BLW and salt, giving "table food"

[newmamalizzy]

DD is 9 months old, started solids about a month ago, and is doing almost all self-feeding.  We're taking the food introductions slowly because of allergy concerns, but I know that part of the benefit of BLW is supposed to be the ease of it, just giving baby some of whatever you're eating.  I don't feel like we eat unhealthy food, but I feel like hardly anything we eat is something I could give to DD.  A lot of my concern is over salt.  I've often read that there should be no added salt for babies, and I always season my food as I cook it rather than adding salt at the end.  (i.e. Salting the water for veggies, potatoes, pasta.)  I tend to use bouillon to flavor soups and stews as well.  Then there's the fact that I start almost every dish with onions and garlic, which I didn't think babies were supposed to have until later.  Are these really things to be concerned about?  How do you (or do you at all) modify the foods you eat to give them to your baby?

[Knitting Mama]

I don't bother modifying the food that we make, but I use pretty minimal salt in my cooking.

[MJB]

I think moderate salt and spices/garlic/onion is fine for babies. I avoid really salty and sweet foods when they're little. 

I think there is a concern with formula fed babies getting too much salt but I don't think it's an issue with breastfed babies. And if you give water with food it should be fine. 

Last night we had shrimp enchiladas, black beans, and chips and guacamole for dinner. The baby ate some black beans and some guacamole (which had salt and garlic). Tonight we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. The baby had some chicken (bits I pulled off close to the bone where there was no salt) and green beans. And you know, when we are eating something I can't adapt for her, I just give her some baby food (I made a couple small batches and froze them into ice cubes), yogurt, or her baby treats (Happy Baby organic veggie puffs). It's not a big deal. 

My older boys started solids at 6 mos. and by 9-10 mos. were eating pretty much everything except junk food and sweets. I know my middle son could eat a piece of homemade pizza around then. 

[lucy_v]

newmamalizzy, I have the same concerns as you regarding salt and other ingredients. What I've been doing when I make a dish is set aside a small portion for DD, cooking it in a separate pan if necessary, and leaving out salt and any other ingredients that may not be appropriate (tomatoes and citrus are others she's shouldn't have yet at 10 months). 

Infants really shouldn't have much, if any, salt in their diets. What seems like a low amount of salt to an adult could still be too much for a LO.  This article explains how much salt children should have: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/824.aspx?CategoryID=51&SubCategoryID=167

[SubliminalDarkness]

Unless it's a high allergen food, or highly acidic(my DS2 had issues with acid) I wouldn't change anything. Why avoid garlic and onions? I think we do our kids a disservice by training them to prefer bland foods. 

[matthia]

I wouldn't worry at all about the garlic/onions or spices until or unless you notice your LO has a problem with them...babies in places like India routinely eat curry type dishes and spicy lentil dishes as their first food.

salt, I think is probably unneccessary for them...i have nothing to help you with that sorry!

...maybe, trying to adjust how you cook? Is it easier to continue to cook the way you do and also have to cook seperately for the little one, OR is it easier to try and change how you cook and re-train yourself to add salt later in the cooking process? I don't know. I think you'll eventually find a system that works for you.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by matthia 

...maybe, trying to adjust how you cook? Is it easier to continue to cook the way you do and also have to cook seperately for the little one, OR is it easier to try and change how you cook and re-train yourself to add salt later in the cooking process? I don't know. I think you'll eventually find a system that works for you.

This is sort of how I ended up with not adding a lot of salt while cooking. My husband used to salt his food like a maniac, I mean, adding tons of extra salt. Well, three people in his family are now on sodium restricted diets, and we began to worry that his salting habits would catch up with him eventually. So I did some research and some of what I came across indicated that you should try to cut out the salt while cooking if you're trying to reduce sodium intakes. Apparently when you add salt after the food is done, the salt flavor is stronger, so you use less. So I have basically cut salt out of my cooking except for things like salting the pasta water (but I never do that to the "ocean" level of salt the cooking shows tell you to do!) and he adds just a dash to his food.

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by newmamalizzy 

DD is 9 months old, started solids about a month ago, and is doing almost all self-feeding.  We're taking the food introductions slowly because of allergy concerns, but I know that part of the benefit of BLW is supposed to be the ease of it, just giving baby some of whatever you're eating.  I don't feel like we eat unhealthy food, but I feel like hardly anything we eat is something I could give to DD.  A lot of my concern is over salt.  I've often read that there should be no added salt for babies, and I always season my food as I cook it rather than adding salt at the end.  (i.e. Salting the water for veggies, potatoes, pasta.)  I tend to use bouillon to flavor soups and stews as well.  Then there's the fact that I start almost every dish with onions and garlic, which I didn't think babies were supposed to have until later.  Are these really things to be concerned about?  How do you (or do you at all) modify the foods you eat to give them to your baby?

Hi NewMamaLizzy! This is my question exactly! Thank you for asking it.

Just the other day I made hummus, which I usually add a little salt to, and before I added the salt I took out a little bit and put it in a separate container for DS. However, the next day as I was eating some out of my container I gave him a little, forgetting it had salt in it, oops!

