Harmful Effects of Adding Salt to Baby Food

Babymommytime

6 years ago

Adding Salt to your Baby’s Food can actually very harmful for his Baby’s Health, as well it can affect its Growth and Development. Many Mothers get Confused and Search about whether to add Sugar and Salt in Baby’s Food during the First Year. They are not clear about its side effects on the baby’s health. The doctor also not recommend giving Salt to babies too earlier.

This question arises when your baby turns 6 months old and you start planning to give Solid Food to your Baby. Don’t get confused, Salt is a very important part of our life and human beings need salt in their body for sure. But when parents should introduce Salt in their Baby Food is the question. Adding Salt & Sugar to Baby Food too earlier has some disadvantages. Let discuss when & how to add salt to baby food.

Below are the Recommended intake for Sodium

Age Per Day Consumption

0 – 6 Month 0.14 – 0.28 gram per day

7 – 12 Month 0.32 – 0.58 gram per day

1 – 3 Year 0.46 – 1.73 gram per day

Source: National Health and Medical Research Council.

Q) When you can Start Putting Salt in Baby Food?

Generally speaking, a baby below one-year-old does not need salt in their food. If you are serving them cereal, rice water, pureed vegetable, or fruits, babies do not have taste buds for salt. They still enjoy their mother’s milk taste, as Breastfeed completes your baby’s requirement of sodium. You can start giving your baby a little bit of salt when she turns One Year Old (Toddler).

Q) Does your Baby need Salt in their Food?

No, babies do not need salt in their food at all. Till your baby is 6 months old, she takes all minerals and vitamins from mother milk. But many parents ask this question “Is it Safe to Add Salt in My Baby First Food’?

The reason behind adding salt in baby food gets more important when the Baby refused to take solid food after the age of 6 months. Our elders or other people say to add a little bit of salt in babies’ food as it very blends in taste and due to which maybe your baby is refusing the food.

Actually, babies don’t have taste buds still developed. They are on the stage of finding anything every day but if you add the salt to their food they will accept that earlier and start refusing the other food items without salt. So, don’t be in a hurry to put salt in baby food too earlier, wait for the right time.

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Effects of Adding Salt to Baby Food before they turn One Year Old?

The first and biggest reason for not adding the salt is because the baby’s kidneys are not fully developed until the baby turns one year old. Below are a few other reasons why you should not listen to your elders and start putting salt in baby foods.

A Disadvantage of Adding Salt to your Baby Food

It can increase the risk of high blood pressure in babies due to the level of sodium present in Salt. Do you know that infants are at higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to older kids? Make sure that you avoid salt totally till your baby is one year old. This problem starts at the earlier stage of babies and affects their bodies when they are grown-up children.
Kidney Failure or overload, you must have already heard about this effect. It’s not that excess salt only affects babies, kids, or child it’s the biggest reason for kidney failure in adults also. That’s why older people reduce their salt intake after the age of 50 to reduce the effect of kidney failure.
Therefore, there is no need to add excess salt to your baby’s food after they are one year old. Also, put required salt in family food, kids will automatically accept the taste of it.
Do you know what is Osteoporosis, It a bone disease that causes a loss of bone density? Parents give it less importance and sometimes ignore this major cause. It can weaken your baby’s bones, which can later cause a fracture.
Salty food will develop your baby’s taste buds too earlier. Due to which they will start refusing bland foods that actually are good for their health.