can I add salt and sugar to my eight months baby's food?

Question

I would rather the natural way of baby's feeding, my little boy eats the ready to feed baby's food in jars(like bledina+gorbar) and he is refusing to eat the fresh food I am cooking for him, I do thank all of you to have intrest in my question and to give me the time to share your experiance and thoughts, but still I did not get the almost perfect one.

Answer 1

Food 4-7 months


Introd.
semisolid food


The baby will be interested in exploring different textures and tastes
Feeding the child may afford the father a chance to bond
Eating habits begin early, so introduce nutritionally important foods early
Avoid putting foods in bottles as it delays the adjustment to textures. Hold and attend to you baby during the feeding process. If you are too busy to feed semi solid foods, then DELAY that part of the feeding until you have time to relax and nurture the bay.
Experiment with textures, first by adding breast milk or formula to dry cereal to make a thin gruel
Gradually make it thicker if the infant tolerates it without gagging
Commercially prepared baby foods are now being promoted as first step and second-step (junior foods introduced 7-8 months) foods. The latter is designed to help an the infant achieve a smooth transition to table foods by introducing new textures. The infant may resist these food at this point.


Be aware of food allergies the first year


strawberries, raspberries
fish, shell fish, lobster, shrimp, crab
cinnamon
almonds, walnuts, seeds
eggs (iron phosphate found in egg yolk is poorly absorbed by the baby
honey (linked to infant botulism causing muscle weakness beginning with facial, droopy eyelids, trunk) cant cause paralysis in the muscles of inspiration and constipation


Foods: Fruits, Veggies and Protein


Fruits are good to start before veggies. Apples and pears are popular. Cooked carrots, squash, yams and potatoes are good starters.
Tomatoes, orange and other citrus juice and cause a rash around the child's mouth. The fresher the juice, the more peel oil present.
-Wash the infants face right after he or she eats this kind of food.
Although 70% of parents with infants 6 months and under give their children juice, there is no nutritional need for it. It lacks protein, fat, calories, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc needed to support normal development. Plain fruits are preferred.
Figs, brown rice, spinach, and peas help constipation.
Do not give the child raw carrots, popcorn peanuts, grapes or other hard to chew similar foods.
Hot dog remain the most choked on food.
Protein: a 13 pound infant requires 12-13 grams of protein a day (which is easily provided by feeding 3.8 ounce bottle of formula a day) therefore concentrate on vegetables and fruits.
Cola drinks, diet soda, Kool Aid, Hi-C, Gatorade, sport drinks and punch have NO place in an infants diet. Soda has lots of phosphate in it that promoted calcium loss. Carbonated drinks DO NOT settle the stomach.

TIPS:

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Suggested vegetables: beans, carrots, peas, beets, sweet potato or broccoli.
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Suggested fruits: peeled apples, bananas, pears, peaches or cantaloupe.
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You do not have to cook banana, cantaloupe, avocados or unsweetened canned fruits.
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Fruits with seeds, like berries or kiwis, do not blend well.
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Do not add salt, pepper, sugar, sweetener, butter or margarine to baby food.

Answer 2

they say not to sure... but look at the list on the jars you give him! I made my baby food for some of my babies.. I love to cook... I was trying out new things.. and darned if I do not have some of the fussiest eaters around! my one daughter would not eat veggies.. jar or any other way.. so.. I started cooking it with a tiny bit of butter.... drained it after.. some flavor was still there.... and since another had a sweet tooth? I added bananas and pears (so sweet) to all their veggies! lol... butter has salt in it already (unless you buy without) there are also healthy butter-wannabes if you are too worried about healthy choices.... I also tried different textures and grains added to them... and found their favorites.... it took time... but? it was fun for me... I felt I was doing something good for each of them.... and in the long run, it even saved some money.... I would say that as long as you are getting the nutrients into them, while introducing the veggies and fruits etc? add some "flavor" if you have to.... on the light side.. and then add less and less to see the reaction....? the main reason I think they say don't is mostly because it is un-needed calories at their age.. and fear of cavities maybe.. same as why we hold back on candy, cake, and gum.. we want to fill every last bit of them with the "good" and not "poor" calories... not for health reasons though..?
good luck
btw: salt has iodine.. which our bodies do need... I see someone got a bit big there and said neither has value... they both do... may not remember sugars's right this minute? but I know salt's... cause my body does not process it properly... iodine, it is added to the salt... and both can be "bad" if used in excess! so can anything though! for those who say there is no value, it is bad for all... naw... only if in excess.....