But yeah, we are still eating separate from DS....I feed him veggies and sometimes fruit, and that's it. I know they say if you give them more flavors they develop more of a taste for them and won't be picky eaters, but I can also see how if they have just veggies for awhile they learn to appreciate the flavor they have on their own, which can be quite a lot. We like to eat pretty spicy things and I would be nervous to let DS try them (last night we had a very spicy Tamale Pie for example), but I know sooner or later I'll have to (he's 7.5 months now).

[SilverFish]

i am skeptical of the anti-salt sentiment out there. if you were eating a ton of processed food (which usually has astronomically high salt levels), i would suggest preparing separate foods, but most home cooking has perfectly acceptable amounts of salt. people need salt! it's a very important mineral. incidentally, my grandparents, who are uber health conscious "celery sticks and low fat cottage cheese for lunch" types, were told by their physician during their last check-up that they were both deficient in salt and to stop cutting it out.

anyway, i'm also skeptical of the "babies should eat bland unseasoned food" thing in general. babies are little people, not strange alien beings. who wants to eat food with no salt, sweetness or spice? your baby has been experiencing garlic, onion, spices and salt through your breastmilk since day one, no need to suddenly change that! it's one thing to want your baby to experience plenty of wholesome foods and appreciate the natural flavours of plain vegetables, but i disagree that they are incapable of handling regular table foods.

now, you may want to re-evaluate the overall healthfullness of your diet. are you eating consistently high-sodium, high-fat, super sugary things? maybe you could look at some more healthful additions to your diet, but over all, nothing you mentioned sounds terrible. i know i have started serving all of us more plain, unseasoned veggies than i might have otherwise (roasted root veggies, steamed kale, etc) and reduced the heat of some of my spicier dishes (thai green curry, etc) but that is really it.

[MJB]

I've also read that babies prefer garlicky breastmilk. 

I don't worry about spices at all, my kids have been eating spicy food since babyhood. It always surprises me when they have friends over who complain about everything being too spicy. 

[tzs]

Originally Posted by P.J. 

I know they say if you give them more flavors they develop more of a taste for them and won't be picky eaters, but I can also see how if they have just veggies for awhile they learn to appreciate the flavor they have on their own, which can be quite a lot. We like to eat pretty spicy things and I would be nervous to let DS try them (last night we had a very spicy Tamale Pie for example), but I know sooner or later I'll have to (he's 7.5 months now).

this is such a great theory and one that i still believe in....despite the fact that my formerly BLW babe (who i added EXTRA spice for...just for that reason...and because she liked it) seems to now be having a picky toddler phase (i hope it's a phase!) i was so proud of my adventurous eater.....alas.....

[AislinCarys]

Originally Posted by SilverFish 

i am skeptical of the anti-salt sentiment out there. if you were eating a ton of processed food (which usually has astronomically high salt levels), i would suggest preparing separate foods, but most home cooking has perfectly acceptable amounts of salt. people need salt! it's a very important mineral. incidentally, my grandparents, who are uber health conscious "celery sticks and low fat cottage cheese for lunch" types, were told by their physician during their last check-up that they were both deficient in salt and to stop cutting it out.

anyway, i'm also skeptical of the "babies should eat bland unseasoned food" thing in general. babies are little people, not strange alien beings. who wants to eat food with no salt, sweetness or spice? your baby has been experiencing garlic, onion, spices and salt through your breastmilk since day one, no need to suddenly change that! it's one thing to want your baby to experience plenty of wholesome foods and appreciate the natural flavours of plain vegetables, but i disagree that they are incapable of handling regular table foods.

now, you may want to re-evaluate the overall healthfullness of your diet. are you eating consistently high-sodium, high-fat, super sugary things? maybe you could look at some more healthful additions to your diet, but over all, nothing you mentioned sounds terrible. i know i have started serving all of us more plain, unseasoned veggies than i might have otherwise (roasted root veggies, steamed kale, etc) and reduced the heat of some of my spicier dishes (thai green curry, etc) but that is really it.

Well, the problem isn't that salt in general is bad, but that there has been instances where babies have died from too much sodium - and surprisingly low sodium levels, like being being given an adult cereal. BUT the babies have been very young, like two or three months old. The problem is that it isn't known when sodium becomes ok for babies, and at what levels. For a child over six months old, eating family food, some salt is probably ok.

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by SilverFish 

i am skeptical of the anti-salt sentiment out there. if you were eating a ton of processed food (which usually has astronomically high salt levels), i would suggest preparing separate foods, but most home cooking has perfectly acceptable amounts of salt. people need salt! it's a very important mineral. incidentally, my grandparents, who are uber health conscious "celery sticks and low fat cottage cheese for lunch" types, were told by their physician during their last check-up that they were both deficient in salt and to stop cutting it out.

anyway, i'm also skeptical of the "babies should eat bland unseasoned food" thing in general. babies are little people, not strange alien beings. who wants to eat food with no salt, sweetness or spice? your baby has been experiencing garlic, onion, spices and salt through your breastmilk since day one, no need to suddenly change that! it's one thing to want your baby to experience plenty of wholesome foods and appreciate the natural flavours of plain vegetables, but i disagree that they are incapable of handling regular table foods.

now, you may want to re-evaluate the overall healthfullness of your diet. are you eating consistently high-sodium, high-fat, super sugary things? maybe you could look at some more healthful additions to your diet, but over all, nothing you mentioned sounds terrible. i know i have started serving all of us more plain, unseasoned veggies than i might have otherwise (roasted root veggies, steamed kale, etc) and reduced the heat of some of my spicier dishes (thai green curry, etc) but that is really it.

