Is Your Baby Eating Too Much Salt

Courtesy of Federico Stevanin

Adults are often warned about eating too much salt and why that may be bad for their health, but now experts claim eight-month old babies are eating too much salt too. Nutritionists say the problem is caused by babies being fed too many processed foods, which often include salty flavorings. Cow's milk and bread were also blamed for providing more than the recommended amount of salt in a baby's diet, as well as food including tinned pasta, yeast extract and baked beans.

According to the experts, 70-percent of the babies they studied were eating more than the recommended amount of salt, with some having almost double the amount. High amounts of salt in a baby's diet can be harmful to the kidneys, as well as give the child a taste for salty foods, which can lead to health problems later in life.

However the data in the study, which was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was collected some years ago, and health experts argue that awareness of the issue of salt in food has improved since then.

The recommended daily limit of salt for babies up to the age of 12-months is 1g per day. It is also advisable that parents do not give babies under 12-months of age cow's milk to drink.