Is your baby eating too much salt?

Nutritionists from the University of Bristol say the problem is caused by babies being fed too many processed foods, which often include salty flavourings. Cow's milk and bread were also blamed for providing more than the recommended amount of salt in a baby's diet, as well as foods including tinned pasta, yeast extract and baked beans.

According to the experts, 70 percent of the babies they studied were eating more than the recommended amount of salt, with some having more than double that amount. High amounts of salt in a baby's diet, they say, can be harmful to the kidneys as well as give a child a taste for salty foods, which can lead to problems later in life including high blood pressure.

However the data in the study – which was recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition – was collected some years ago, and health experts argue that awareness of the issue of salt in food has improved since then.

The recommended daily limit of salt for babies up to the age of 12 months is 1g per day (or 0.4g sodium). The NHS also advises parents not to give babies under 12 months of age cow's milk to drink.