Sub-navigation

• « Previous
• Next »
• Back to features list »

Foods to avoid giving your baby

Babies have much more delicate digestive systems than adults, and there are some foods they can’t tolerate in large amounts for health reasons.

Salt

• Your baby’s kidneys can’t cope with too much salt and it’s dangerous to give him much.
• Babies up to six months old should have less than 1g of salt per day.
• From seven months to a year old babies can have up to a maximum of 1g salt a day.
• A breastfed or formula fed baby will get the right amount of salt in his diet without any more salt being added.
• When you introduce solid foods, ensure that they do not contain any added salt.
• Don’t add extra salt to foods you give to your baby.
• You’ll need to limit the amount of high salt food you give your baby in foods such as cheese, bacon and sausages.
• Avoid giving your baby processed foods that aren’t made specifically for babies such as: pasta sauces and breakfast cereals – they could be high in salt.

Sugar

• A taste for sugar could lead to tooth decay when your baby’s first teeth start to come through. So don’t add sugar to the food and drink you give to your baby.
• If you are preparing stewed fruits for your baby, sweeten them using mashed banana, breast or formula milk.

Honey

• Spoonable jar honey shouldn’t be given to your baby until he’s a year old. This is because honey can contain a type of bacteria known to produce toxins in baby’s intestines, causing a serious illness called botulism.
• After a year your baby’s intestines will have matured and it’s safe to give him honey.

Other foods to avoid up to six months

Some foods can cause an allergic reaction in your baby so don’t give any of the following before he’s six months old:

• Wheat-based foods and other foods containing gluten including bread, wheat flour, breakfast cereals and rusks.
• If someone in your family can’t eat foods containing gluten, talk to your GP before giving any cereals such a wheat, rye or barley-based foods to your baby.
• Nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, peanut butter and other nut spreads.
• Don’t give whole peanuts or any type of whole nuts to children under five years old because they could cause choking.
• Don’t give eggs before six months, including mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce.
• Don’t give shellfish.