Babies and children only need a very small amount of salt in their diet. However, because salt is ‘hidden’ in many ready-made foods, such as bread, baked beans, and even biscuits, it can be easy to have too much.
As a rough guide, the maximum amount of salt for babies and children is:
- less than 1g (0.4g sodium) a day from 0-12 months,
- 2g (0.8g sodium) a day from 1-3 years,
- 3g (1.2g sodium) a day from 4-6 years,
- 5g (2g sodium) a day from 7-10 years, and
- 6g (2.4g sodium) a day from 11 years.
Babies who are breastfed get the right amount of salt through breast milk. Infant formula contains a similar amount of salt to breast milk.
When you start introducing solid foods, remember not to add salt to the foods that you give to your baby because their kidneys cannot cope with it. You should also avoid giving your baby ready-made foods that are not made specifically for babies, such as breakfast cereals, because they can also be high in salt.
Lots of foods that are produced for children can be quite high in salt, so it is very important to check the nutritional information before you buy. The salt content is usually given as figures for sodium. Food that contains 0.6g of sodium, or more, in a 100g is a lot, and foods with 0.1g, or less, in a 100g, is a little.
Cut down on the number of salty snacks that your child has, such as crisps and biscuits, and swap them for low-salt snacks instead. Try healthy options, such as dried fruit, raw vegetable sticks, and chopped fruit, to keep things varied.
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