What’s the difference between salt and sodium?

Babies may not need added salt, but they do need sodium—a dietary mineral that’s naturally found in certain foods and can be added to processed foods. In fact, humans of all ages rely on sodium to function. Because this essential nutrient doesn’t exist naturally within our bodies, we have to ingest it from outside sources. Doing so allows us to:

• Keep our fluid levels in balance
• Regulate our blood pressure
• Transmit nerve impulses
• Contract and relax our muscles

In the United States, sodium is not in short supply, thanks to the ascendency of salt—the chemical compound you add to food with a salt shaker. Salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride. A whopping 77% of sodium in the average U.S. diet comes from processed foods. Only about 12% of our daily sodium intake comes from natural sources.

Thankfully, for most healthy adults, the kidneys work to keep sodium levels on an even keel. They hold on to sodium when the stock is low (i.e., when you’re sweating buckets in spin class) and pass along excess sodium through the urine when the stock is high (i.e., when you eat an entire bag of tortilla chips after your spin class).

But for wee babies with wee kidneys that are still developing, managing large amounts of salt isn’t as easy. This is why it’s best to avoid serving your baby added salt for at least the first year of his life.

The Risks of Too Much Salt in Your Baby’s Diet

While you don’t have to worry about your little bundle of joy overdoing it on salty olive martinis just yet, she can nevertheless face certain health challenges if her diet contains too much salt.

For babies, excess salt intake can result in:

• Changes in taste and food preference – As you introduce your baby to the world of food, you’ll help develop her preferences. This means if you introduce salt-rich snacks before developing her taste for healthier alternatives, such as pureed fruits and vegetables, it can drive home these taste preferences and spark a lifelong affair with highly salted, processed food.
• High blood pressure – Diets rich in salty food can increase chances of hypertension, or high blood pressure, in adults, but new research shows that the blood pressure-spiking nature of salt can also cause negative long-term health effects for babies.

In fact, in a review of infancy salt intake, researchers found that high salt intake during a baby’s first 6 months encourages a lifelong salty taste preference and can alter the renal system, both of which can increase her risk of developing hypertension and heart disease in adolescence and adulthood.

• Kidney damage – Consuming added salt can place an undue burden on your baby’s still-maturing kidneys. Because the baby’s kidneys can’t filter excess salt the way adult kidneys can, this salt can build up and lead to kidney damage.
• Salt toxicity – Although sodium overdoses are extremely rare (and are often the result of medical errors as opposed to a sampling of Great Aunt Sandra’s salty soup broth), they can occur when a baby consumes an excessive amount of salt and can potentially be fatal.

How much sodium do babies need?

To understand the amount of sodium that will help your baby thrive without causing adverse health effects, let’s take a look at sodium’s Adequate Intake (AI)—a fancy term used to determine the approximate intake of any given nutrient by a group of healthy people. AI is used when a nutrient’s recommended dietary allowance (the average intake sufficient to meet nutritional standards) cannot be determined.

Understanding sodium’s AI is beneficial as there isn’t enough available data to recommend an exact dietary allowance of sodium for babies. According to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the AIs for sodium vary by age:

• For babies 0 to 6 months – Up to 110 milligrams per day
• For babies 7 to 12 months – Up to 370 milligrams per day
• For babies 1 to 3 years – Up to 800 milligrams per day

Because breastmilk and formula naturally contain salt, newborns and infants younger than 12 months easily reach their daily sodium AIs without the need for any complementary foods. If your baby falls into this age group, you can estimate how much sodium he’s consuming based on the approximate amount of sodium found within breastmilk and formula:

• Sodium in breastmilk – Approximately 174 milligrams per liter
• Sodium in the formula – Between 25 to 27 milligrams per 5 ounces serving size (depending on the brand)

What happens when it’s time for your baby to enter the world of solid foods? How can you ensure a healthy sodium intake?

Safe Salting 101

Fast forward a few months: your little lady has reached that adorable putting-everything-into-her-mouth phase and is giving your hamburger serious heart eyes. To determine if it’s time to consider supplementing her diet with solid foods, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can she hold her head up on her own?
• Is she able to sit upright in her high chair without support?
• Is she signaling a desire to eat by mouthing her hands or leaning forward while opening her mouth?

If all signs point to yes (or rather, yum), experts suggest starting small with your introduction of solid foods. Choose unprocessed, one-ingredient foods, such as fruits or vegetables, that are low in natural sodium. The combination of breast milk or formula and unadorned whole foods will ensure your little muncher obtains a sufficient amount of sodium to keep her body functioning properly without overwhelming her sodium AI.

A slow introduction is also great for letting your baby try other solid food that you aren’t sure is good for them. For example, if you’re wondering, “When can babies have chocolate?”, “When can babies have strawberries?”, or
“When can babies have cheerios?” you want to make sure you wait until the appropriate age and development level. Then when you do introduce the new food, start small to check if your infant would have an allergic reaction or not. All in all, whatever food you want to introduce, do so in moderation.

How to Limit Salt Intake

Between early morning conference calls, last-ditch attempts at date night, and ensuring you and your baby are both bathed, fed, and in a fresh diaper (minus the diaper for you), adhering to baby sodium guidelines can feel easier said than done.

Don’t worry—you’ve got this! There are a handful of simple steps you can take to set your little love up for low-sodium success, including:

• Shopping smart – When time permits, check the food labels on your go-to packaged purees and snacks to ensure that they don’t contain any salty surprises. Most commercial baby food will not contain added salt, but many processed snack foods and packaged food staples, such as bread and breakfast cereal, might show higher sodium levels. Any food items that offer 400 milligrams or more sodium in one adult serving size are considered high in sodium.
• Making your own baby food – If you’re a fan of the DIY route when it comes to your baby’s bites, try to refrain from adding extra salt to any homemade baby food. If you use canned fruits or vegetables in your homemade purees, check the nutrition labels to ensure you’re purchasing low sodium options. You may even consider rinsing canned foods—particularly beans, lentils, peas, and vegetables—to reduce their sodium content before blending.
• Avoiding common culprits – If you have a strong sense of which foods are high-sodium offenders, you’ll be well equipped to make thoughtful choices when it comes to your little one’s health. Frozen meals and restaurant-prepared foods tend to have a higher salt content, as well as common nibbles, such as:
  • Olives
  • Capers
  • Cheese
  • Bacon
  • Chips
  • Canned tuna
  • Pickles

Low-sodium alternatives, such as yogurt, unseasoned chicken breast, and plain vegetables can be lifesavers for hurried moms and hungry babies.

Navigating your baby’s dietary needs, especially regarding sodium intake, is essential to their growth and long-term health; keep salt additions off the menu for the first year, and focus on introducing a variety of unprocessed, naturally low-sodium foods. Remember, with conscientious choices and a balanced approach, you can effectively manage your baby’s sodium intake, fostering a healthy relationship with food that extends far beyond their first year.