NOT RECOMMENDED
Avoid
No — salt and salty food isn't recommended for babies or young children at all. Avoid feeding foods high in salt to young children — canned foods, processed meats (lunch meats, sausages, hot dogs, ham), some frozen dinners and many toddler snack foods.
CDCAAP
| Age | Can they have it? | How to serve it |
|---|---|---|
| 4 months | Not recommended | — |
| 6 months | Not recommended | — |
| 9 months | Not recommended | — |
| 12 months | Not recommended | — |
| 18 months | Not recommended | — |
| 2 years | Not recommended | — |
Salt and salty food is not on the AAP or CDC choking-hazard lists. That is not the same as no risk: any food can choke a baby if the piece is too big or the wrong shape. Cut it to no larger than half an inch, keep your baby sitting up in a high chair, keep mealtimes calm, and watch them the whole time they are eating.
Salt and salty food is not one of the common allergens. Introduce it on its own anyway and wait 3 to 5 days before the next new food, so if your baby does react to something you know what it was.
Watch for diarrhea, rash, vomiting or hives after a new food. Call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of the face, lips or tongue.
The AAP says all fresh food for a baby should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning.
If you are working through the Hard rules group, the same serving and allergen questions come up for raw (unpasteurized) milk, caffeinated drinks and toddler milk / 'next stage' formula. Each one has its own introduction age and choking guidance — they are not interchangeable.
No — salt and salty food isn't recommended for babies or young children at all. Avoid feeding foods high in salt to young children — canned foods, processed meats (lunch meats, sausages, hot dogs, ham), some frozen dinners and many toddler snack foods. The AAP says all fresh food for a baby should be cooked with no added salt or seasoning.
There is no infant serving form for this one — see the answer above.
Salt and salty food is not on the AAP or CDC choking-hazard lists, but any food can choke a baby if the piece is too big. Cut it to no larger than half an inch, keep your baby sitting up while they eat, and watch them the whole time.
Watch for diarrhea, rash, vomiting or hives after a new food. Offer one single-ingredient new food at a time and wait 3 to 5 days before the next one, so a reaction is easy to trace. The emergency signs are at the top of this page.