Food not suitable for babies

At the age of 4 to 6 months, you can introduce the first morsels of normal food to your baby’s diet. Slowly expand your baby’s menu, and around the first birthday, your child can start eating with the family. In addition to your baby developing his/her own food taste, it also stimulates your baby’s ongoing (mental) development. Did you know that our “The Wonder Weeks” app  describes the mental development of your baby during the first 20 months of his/her life? Brimming with tips and insights!

Products that a baby under the age of one year should not eat

There are a number of foods and ingredients that are not suitable for babies under the age of one year. This is because their digestive and immune systems are still developing. The following products are better avoided:

Salt

Do not add salt to your baby’s food. Salt is excreted by the kidneys, and the kidneys of babies function even less well than those of adults. Adding salt to baby food puts too much strain on the kidneys. By the way, even if your children are already past the age of one year, you should not add salt to their food. That’s completely unnecessary.

Honey

If your baby has a cold and coughs a lot, you may be tempted to give them (lukewarm) tea with honey because honey has a soothing effect. However, this type of remedy is not suitable before your baby’s first birthday. Honey is a natural product that can contain traces of bacteria. Babies under the age of one year do not yet have fully developed intestinal flora, and the bacteria that may be present in honey can therefore be harmful to your child.

Dairy products

Cow’s milk and other dairy products as principal sources of nourishment are not suitable for babies under the age of one year. Dairy products do not contain the proper nutrients for babies and are also difficult to digest. From the age of 6 months, you can feed your baby products such as yoghurt and cheese, but breastfeeding or bottle feeding still remains their principal source of nutrition.

Nuts

Watch out for feeding your baby nuts. Nuts per se are not dangerous for babies (unless they have an allergy), but eating nuts can be a choking hazard. Whole nuts or large pieces can easily get stuck in a baby’s throat, because chewing and swallowing properly is still very difficult for a baby. 

Liver preparations

Liver preparations such as liver pâté or liverwurst are often used as spreads. Liverwurst contains a lot of vitamin A, and vitamin A can be harmful to babies in large amounts. You can feed your baby liver preparations in small amounts, but preferably no more than once a week.

Nitrate-rich vegetables

Spinach, endive, beetroot, lettuce, and fennel are rich in nitrate. Nitrate can turn into nitrite during storage and heating, which can in turn be harmful. It is not recommended to feed your baby nitrate-rich vegetables more than twice a week.

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Other nutrition to consider

In addition to the products mentioned above, there are a number of nutritional products to consider for a baby under the age of one year.

Raw animal products

Raw meat, fish and eggs can contain bacteria that are hazardous for babies. These products must be thoroughly cooked before feeding them to your baby.

Hard foods

Babies are more likely to choke on hard foods like raw carrots, whole grapes, tomatoes or popcorn. Rather feed your baby boiled carrots and cut the grapes and tomatoes in small chunks.

Unpasteurized milk or cheese

Milk and cheese that have not been pasteurized may contain harmful bacteria that may cause food poisoning.

For babies, it is always important to introduce nutrition step by step. Carefully consider the safety of the nutritional product you want to feed your baby and always consult a doctor when in doubt.

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