8 foods that are forbidden for children under 1 year old. What menus should not be given to children?

Taking care of your baby’s diet during the first year of life is very important, as the digestive system of infants under 1 year old is not yet fully developed. Choosing the right food is good for your baby’s digestive system and health, helping them grow strong and safe. So, let’s check out the 8 forbidden foods for children under 1 year old that mothers need to be careful about! What are they? Which menu items should be kept away from infants?

What food is suitable for infants under 1 year old?

Before we explore the 8 forbidden foods for babies under 1 year old, parents need to know and understand that feeding babies the right foods from birth to 1 year old plays a crucial role in their development and growth. Therefore, parents should ensure their babies eat nutritious foods to complement their developmental milestones and avoid foods prohibited for babies under 1 year old. This is because if babies under 1 year old receive inappropriate food, they may become iron deficient and underweight, affecting their brain, muscle, social, and emotional development.

The food that should be given special emphasis for infants under 1 year old is ” breast milk .” The Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, recommends that infants from birth to 6 months consume breast milk as their primary food, as it provides complete nutrients and helps build immunity in newborns. Worldwide research confirms that children who drink breast milk have IQs that are approximately 7 points higher than those who don’t, as breastfeeding can significantly stimulate a child’s brain. Once a child reaches 6 months of age, gradually increase the amount of age-appropriate foods in addition to breast milk until 2 years of age or longer.

8 foods that should not be eaten by children under 1 year old

Now that you understand the food for babies from birth to 1 year old, it’s time to check out the list of 8 foods that are forbidden for babies under 1 year old. Let’s take a look at what foods or menus should not be given to babies under 1 year old.

1. salt

Salt is rich in sodium. Although it is a beneficial mineral, for infants under 1 year old, their kidneys are not yet functioning well. Therefore, the food your baby consumes should not contain any condiments, such as soy sauce, fish sauce, shrimp paste, and salt. Normally, infants aged 7-12 months need 0.37 grams of sodium per day, and they will definitely get enough from breast milk or even formula. In addition, your baby may also get sodium naturally from other age-appropriate foods they eat each day. Therefore, before the first year, you should not use salt to flavor your baby’s food. You should also avoid snacks that often contain additives such as MSG, salt, and sugar.

2. Sugar

One of the 8 foods that are forbidden for children under 1 year old that is considered unnecessary is “sugar” because it will make children addicted to sweets and at risk of obesity, tooth decay , and other chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes . Pediatricians around the world definitely do not recommend adding sugar or any sweet products to children under 2 years old. The following things that mothers may think are beneficial but are full of sugar are forbidden foods for children under 1 year old that you must be careful of.

• Sour milk or fruit juice-flavored yogurt. Just look at the product label. The sugar content is really quite extraordinary.
• 100% real fruit juice also contains sugar as a main ingredient and is high in calories, but it contains essential nutrients for your baby. Furthermore, fruit juice, sweetened drinks, ice cream, cakes, cookies, and various sweets can reduce your baby’s intake of breast milk or age-appropriate foods, which are the primary nutrients for your baby during the first year of life, leading to malnutrition.

3. Honey

Honey contains spores of the bacteria Clostridium Botulinum, which have Botox-like effects. In infants under one year old, their intestinal function isn’t yet strong enough to destroy these bacterial spores. This can lead to a toxin called “Infant Botulism,” a neurotoxin that can affect muscles, causing weakness, particularly in the respiratory muscles. Weakness can lead to death. Therefore, honey is a food that is strictly forbidden for children under one year old. For children over one year old, improved intestinal function of the beneficial bacteria will help eliminate these bacterial spores, preventing further toxicity.

4. Undercooked food

From the age of 6 months and up, when children can start eating age-appropriate foods, mothers must be careful about letting their children eat uncooked food, whether it’s meat, vegetables, or unpasteurized milk, as this could be contaminated with bacteria that could cause diarrhea.

5. Hard and granular food

You might think that small foods like peas, corn kernels, and raisins are easier for your baby to eat. But the truth is, these foods don’t dissolve in your mouth, can’t be chewed with gums, and can easily fall into your baby’s windpipe, making them more likely to choke on your baby under one year old. This includes small fruits like grapes and blackberries. To help your baby eat these foods safely, cut them lengthwise, not into circles, to prevent choking.

6. citrus fruits

Sour fruits such as kiwi, pineapple, green apple, passion fruit, and sour ripe mangoes not only easily cause diarrhea in children, but also trigger premature allergic reactions or even hives. Furthermore, the high fiber content in fruits is not suitable for young children whose bodies are not yet able to digest fiber well. The acids in sour fruits can also bite the tongue or thin tissues in the child’s mouth, causing mouth ulcers or canker sores. Therefore, it is another food that is forbidden for children under 1 year old.

7. Processed food

Cheese, sausage, bacon, ham, and meatballs are all easily minced and readily available. However, did you know that these foods are loaded with “salt and preservatives,” which can be harmful to your baby? This is because they’ve undergone preservative-prolonging processes, such as curing, smoking, drying, and canning. These foods contain borax, nitrate, and lead, which help extend the shelf life of the food and give it a beautiful, appetizing color.

8. Raw eggs

Although it’s well known that eggs are incredibly beneficial for babies, rich in protein, DHA, and choline, essential for brain development, if your baby eats eggs that aren’t cooked thoroughly, salmonella and other bacteria in raw eggs can cause serious infections and harm to your baby. They can also make it easier for your baby to develop an egg allergy.

Choosing the right food for your baby up to 1 year old is crucial for its full growth and development. In addition to the 8 foods forbidden for babies under 1 year old mentioned above, another thing mothers need to be careful about is that breastfeeding mothers tend to eat the same foods repeatedly, which can put their babies at risk for food allergies. Therefore, mothers recommend eating a complete diet of all 5 food groups, emphasizing a variety of foods. There’s no need to abstain from any foods, as eating the same foods over and over again can also lead to food allergies in your child.

Republished with permission from theAsianParent Thailand