The five worst foods for babies

When your baby is about six months old, you can start to introduce him to a variety of foods. Providing your little one with a healthy, balanced diet will help to ensure he has the vitamins and nutrients he needs to grow (DH 2009b).

Make sure you know which foods aren't safe for babies because some carry the risk of food poisoning or choking. There are other foods that aren't suitable because of they don't offer your baby any nutrition and can sometimes be harmful to his long-term health.

Try not to give your baby foods that are high in sugar or salt. These foods are low in the nutrients he needs and it's easy for your baby to fill up on them, leaving less room for healthy meals. If your baby gets a taste for sugary, salty foods, it may be harder for you to persuade him to try healthy options.

So which foods and drinks should you steer clear of? Below is our list of the worst offenders for babies.

1. Chips and crackers

Chips and crackers can make convenient snacks once your baby can bite and chew. But it won't take many to satisfy your little one's appetite, leaving less room for nutrient-rich foods.

As well as this, chips and crackers are usually high in salt. Babies need only a very small amount of salt: less than half a gram (170mg sodium) a day from 7 months to 12 months old. Under 7 months the requirement is even less, under one third of a gram of salt. (NHMRC 2006). Your baby's kidneys can't cope with more salt than this.

Before your baby is six months old, he will get all the salt he needs from breastmilk or formula milk (DH 2009).

Once your baby begins eating solid food, you shouldn't add salt to home-cooked baby food or pre-prepared baby food, even if you think it tastes bland. If you're cooking with stock cubes, choose low-salt versions.

Toddlers also need very little saltOpens a new window. After your baby's first birthday, the daily recommended maximum amount of salt for him until he is three is under 1g a day (200-400 mg sodium) (NHMRC 2006).

A fromage frais, fresh fruit, or chopped vegetables are much better choices if your little one needs a quick snack. Rice cakes and mini-sandwiches would also be better alternatives.

2. Ready and convenience meals

Although ready meals, or convenience meals, are quick and easy to prepare, they usually have a high salt and sugar content (DH 2009b). This makes them unsuitable for babies.

Making the same meal at homeOpens a new window can be healthier and cheaper. Our mum and baby meal plannersOpens a new window will give you some great ideas for healthy meals.

Of course, as a busy mum you may not always have time to prepare every meal from scratch. Whenever you do buy any pre-prepared food for your baby, check the labels and choose the products that are lowest in salt and sugar. You will usually find labels containing nutrition information on the back of food packaging.

Look at the figure for salt per 100g. Salt is also written as sodium on food labels (2.5g of salt is equivalent to 1g of sodium). Here's a quick guide to quantities:

• high salt levels are more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
• low salt levels are 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)

To see how much sugar there is per 100g, check the figure for carbohydrates (of which sugars):

• high sugar levels are more than 15g of total sugars per 100g
• low sugar levels are 5g of total sugars or less per 100g (NHS 2011b)

Even if you are choosing lower salt or sugar alternatives, it all still adds up over the day. Making your own food gives you control over what you eat.

3. Lollies and chocolate

It can be hard to keep your little one away from lollies and chocolate. But the high sugar content of sweets and chocolate mean they're best avoided (DH 2009b). Sugar makes enamel-attacking acid in your child's mouth.

If you do give your little one lollies, they're best eaten at mealtimes (DH 2009b). When we eat a meal, the amount of saliva in our mouths increases. Saliva helps to neutralise the effects of the tooth-attacking acid.

Chocolate and fondants are better for your baby's teeth than things like toffee, as they dissolve more quickly. If you do give your baby lollies, encourage him to eat all the sweets in one go (DH 2009b). A portion of four lollies in 10 minutes is better for his teeth than one every half hour for two hours.

Make sure your baby has a piece of cheese or some milk as soon as possible after he has finished the sweets to neutralise the sugars. And make sure that his next tooth brushing session is thorough.

4. Fizzy drinks

Fizzy and soft drinks have no goodness in them, and their acidity can damage your baby's emerging teeth (DH 2009b). As well as high levels of sugar, some fizzy drinks, such as cola, contain caffeine.

Fizzy drinks make babies feel full quickly. If your baby has fizzy drinks to quench his thirst, it may spoil his appetite for the nutritious foods he needs.

Also, sugary drinks are high in kilojoules, and your baby may become overweight in toddlerhood if he regularly drinks them.

5. Fruit juice

Fruit juice may sound like a healthy option. But it's best not to give your baby fruit juice, for the same reasons you should avoid fizzy and soft drinks. Fruit juices are high in natural sugars and are acidic, meaning they can damage your baby's teeth (DH 2009b).

Once you start to give your baby solid foods he can have diluted fruit or vegetable juice at mealtimes, although he certainly doesn't need it. Dilute any juice well, using at least one part juice to 10 parts water.

To protect your baby's teeth, offer diluted juice in a beaker or cup at mealtimes only, not in a bottle or before bedtime (DH 2009b).

If you are bringing up your baby on a vegetarian diet, diluted fruit juice with meals will help him to absorb iron from his food (DH 2009b, BNF 2009).

In fact, water and breastmilk or formula milk are the best drinks for your baby until he's one year old (DH 2009b). After that, he can have full-fat cow's milk as a main drink.

Milk contains important minerals and vitamins, such as calcium, vitamin B2 and B12 (NHS 2011a).