It's not so much that I think DD's food should be bland, moreso that I've specifically heard that babies should have no added salt in their foods until...some uncertain time in the future.  "They" never seem to tell you when you can stop being careful about baby things, but somehow most babies go from eating boring pureed carrots to blaze orange macaroni in a matter of years without dying.  For the garlic/onions, I also could have sworn I read somewhere that these were to be avoided for a while for some health reason (not because of their flavor), but now I can't find that research again.  We're also not doing dairy or wheat until a year for DD, so that makes meal planning a bit more complicated.  Anyway, it seems like there's some conflicting information out there with some research saying that foods should be avoided and others saying there's no need.  High nitrate foods are another example, particularly because these are mostly winter veggies that comprise a lot of our normal diet this time of year. 

If anyone comes to this thread late, I have another question about your BLW babies:  What foods were/are your babies able to consume the most of at the beginning?  DD likes self-feeding, but she's not great at actually eating most things yet, and when I offer her spoon-food she scarfs it right down.  She does well eating bananas, rice cakes, and lightly cooked apples by herself.  Any other suggestions?

[EmTheWife]

We try not to give our 8 mo ds salted foods, but if salt is in the recipe, he will receive some, kwim?  I don't go to the trouble of cooking him separate meals for the teaspoonful that actually makes it in his mouth.

His favorite BLW foods are baked carrot, potato, sweet potato and yam sticks (like a french fry in size), steamed broccoli and carrots, rye crackers and rice cakes.  He is pretty good about actually eating those.  If foods aren't in a graspable form (eg avocado, beans, oatmeal) he just smears them on anything within reach. 

Because of food allergy concerns we are avoiding wheat (eliminates just about every baby cracker/cereal) and dairy until over a year old.

[sugahbee]

I've been giving Oliver roasted veggie sticks, his favorite is sweet potato, fresh fruit (PEARS, banana, pineapple, papaya, etc.) and just started giving him toast sticks made from Ezekiel bread.   His favorite lately is vegetable soup with green beans, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, peas, rice pasta and either beans or tofu.  He eats the stuff he can grab and the smaller pieces and broth I give him on a spoon.  I also spoon-feed him pureed peaches mixed with soy yogurt which he loves.  I'm still making him his own meals, mainly because if we try to all sit down and eat together, he's a MANIAC!  Not sure why, maybe he knows we're not paying attention to only him? Anyway, we usually feed him, put him to bed, then eat.  I too have been wary of salt and sugar.  I use low sodium veggie broth in his soup and that's the most salt he's ever had.  He's had Happy Baby puffs with apple juice concentrate in them, but no sugar other than that.  He's almost 9 months and I am feeling like I want to increase the variety a bit and introduce more seasonings and spices, but not quite sure how to go about it.  My ped isn't too worried about any of it.  She says to just give him what I eat and don't worry!

[JudiAU]

Onion and garlic are fine. Babies like flavor. But yes, you need to watch the salt. Sometimes we wash roasted veg quickly if they are oversalted or have other items on hand prepared without salt to mix i.e. rice or cooked whole wheat pasta etc (for older kids).

We've done a mix of everything but we've never just served whatever we are eating. It is always a mix.

[newmamalizzy]

I checked into the salt issue a bit more and generally found that 1g of sodium is the max daily intake up to 12 months of age.  A quick check of various household foods revealed almost 400mg in a quarter teaspoon of salt, 900 mg in 1 bouillon cube, almost 170 in a slice of processed wheat bread, etc.  DD's formula fed and gets about 300 mg a day just in that; not sure about how breastmilk is for sodium.  Anyway, seems like it could add up pretty quickly.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by newmamalizzy 

I checked into the salt issue a bit more and generally found that 1g of sodium is the max daily intake up to 12 months of age.  A quick check of various household foods revealed almost 400mg in a quarter teaspoon of salt, 900 mg in 1 bouillon cube, almost 170 in a slice of processed wheat bread, etc.  DD's formula fed and gets about 300 mg a day just in that; not sure about how breastmilk is for sodium.  Anyway, seems like it could add up pretty quickly.

I can understand why that would worry you, but thinking about things like the bouillon cube, for example-- how much of that will your child really get?? Not a lot at all, I'd wager, if you're using one cube as a soup base. And a quarter teaspoon of salt, to me, is actually quite a bit, probably as much as I'd put in a whole recipe. Maybe I just use a lot less by nature.