"Can my baby have salt?" It's one of the first questions almost every parent asks once solids start. The honest answer isn't a flat no. It comes down to understanding the difference between sodium and added salt, and where babies actually get theirs from.
Sodium ≠ Salt
Sodium is an essential mineral. Babies need it for fluid balance, nerve and muscle function, growth, and digestion.
Salt (sodium chloride) is one source of sodium, but not the only one. It occurs naturally in plenty of whole foods too.
Before solids, babies get all the sodium they need from breastmilk or formula. Once solids begin, they start picking up sodium from food naturally:
- Breastmilk & formula: 11–17 mg/100ml
- Beef: 48 mg/100g
- Salmon: 110 mg/100g
- Eggs: 120 mg/100g
- Vegetables: 20 mg/100g
- Fruits: 5 mg/100g
- Wheat: 28 mg/100g
(Figures are approximate for whole, unprocessed foods, and will vary a bit depending on preparation.)
How Much Sodium Do Babies Actually Need?
Roughly:
- 0–6 months: 120mg/day (from breastmilk alone)
- 7–12 months: 370mg/day
- 1–3 years: 800mg/day, with an upper limit of 1,200mg/day
Daily intake naturally shifts around these numbers, babies get sodium from milk and food together, and their kidneys handle the rest.
So Why Does Everyone Say "No Salt"?
The advice comes from a real concern: too much sodium, especially from processed foods. Over time, that got flattened into a blanket rule, "babies can't have salt", when the actual issue is added sodium from ultra-processed snacks and fast food, not the sodium naturally sitting in whole foods.
What Actually Matters
Skip the mental math on milligrams. Focus on this instead: offer a variety of whole foods, go easy on the highly processed stuff, season family meals with a light hand, and let your baby's palate develop through real exposure to real flavour.
The goal was never zero sodium. It's just building habits that'll serve them well long after this stage.
At Plate & Play, our meals are made with no added salt, but never bland. So you've got the flexibility to season to your baby's stage and taste as they grow.
Starting solids doesn't need to feel this complicated. One meal at a time, you're helping them fall in love with real food. 💛
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