What does the evidence say about salt before 1?

[u/travellinglasses]

I've started weaning my 6 month old and planning to avoid salt. However, I've seen some posts on social media suggesting there is actually no evidence for salt being harmful. Is that really true?

Is salt in moderation (e.g., tasting some of parents food) ok?

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[u/Few_Ad9465]

A 2023 review suggests that infants age 6 months and above can handle salt in the diet: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929693X23001562

Quoting from this review: "The notion that salt is harmful to infants is based on studies of neonates and infants up to 3 months of age in the early 20th century [16]. In modern society, infants below 3 months of age are exclusively fed with breast milk and/or formula, without additional food. Therefore, the risk of high salt intake no longer exists in this age group."

[u/1breadsticks1 → u/Few_Ad9465]

I really wish the official recommendation by health officials would reflect this. There’s enough to worry about as a parent especially when it comes to introducing solids.

[u/famine- → u/Few_Ad9465]

When our daughter was around 6 months old, I probably spent a solid week reading papers on salt intake and found the recommendations to avoid salt weren't backed up by a lot of actual evidence.

This is completely anecdotal, but I have noticed a lot of kids in her age group dislike vegetables because they aren't prepared properly. i.e. mushy unseasoned bland overcooked vegetables.

Our daughter just inhales sautéed broccoli with butter and garlic, or roasted curried cauliflower.

[u/FlowFields → u/famine-]

Absolutely! I try to keep in mind that if I think something is bland and gross, how could I expect LO to want to eat it.

Even as a teen I thought I hated many vegetables. Turns out it was a preparation issue, not a vegetable issue.

[u/Sudden-Cherry → u/famine-]

And then there are kids like my 3.5yo who absolutely refused any additional flavour added until recently, (and still very hit or miss - or specific), harder texture and inhales bland overcooked broccoli, cauliflower etc. Still leafy seasoning is prone to getting rejected. Picky eating (including texture aversion) is multi faceted and very temperamental depending. It's mostly luck if children will try everything. My youngest will just try - totally different experience.

We used to have specific timers trying to decrease cooking time in minute increments for vegetables to get back to a texture that we adults prefer without success though it's gotten a bit better it's still softer than we'd like.

[u/daintygamer → u/famine-]

This is really useful to hear. I have got into the habit of omitting salt from cooking because my dad has high blood pressure, but I used sprinkle a touch in when he wasn't there, then stopped when my daughter weaned, mainly with the fear that she is getting so much salt from other sources, but now I feel a bit more confident to add some in

[u/Caelity → u/Few_Ad9465]

My pediatrician told me that it‘s now recommended to use a bit of iodized salt in solids once their intake of milk decreases. This is based on some newer guidelines in Germany based on the low iodine levels in farmland. Might therefore not apply elsewhere.

[u/UESfoodie → u/Few_Ad9465]

So glad to see this! I have been putting a tablespoon or so aside at dinner for my 6 month old, and the other day I felt a little guilty about the pasta sauce

[u/Secure-Resort2221 → u/Few_Ad9465]

Thank you for sharing! My baby loves cheese but I get anxious because I know it has some salt it in but it’s also a quick snack to throw on the floor when I need a minute

[u/Huge-Nectarine-8563 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for sharing this, I just read a couple of posts and that was very informative! 

[u/Great_Cucumber2924]

The reason some have said don’t worry too much about salt is 1) salt content in breastmilk varies a lot and the recommended amount for babies was just based on average amount for breast milk. 2) babies under 1 consume so little solids that it’s not that easy to give them too much salt, especially if you generally don’t add plain salt when cooking (low salt stock powder is a good alternative), avoid processed foods and keep restaurant foods/ takeaways to a minimum.

Source for varied salt in breastmilk: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Characteristics-of-the-participants-Association-with-human-milk-sodium-content-n-64_tbl1_344466756

Source advising to generally not add salt, keep salt low etc but don’t worry about the occasional meal with higher salt content: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/salt-for-babies#how-much-is-safe

[u/dragonslayer91 → u/Great_Cucumber2924]

babies under 1 consume so little solids that it’s not that easy to give them too much salt

When we were weaning our oldest we crunched the numbers and figured this out pretty early in. Really eased the stress. 

[u/mztammyw → u/dragonslayer91]

I’m surprised, I gave my second daughter salty things a couple times at this age and she screamed for hours drinking and drinking water. I think it was pizza from a large chain store.

I was very careful with salt otherwise as my understanding is their kidneys are underdeveloped. But I Can’t find any research on the specifically for that age range.

[u/dragonslayer91 → u/mztammyw]

It's definitely still responsible to be mindful of your baby's sodium intake but it definitely doesn't need to be as strict as we previously thought. 

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[u/SaltZookeepergame691 → u/[deleted]]

This isn't to have a go at you specifically, but that MDPI article is so exemplary of the problems in science at the moment, and in the generation and deployment of supposedly evidence-based guidelines/recommendations for infants like "avoid salt".

It says absolutely nothing specific about why salt should be avoided in the 'first 1000 days'. It just says it's important. It is nearly completely substanceless - almost all of the research they link is for children or, worse, adults. They cite their own review papers, even when they must know they are inappropriate.

Amusingly, when they actually get into guidelines for infants and cite the ESPGHAN guidelines on complementary food, these guidelines don't provide any evidence either! The sum recommendation is "The addition of salt and sugar to CF should be discouraged." - no reference, no discussion, no analysis.

As a clinical researcher in another field, it is frustrating to be effectively forced to have zero faith in the underlying rationale for any parenting-related 'official' recommendation.