Answer 3

Salt In Baby Food

Answer 4

I have been wondering the same thing myself. I have been feeding my 8 month old twins regular baby food, and have been trying to move them over to chunkier table foods (a slow transition.) I have been hesitant to add any salt or sugar and don't think I will. Salt and sugar is an acquired taste that we have because we are used to it. The babies don't know any different; their palates are pure and they haven't been introduced to all of the additives and flavorings that aren't necessarily good for you. I don't want to start "polluting" my babies quite yet -- I know eventually they will have salt and sugar and everyting else, but for now, I would like to teach them to enjoy their foods without those things. Many experts say that it sometimes takes many introductions to a food before a baby will like it and accept it. If you baby is refusing particular foods, just keep trying them 10 or more times before you add anything. Try it in different forms (chopped, mashed, pureed, etc.) I would hold out as long as your possibly can. The introduction is inevitable, but teach your child good eating habits early, and they will likely carry them into adulthood.

Answer 5

The best way to prepare a baby's food is to prepare it without seasoning so he wouldnt develop a taste for it and woudnt end up having a sweet tooth or preferring something salty. That is why i always advised mothers that if they have a food processor, then its better to prepare the food themselves. However, your dillema started because your baby is already used to baby's food in jars which usually contains flavoring and seasoning and now refused to eat anything which tastes bland. So now you're torn between giving him the food he likes which you think is not healthy and giving him the food which you think is healthy but which he does not want to eat. My suggestion is for you to stop giving him baby food in jars and just feed him the food which you think is best for him. Continue giving him this even if he just eats little compared to those food contained in jars. Eventually he will have a taste for it and would forget about those preserved baby foods. What's important is he still eats and drinks his milk. Now, if you feel that he's no longer eating the correct quantity for a prolonged period of time, then you can consult your pedetrician if what you're doing is doing more harm than good to your child.

Answer 6

Salt and Sugar introduced into your baby's diet at an early stage is going to result in problems later. Salt can raise the blood pressure and sugar can lead to diabetes. Not to mention weight gain and obesity. At 8 months they are developing taste buds and they will determine what they like and don't like. Keep introducing new foods and your baby will eat. Try foods that are naturally flavorful such as sweet potatoes and fruit like bananas, strawberries and whatever else will provide a lot of vitamins and nutrients that are healthy instead of the addition of salts and sugars.

Answer 7

Well, It won't hurt your 8 month old to add salt and/or sugar to baby food.... But, I wouldn't recommend it. If you do, do it only every so often. If you start giving your child salt & sugar then your baby may get used to it & will want salt & sugar all the time. It's best just to stick with NOT adding anything like that to the food....... Actually, if you're wanting to add sugar to something like baby cereal..... try adding 1/2 teaspoon of fruit jelly instead. Try & stay away from the salt as much as possible though.

Answer 8

Keep your baby's food as pure and simple as possible at this age. Some babies take a few (or more) tries to develop a taste for new foods. Be patient and keep trying. Some babies really love the natural sweetness and flavor of yellow veggies, like pumpkin, squash, and carrots. Others prefer fruit. Babies are people too, and they have their own tastes just like we all do. Both of my kids loved mashed avocado as a nutritious first baby food (it also has good oils that are very nutritious for the baby's developing brain.)

Also remember this is around the time when breastfed babies often need supplemental iron (formula fed babies get it in fortified formula) so make sure your baby has grain cereal supplemented with iron daily. Your baby's pediatrician will probably do a heel-prick test for anemia at around this time, and can advise you further (e.g. iron supplements or different food recommendations) if your baby is anemic.

Answer 9

Only if you want to ruin their teeth & health at an early age...there's plenty of salt & sugar in pretty much every food there is out there. This is one of the reasons that children in America are overweight... too much of this & that & not enough exercise... the only way to maintain a healthy weight is to make sure that calorie intake does not exceed calories that are burnt through activity....The sugar can ruin the baby's existing teeth as well as ones that will be coming in. Do you brush the baby's teeth? Is the baby walking yet? Does the baby get plenty of activity from crawling around? All of these are important factors. You do not want your child to grow up overweight & be miserable & picked on by others in his/her peer groups either...

Answer 10

Mash Potatoes Mac n Cheese Rice Pancakes Cooked Veggies Baked Potatoe Chicken Grilled Cheese Pasta Yogurt Gerber snacks in the baby isle like: Cheeze Doodles Biter Biscuits Yogurt melts Cookies Fruit bars There are some :)