Can salt be added to baby food for seven months? At what age can babies eat salt?

Complementary food refers to the food that babies eat every day before they are one year old, in addition to drinking milk. When adding complementary food to their babies, many mothers wonder at what age they can start adding salt to their babies. Regarding, can salt be added to complementary food for seven-month-old babies? At what age can babies eat salt? The editor of No. 5 website will answer your questions one by one!

Can salt be added to baby food for seven months?

When adding complementary food to a seven-month-old baby, you can add a little salt, but don't add too much. It should be light. It is best to let the child eat the taste of the food itself before the age of one. After the age of one, you can add some salt appropriately, but it must be a small amount. Eating too much salt is not good for the baby's kidneys.

How old can babies eat salt?

Children's health has always advocated a "low-salt diet" for children, but there is no clear regulation on the amount of salt children should consume. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends 200 mg of sodium for infants under 6 months old, which is only 0.5 grams of salt when fully converted. Other ingredients in food also contain a certain amount of sodium. Therefore, there is no need to add salt to complementary foods for babies under 6 months old.

After 6 months of birth, the kidneys of infants are fully developed and can excrete the excess sodium and chlorine that enter the body. According to this physiological characteristic of infants, infants can start to eat low-salt foods when they are 6 months old, but the amount must not be too large. Babies already find the taste that adults can taste very salty. If you want your baby's complementary food to have a little flavor, you can dip a little salt with chopsticks when making complementary foods such as egg custard. But don't dip chopsticks in salt too many times. Adding it once or twice a day is enough.

When is the latest time for babies to eat salt?

In fact, you should not add salt to your baby's diet within 3 months after birth. Not adding salt to babies within 3 months does not mean that babies at this stage do not need salt, but that breast milk or milk contains natural salts, and eating these natural salts is enough. The sodium ions in salt are metabolized by the kidneys, and the kidney function of children at this time is still poor. The glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow are not as good as those of adults, and the renal tubular excretion and reabsorption functions are not fully developed. Eating more salty food will inevitably increase the burden on the kidneys and affect their normal development. After 3 months, as the child grows and his kidney function improves, the need for salt increases, and the salt intake should be increased.

The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends 200 mg of sodium for infants under 6 months old, which is only 0.5 grams of salt. Other ingredients in food also contain a certain amount of sodium. Parents do not need to add salt to baby food under 6 months old. They should focus on a light diet and let the baby start a low-salt diet from an early age.

After 6 months, you can consider adding some salt, but the amount of salt should be limited to less than 1 gram per day. Parents should not taste the food first. If you use your own standards to measure the saltiness of the food, you will fall into misunderstandings. Just add salt to the baby's complementary food 1-2 times a day. After 1 year old, gradually increase. For babies aged 1 to 3 years old, try to use as little salt as possible when cooking every day. Generally, children aged 1 to 6 years old should not eat more than 2 grams of salt per day. If you sweat a lot in summer or have diarrhea or vomiting, the amount of salt can be increased as appropriate. In fact, for babies with very sensitive taste buds, the natural taste of vegetables and fruits is very delicious, and these foods also contain enough salt.

Infant food should be salt-free before 6 months

Data shows that 6-month-old babies only need 200 mg of sodium a day, which is equivalent to 0.5 grams of table salt, most of which is sodium salt; if additional sodium is added and the taste is based on adults, it will lead to excessive sodium intake. The renal function of infants is not fully developed, and if they take in too much sodium salt, it will affect their kidney function. Similarly, sweetness and umami will become stronger and stronger, and babies will especially like to eat sweet and umami foods. Therefore, experts recommend that salt should not be added to baby food before 6 months old, and sugar should be added in moderation. If the baby sweats a lot and has a poor appetite, you can add a little salt, but you must not use adult taste as a standard.

If the baby eats light food, the taste buds can be kept sensitive, which can improve the acceptance of various foods and make it less likely to develop partial or picky eating. Infancy is a critical period for the development of taste buds and the formation of taste. If children are allowed to experience and enjoy the original taste of food from an early age, it will have a long-term impact on their health throughout their lives.