Salt & stock for baby - label confusion!

[GeorginaA]

Okay, I've just been shopping for some vegetable stock for ds2's food (he's 6 months) and have come away feeling completely confused.

Making my own stock is just not an option, btw. Making my own baby food is already stretching the limit of any available spare time.

How much salt is a 6 month old supposed to have - is it really none? I looked at both Kallo and Marigold - brands that have been recommended on here. Kallo has 0.4g sodium per 100ml and Marigold Low Salt Bouillon has 0.5g sodium per 100ml so I went for the Kallo. Then I look at the normal fresh stocks in Tescos and they're only 0.3g per 100ml - so why am I buying low salt varieties?! Unfortunately, they don't seem to have a vegetable version in stock today, so I had to stick with the Kallo.

Now, I get home, and while I'm putting the shopping away, notice that the Knorr stock cubes I already have in (again not marked low salt) only have 0.4g per 100ml anyway. No difference to the Kallo ones.

I'm now totally confused and totally unsure whether 0.4g is good or bad or whether ds2's kidneys are going to pack up the second I try and feed this stuff to him....

scream

aha am all ears on this one

I have actually put off making anything more adventurous than squished veg because I haven't got round to making salt-free stock

Had a thought - if I made the stock at half strength (effectively halfing the salt) would that work or would it just taste insipid and revolting?!

Well, given that I doubt very much you are going to give him 100ml of stock, then I feel pretty sure you will be fine. Or more to the point, your ds will be fine. There is salt in stuff anyway - like bread. Babies eat toast and survive.

Good point.

Sorry, just having a dippy mummy moment. Still think that stock cube companies are having a laugh with their labelling though .

Given all the threads on mumsnet about cooking for babies, there's GOT to be a market for genuinely low salt stock - why oh why isn't there any?!

Just to add to the confusion. There is a difference between the salt content and the sodium content. But I don't know what, and which is the one we are meant to use.

I am using Marigod lo-salt, but in moderatio. Ds is eating what we have anyway (chicken tikka and tarka dhal from last night's takeaway ), but I figure as long as I avoid processed foods he'll be OK.

not to throw more worry anyone's way .. but heard on the grapevine of some research that said lo-salt is a bad idea in general (like lots of other food-stuffs its a carcinogen or something)

anybody heard / read the same??

Salt = Sodium x 2.5 I found out earlier today, prufrock.

So the 0.4g of Sodium = 1g salt.

salt contains sodium and chloride and from memory, you multiple the amount of sodium (per 100g) by 2 and a half to get the salt content. You only need to know that if the label is only quoting the sodium content (most good manufacturers will do salt and sodium or salt on it's own).

Think we are supposed to aim (as adults) for less than 5g of salt (i.e. 2g of sodium) a day.

V key as to check whether it is salt or sodium on the label. I was never looking very carefully before I knew this.

oops sorry GeorginaA - you type much quicker than me!

lol sorry foxinsocks!

i never found any salt free stock and also didn't have time to make it myself. i just used water, and the results were fine. sometimes i used to add a couple of bayleaves and maybe six whole peppercorns which i then removed before blending. imho, baby food would be v. insipid to adult tastes anyway even with the salt free stock!