The degree of development of a child is in accordance with the nutritional contribution made by you, as a mother. While taking care of your baby it is very important that you keep a track of what food and intakes is necessary for his health, as it is the main requirement of the body and is extremely important for nourishment. A lower amount or a higher amount than the normal level can be dangerous for his growth. Hence to prepare the baby food there are lots of things to keep in mind and majorly it is the amount of sugar and salt introduced in the food that counts. Salt and sugar should not be given in the same amount to the baby as given to the adults as the bodies of the babies find it hard to digest the food. However, a small amount of sugar is good for the baby so sugar in a small amount could be added to the foods while salt should be limited as much as possible.

Necessity of adding a sugar
Sugar should not be added unnecessarily to the baby’s food as the newly born find it hard to manage the glucose level which if reaches more than the natural value could be fatal, and hence juices and any other energy drinks should be avoided. When the child suffers from loose motions then ORS solutions are preferred for the same reason, as they have a specific amount of sugar in them that is accepted by the baby’s body. Although a small amount of sugar is good as it helps other vital nutrients to work properly, jaggery is preferred as it is richer in iron and iron is a necessity for the growth of your baby.

Introduction of Salt
At an early stage the baby is not developed to handle the direct salt intake. Hence it should be mostly avoided in the early few months. Direct consumption of salt could result in an increase in blood pressure which could be dangerous for his body. The amount that is required by the body is already stored in the fruits and vegetables that are given to him in the normal food. Added salt can be started only when the child becomes at least a year old. But there are a few who suggest that it is not too bad, to have a very small amount of salt being added to the prepared food of the baby in his late months as when he becomes one or two year old he finds it easy to have the normal food prepared for the family.

Introduction of butter or oil
The requirement of butter and oil is limited as far as the body of the child is concerned. But there is a difference of opinion among various doctors and researchers as to when butter and oil be introduced into the diet of a baby. Few of them believe that it is much better to avoid butter and oil and all other fatty stuff in the early stage of a child so as to maintain his health later on. While there are others who believe that butter and oil is good for the baby as by taking them he intakes much more calories. Calories are one of the major factors that help in the growth of the child. As a child can intake a little and restricted amount of food it is good that he intakes a butter and oil so that he gets a bit more calories than his normal diet. Ghee is much preferred over butter as butter contains more quantity of salt in it.

Other additives
Researches show that vegetable juices, when given in small quantity, can be a good option to provide nutrients to the baby’s body as they contain right amount of the important minerals. Also it is said that for non vegetarian families it is appropriate that a 6-8 month old baby is given egg without the yoke as this would digest easily as well as make the baby’s body acceptable to the non vegetarian food in later ages of his life. Also it is very important to keep in mind that the sugar salt and all other additives as suggested above should be given only in the required amount.