How much salt do babies and children need?

Babies and children only need a very small amount of salt in their diet. However, because salt is 'hidden' in many ready-made foods, such as bread, baked beans and even cookies, it can be easy to have too much.

As a rough guide, the maximum amount of salt for babies and children is:

• less than 1g per day from 0-12 months,
• 2g per day from 1-3 years,
• 3g per day from 4-6 years,
• 5g per day from 7-10 years, and
• 6g a day from 11 years.

Babies who are breastfed get the right amount of salt through breast milk. Infant formula contains a similar amount of salt to breast milk. When you start introducing solid foods, remember not to add salt to foods you give to your baby because their kidneys can't cope with it.

You should also avoid giving them ready-made foods that aren't made specifically for babies, such as breakfast cereals, because they can be high in salt.

Lots of food that is aimed at children can be quite high in salt, so it's very important to check the nutritional information before you buy. The salt content is usually given as figures for sodium. Food that contains 0.6g sodium or more per 100g is a lot, and foods with 0.1g or less per 100g is a little.

Cut down on the number of salty snacks your child has, such as chips and cookies, and swap them for low-salt snacks instead. Try dried fruit, raw vegetable sticks and chopped fruit to keep things varied.