“It’s best to avoid foods with added sugar like cakes and biscuits and any sweet drinks, including fruit juice, for babies,” Charlotte says.
Honey
One of the main foods many parents know to avoid if their baby is under a year old is honey.
This is because it can contain “toxins which can lead to infant botulism, a serious but very rare illness”.
Even if your child is over one, you should remember that honey is an added sugar, so shouldn’t be offered readily.
Cows milk
For drinks, you should avoid giving kids cow’s milk as a main drink until they’re older than one, because it doesn’t have the right mix of nutrients.
“It can be used in small amounts in cooking or mixed with food from six months, but not as a main drink,” Charlotte explains.
Likewise, rice milk is not a suitable drink for babies, or any child under the age of five for that matter, as it can contain trace elements of arsenic.
Nuts
Nuts are another food to avoid – whether whole or peanuts – as they can pose a choking hazard or allergy risk.
It’s not about getting it ‘right or wrong’, but rather about experimenting and discovering what works best for your baby
Weaning pro Charlotte Stirling-Reed
“While crushed or ground nuts and smooth nut butters are safe from around six months (and actually great foods to include in your little one’s diet if you follow advice on how to safely introduce allergens), whole nuts should be avoided until your child is around four or five years of age,” Charlotte warned.
Undercooked or raw meat or fish
Perhaps more obviously, you should never give your baby undercooked or raw meat or fish, as they can “contain harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning”.
“Always ensure meat and fish are thoroughly cooked before offering them to your baby,” Charlotte added.
Eggs
And the same goes for raw or lightly cooked eggs, as they can carry salmonella.
“Only eggs with the British Lion Quality mark can be given lightly cooked or raw – but this would be after you’ve established no allergy to eggs by offering tiny amounts of cooked egg first,” Charlotte says.
“Other eggs should be cooked until both the white and yolk are solid before being given to baby.”
Unpasteurised dairy products
Finally, don’t give your baby any unpasteurised dairy products, which includes cheeses such as brie, camembert, and blue-veined cheeses, as they can contain harmful bacteria like listeria.
“These should be avoided for young babies unless they are well-cooked,” Charlotte warned.
Charlotte will be speaking at The Baby Show when it returns to the NEC Birmingham from 9th to 11th May. Click here for tickets and more information.
Sausages are best avoided for babies under one due to the high levels of salt[/caption]
While honey should never be given to babies under one, as it can lead to infant botulism[/caption]
