Recommended daily sugar and salt allowance for 6 month old babies...

[Mine]

Hello there
Would anyone be able to tell me what the recommended daily sugar and salt allowance is for a 6 month old baby....??

I would like to give ds some fruit yogurt, but have been shocked at how much sugar is actually in the ready made yogs ie Yeo Valley Organic fruit yogurt for babies and petit Fleios (sp?).
Also the salt content in some cereals seem a bit high too....

But i guess these can only be assumed to be high if i'm not sure what the RDA is for babies.

Thanks in advance for your help.

um, i thought you wern't meant to give a six month old any salt at all?? Might be completly wrong, just getting to grips with all this weaning lark myself!
Is this your ds' first solids? Why not stick to fruit, veggies, meat?

No sugar restriction per se butobviously good to avoid giving them a taste for sweet things and better for their teeth.
under 1's < 1g of salt daily.

Ideally no added salt and restriction of salty foods e.g. ham cheese etc which your 6 month old isn't likely to be eating in huge quantity.

Gets harder as they get older

Whatever it is you'll be well within it if you avoid processed food. Steer cleasr of those youghurts for a start and just give plain. My kids don't even know flavoured youghurt exists.

Bit of pureed prunes if you reallt feel need to sweeten.

No salt at all. And as little sugar as possib;e. Why not male your own fruit purees to serve with plain yoghurt?

make, even!

Same as Moondog. My 3 year old asked me what the cans of pop were in a supermarket the other day!
We buy plain greek yoghurt and mix raisins or chopped unsulphured apricots in it.
It really annoys me that petit filous are sold as being for young children on the basis of them containing lots of calcium but no mention of them also containing all that sugar!
Mine you are giving your baby a good start by reading the labels on 'childrens' food and questioning the ingredients. My SIL just goes along with what the advertising tells her and swears that you are 'supposed' to give your babies petit filous because the tv says so!

thanks everybody. I tried to google the info but there is nothing concrete.
I have been making ds all his foods so far, so i know exactly whats in them, i've mainly stuck to basics with fruit and veg, but my hv said i could start giving him weetabix and ready brek for breakfast and maybe some fruit yogs........ so i went to the supermarket and was shocked at the amount of sugar in the yogurts.

So i think i'll take your advice on that and make my own fruit yogurts!!
I didn;t think about using prunes......i thought they my make him a bit too regular iykwim.

A bit of honey even Mine?

Honey's just middle class sugar.....

And isn't there something about no honey under 12 months? Or has that changed in the 9 million years since I had someone that age?

I was told they shouldn't have honey under a year old (although it is in a one of my baby recipes books so not sure what the truth is any more!)

Weetabix has less salt in than most cereals (I have read most of the labels now!) - DS is a bit older but he loves mini shredded wheat - they have no added anything. He just dips them in milk and eats them with his fingers. Whatever you do don't give any 'diet' type cereals (not that you would!) - we were staying at a friend's the other day and it was the only breakfasty type thing they had. DS was totally hyper for about two hours afterwards and we read the label and the cereal was 20% sugar!

I thought that there was a slight risk of botulism with honey but don't quote me on that.

You're quite right - no honey under 12m due to risk of infant botulism.

Maple syrup, however, is fine if you fancy it .

No honey before one yr due to a risk of botulism.

Home made porridge is good instead of cereals, you can sweeten it with a few raisins or other dried fruit.

You can make your own fruit yoghurts too, mixing fruit puree with greek yoghurt, best to avoid those horribly sugarly kids' yoghurts for now.

Other nice breakfast alternatives are rice and fruit mixes (with pudding rice) and milk, and health food shops sell a variety of cereals with no added salt or sugar, liked puffed rice and wheat.

definately no honey before 12 months.
I also read today that you're not supposed to give babies under 12months egg whites as it may lead to allergic reactions...... even though my hv said i could give him whole boiled egg as long as its cooked through and mushed with a fork.

So much conflicting advice and info.
Internet in my friend and foe!

Oh just thought, can ds eat home made rice pudding even if its made from cows milk....??

Yes, a little bit of cow's milk in food is fine unless there is a history of allergies.

It just shouldn'r be given as their main milk drink until they are over 1.

egg - depends how allergy-[prone your family is. Certainly not before 6m though.

cow's milk is fine in cooking from 6m, you just mustn't give it as a main drink till a year

mine, Ready brek is sugar and salt free if that helps.

Or make yr own porridge.

coolio, thank you ladies. This has been very reassuring.
x

If you do want to give fruity yogurts, the Rachels Organic baby ones are only sweetened with fruit. The mango one is particularly yummy! Sainsbury's own fromage frais - the little pots and the larger ones are also only sweetened with fruit juice, however they have recently changed the recipie of their toddler yogurts to now include sugar instead of the perfectly fine fruit juice.

As for cereals, DD used to love the Hipp Banana Porridge which is sugar and salt-free and has a bit more taste than Ready Brek or plain porridge.

Thanks Mejon.
I tried the baby rice& porridge but ds didn't like it. think the texture was too fine, and the taste was too bland.
I don;t like to add sugar so i need to find a substitute. He loves weetabix, it went down a treat this morning so i;ll stick to that until i get some ready brek.
Re yogurt, i might try making my own for now.

I just whipped up a batch of homemade rice pudding. Grated an apple and pear in there for some fruit nutrition.
Feeling very virtuous!!
Now all he has to do is eat it!!

Re salt: The guidelines are not no salt, but under 1g. Salt is in most stuff.

As for yoghurt, as others have said, if you are worried, just buy natural stuff and add fruit. We buy the sainsburys ones.