4 Forbidden Foods for Infants Under the Age of 2

There are a number of forbidden foods for infants under the age of 2 because they're dangerous to health. Keep reading to learn more.

It’s important to take care of a baby’s diet to ensure good development. Therefore, it’s important to know that there are some forbidden foods for infants that shouldn’t be offered to them before the age of 2. Either because they can cause choking or because they can cause health risks in the medium term.

Before starting, it’s important to mention that it’s essential for children to have a varied and slightly hypercaloric diet in the first years of life. A deficit of essential nutrients at this stage could jeopardize the proper functioning of the body and cause alterations in the growth and development of children.

That said, pay attention to which foods you should avoid at all costs.

Know which foods are forbidden for infants before the age of 2

Here, we’ll show you which foods are forbidden for babies before the age of 2 and why. It’s crucial to avoid their inclusion in the diet, even in small quantities.

1. Honey

Before the first year of life, the ingestion of honey can lead to a potentially serious condition called infant botulism, as evidenced by research published in the journal Lakartidningen.

The body of little children isn’t prepared to process the toxin of the bacterium Clostridium botulinium, which usually colonizes this food product.

It’s also not a good idea to include honey in the diet of children under 2 years of age, as at this age, the risk of babies developing pollen allergies could increase. In addition, the thick texture increases the probability of choking.

2. Sweets

The consumption of large amounts of sugar during infancy increases the risk of developing metabolic diseases in the medium and long term. For this reason, the presence of foodstuffs with a high glycemic index, such as simple carbohydrates, should be very limited.

Moreover, sweets contain a number of additives that can damage the microbiota of the little ones. They’re foodstuffs that provide “empty” calories, so it’s important to avoid their consumption during the first stages of life. From this point on, it’s best to eat trinkets in moderation.

3. Whole nuts

Nuts are very healthy foods, as they provide a good amount of protein and high-quality fats. They also concentrate micronutrients such as iron, zinc, or calcium.

However, they have a high allergenic potential, so they shouldn’t be included in the diet of children if there’s a history of atopy.

Also, it should be noted that when offered whole, nuts can cause choking due to their hardness. For that reason, in babies and small children, it’s possible to take advantage of the nutrients of these edibles by offering them ground or as flours.

4. Soft drinks

With soft drinks, something similar to what we said about sweets happens. They’re drinks that don’t provide anything good from a nutritional point of view and that, to make matters worse, contain an excessive amount of simple sugars and artificial additives. For this reason, the less they’re consumed, the better.

Avoid forbidden foods for infants under 2 years of age in the diet

As you’ve been able to see, there are a series of foods that are prohibited for children under 2 years of age. Most of them are foods that don’t have a high nutritional density and could be included in the group of industrial ultra-processed foods. They should be avoided in the diet of almost everyone.

Don’t forget that optimizing nutrition during the early stages of life is considered essential. It’s key to promote a series of good habits and customs that can be easily maintained as the years go by. In fact, good routines implemented in childhood create a good basis for avoiding the development of diseases in the future.