For a six-month-old baby, their immune system is still developing, and it is beneficial to introduce complementary foods at this time. However, it must be noted that at this stage, infants should never be fed salty foods. The reason is that the intake of salt has multiple adverse effects on the health of infants: firstly, the kidneys and heart functions of babies are not fully mature, excessive salt can burden these organs and hinder normal growth and development; secondly, a high-salt diet can inhibit the production of lysozyme in the infant’s oral cavity, which helps resist infections, thereby reducing the baby’s defense ability against diseases; moreover, it may overly stimulate the infant’s sensitive taste buds, leading to a preference for heavier flavors, impacting the normal development of the taste system and possibly interfering with the absorption of important minerals such as zinc; in the long run, developing a habit of high-salt diet in infancy may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure in the future.
Therefore, after the baby reaches six months of age, although it is possible to start trying to add a very small amount of salt as part of complementary foods, no extra salt should be added to any complementary foods before they turn one year old. In fact, infants under six months can already obtain the necessary trace amounts of salt through breastfeeding or formula, which is sufficient to meet their physiological needs. Especially for newborns under three months, whose kidney function is particularly fragile, additional salt intake puts unnecessary pressure on their delicate organs, potentially hindering their healthy growth. Therefore, parents should pay attention to controlling salt usage when preparing complementary foods to ensure the nutrition and health of their babies.
