the diet of a child up to a year. At the age of the start of complementary foods, the kidneys have not yet formed: they are not able to filter a lot of salt. You can provoke overexcitation, kidney and joint diseases.
— What are some of the supposed health benefits attributed to salt?
- Babies who sweat a lot are thought to lose sodium chloride. In fact, you need to think about dehydration. And it is better to replenish it not with salty foods, but by supplementing it with clean water separately from feeding. And, of course, you need to find out why the child is losing a lot of fluid.
For example,
the potassium-sodium balance in the cells is formed provided that there is enough vitamin D in the body. For some reason, everyone forgets about this, but it is the level of vitamin D that you need to think about if the child sweats a lot. Hyponatremia (decreased serum sodium concentration) causes severe dehydration in case of diarrhea and vomiting, which means that the child loses a lot of water in a short period of time. In such conditions, it is imperative to consult a doctor, take tests, and the question of salting or not salting food will not solve the problem.
Another example is that salt improves appetite,
this is a known fact. Salt increases the amount of saliva, increases the acidity of gastric juice and at the same time exacerbates the desire to eat. In 2008, an interesting study was conducted at the University of Iowa: rats were first fed salty food, and then deprived of salt, which led to irritation. When the rodents were again added salt to their food, they showed cheerfulness and good mood. This is an indicator that salt increases appetite and changes behavior.
If you add a lot of salt to baby food, then the child will get used to this amount and then will protest against insipid food. What to do? Gradually reduce the amount of salt or limit it completely, eliminating all salt reserves, and if age allows, add foods with a salty taste: orange, cranberry, pomegranate juice, onion, garlic, radish, parsley.
— How much salt does a child need?
- It is better not to add anything until the year - the child will receive sodium chloride with food. In extreme cases, add salt from eight months - no more than 1 g per day. After a year, you can slowly introduce salt, but also in reasonable quantities, without overdoing it.
Types of salt: what can children do
— There is an opinion: in order to make salt more accessible to the child's body, its solution is evaporated in a water bath. But I never met parents who did it at home. When choosing salt, you need to carefully read the compositions, evaluate the condition and reaction of the child to salt, and remember the expiration dates.
— What salty foods are strictly prohibited for children and why?
- Salted straws, fish or nuts, even for an adult organism, have an excess of salt. In them, the allowable dosage of salt is almost 17-20 times exceeded, which loads the liver, kidneys, and blood vessels.
Pediatricians and pediatric gastroenterologists recommend not giving your child sugar and salt until he can do without them. Dentists talk about the age of three or four years and the restriction of sweets. But in big cities, children try everything earlier. And as soon as the child gets acquainted with the taste of salted or sweet food, the process cannot be stopped, he will continue to ask for such food, since his receptors will only respond to it. Therefore, young children should be limited in salt and sugar, including their solutions in water.
When choosing products, it is necessary to focus on the age of the child and do not forget that by adding food, we increase the natural dosage.
- Is it possible to replace salt with something?
- Some mothers replace salt with kelp - they buy it in pharmacies, grind it into dust and add salt to food. But they forget that kelp is an iodine-containing product that is undesirable in the diet of children with hypersensitivity to iodine. In addition, kelp is indicated for chronic constipation, and when eaten, it will take water from the body. So, in order not to get dehydrated, you need to increase your water intake. Increasing in volume, it irritates the mucosal receptors and increases intestinal motility, which means that the child will go to the toilet more often. Therefore, replacing salt with something, you need to evaluate all the pros and cons.
— Is there salt in prepared vegetable and meat purees, cereals and cream soups?
— When choosing food for a child, it is important to read the ingredients. If the product does not contain added salt, such as MAMAKO ® baby food, the manufacturers declare this on the packaging, and if sodium chloride is added, then it will be included in the description of the product composition.