Watch the salt and the sugar
Up until the end of their first year, your baby should not be eating foods with added salt or sugar
- Even after the first year, you should try to avoid adding salt and sugar to the foods that you make for your baby
- Always check food labels to see how much sugar or salt is in the foods that you buy
- Try using herbs and spices, or lemon and lime and tomato puree, instead of salt in your recipes
- Limit the amount of sugar you use in baked goods by using fruit purees, dried fruits, and other ingredients, like cinnamon and coconut, instead of sugar
The iron age
Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common nutritional disorder in infants and young children and is why your baby’s iron intake is worth a special mention
- A UK survey showed that over 80% of 1½-4½ year olds were not getting the recommended daily amount of iron (Gregory JR, Collins Dl et al. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: Children aged 1½-4½ years. London HMSO, 1995)
- Up until about 6 months of age, your baby relies on its body stores and breast or infant milk to meet its iron requirements
- Your baby’s body stores of iron will be beginning to run low from around 4-6 months and breast milk won’t necessarily contain enough, so from 6 months it is really important to quickly introduce some foods that contain iron
- Iron found in red meat is most easily absorbed by the body and you can help to ensure that your baby meets their iron requirements by giving them red meat recipes several times a week
- Iron can be found in other sources too, but is not quite so easily absorbed by the body
- By ensuring your baby has some Vitamin C (from fresh fruits and vegetables) at the same time, the absorption of iron from these sources will be enhanced
- Good non-meat sources of iron include: iron-fortified infant cereals, dried fruit (which can be soaked and pureed), beans, lentils and chickpeas, as well green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach
- Follow-on milks such as SMA Follow-on Milk for babies from 6 months are specially formulated to complement the weaning diet, and are also good sources of iron for your baby. Toddler milks such as SMA Toddler Milk are designed for active toddlers from 1 year
Vitamin Supplements
The Department of Health recommends supplements containing vitamins A, C & D for;
- Babies receiving breast milk as the main drink after six months
- Babies on infant or follow-on milk and drinking less than 500-600 ml per day from six months until one year
Ask your health visitor for advice on where to get suitable supplements for your baby
