Baby ate salt dough

[Saltdoughmuncher]

My 8 month old has just grabbed a handful of salt dough from me and eaten it at the speed of light! I’ve tasted it and it is very very salty, she probably ate a marble sized piece.

She has been sick twice (a fairly substantial amount) and she coughed and spluttered for a few minutes after.

Do I need to do anything? She is playing fine and isn’t upset. I’ve given her plenty of water and she is about to have a bottle and go to bed. I know salt toxicity can be really dangerous in babies. I did ring 111 but was on hold for ages then my 3 year old needed me so I hung up. Shall I ring them again?

I think it will be fine. On the basis of no experience.

Thanks! Google tells me she needs to eat 4g for it to be dangerous which (without any weighing scales) I don’t think she did. She didn’t chew it and at 8 months can only swallow small lumps so I doubt she swallowed much

My DD did this when she was around 14mo but she was having kidney investigations at the time so it was a trio to hospital. They had to calculate how much she had eaten, do a blood test to check her salt levels which were high, and then repeat the test a few hours later to check she was processing it which she was. From memory you need to look out for tiredness, vomiting, nausea, irritability/grumpiness, excessive thirst, headache or seeming pained.

If you're at all concerned you should call for professional advice.

I'd call 111 again to be on the safe side.

It is difficult to monitor her as obviously at this time of night it’s bedtime so she is asleep now and doesn’t usually wake until 5am ish.

You'll have to wake her to monitor her if 111 think you need to. Disturbed sleep Vs salt toxicity? I know which one I'd rather risk.

I'd call 111 again to put your mind at ease. Follow their instructions, it's worth a bad night IMO

How did it go O

...OP?

She is fine thank you! I won’t be letting her near the salt dough again any time soon!

DS played with salt dough at the children's centre... "They won't eat it" they said, " They'll find it too salty" they said... There's DS scoffing it down... That was years ago and he seems to have lost the taste for it