Is It OK To Give Babies Sugar?
We all know that eating a lot of sugar isn’t a great idea, but what’s the deal with babies and sugar? Are sweet foods off-limits or is it OK to give babies a little sugar?
Before we start, the bottom line here is that it’s best to leave sugar out of your baby’s diet. But if you’ve already given your baby sugar, DO NOT PANIC! It’s very unlikely to have done them harm - and there are some situations where it’s difficult to avoid.
The intention of this article is simply to give you the current evidence and recommendations on sugar for babies so you can make an informed decision about what’s best for your baby and what makes sense for you and your family.
What’s the problem with sugar?
It’s not news that most of us eat too much sugar. Excessive consumption of added sugars or ‘free sugars’ can contribute to health problems such as obesity, heart disease and tooth decay.
While foods such as fruit and dairy products can be a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre; foods and drinks containing free sugars such as cakes, biscuits, ice cream, confectionery and soft drinks often have few nutritional benefits to offer and can have negative effects on our health if we eat too much of them.
For this reason, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake.
Babies and sugar - what’s the issue?
As you’ve no doubt noticed, babies grow and develop at a rapid rate, so they need lots of nutrient-dense foods BUT they have only very small stomachs. This means that, as much as possible, it’s important to make every eating opportunity count when it comes to feeding your baby.
One of the main issues with giving babies sugary foods is that there simply isn’t room for them. Most foods with added sugars have poor nutritional value, so if we fill babies up on these foods, they’re then going to miss out on other more nutritious foods.
There’s also the issue of establishing taste preferences. Babies have a natural preference for sweet, salty and umami flavours. Bitter and sour flavours - like those in many fruits and vegetables - take a bit more work to learn to love.
For this reason, it’s important that babies are exposed to these flavours in order to develop their palate. If they can learn to enjoy a wide range of flavours early in life, they’ll be more likely to eat a varied diet later on and benefit from lots of different foods and nutrients.
Sugar and teeth
Another issue with sugar is its effect on teeth. Currently, 1 in 3 Australian kids will have a decayed tooth by the age of 6 years and sugar intake is a big contributor to this statistic.
When we eat or drink something containing sugar, some of the sugar stays in our mouth where it interacts with bacteria in plaque (a thin, sticky film that forms over teeth) to produce acid. This acid slowly dissolves the enamel on our teeth creating holes, called ‘cavities’.
The enamel is thinner and softer on baby teeth, so damage and cavities can occur more easily. And while it’s true that baby teeth don’t hang around forever, damaged baby teeth can affect adult teeth so it’s also important to establish healthy dental habits early on.
What are ‘free’ sugars?
Not all sugars are equal. Added sugars, also known as ‘free sugars’ are sugars that are added to foods and drinks and also sugars naturally present in fruit juice and fruit juice concentrate, smoothies and syrups.
These are different to the naturally occurring or ‘intrinsic’ sugars in foods such as fruit and dairy products like milk and yoghurt.
The WHO guidelines on sugar intake don’t apply to sugars in fresh fruit and vegetables and the sugar naturally present in milk (lactose), as there is no reported evidence of adverse effects of consuming these sugars.
What about ‘natural’ sugars and sugar alternatives?
We’re often told that alternative forms of sugar such as agave nectar, rice malt syrup, molasses, coconut sugar and maple syrup are better for us than regular cane sugar.
These sugars may be slightly less processed than regular cane sugar, but they still pose the same risks as regular sugar and should also be avoided up to the age of 2, then eaten in moderation as per general sugar guidelines.
Is it OK to give babies fruit, isn’t that full of sugar?
It’s true that most fruits do have a high sugar content. But there’s a big difference between sweets and fruit. The sugar in whole fruit (fresh, frozen or canned) is naturally occurring sugar and is packaged up with fibre, vitamins and minerals which are important nutrients in a baby’s diet.
Fruit can be introduced as soon as your baby starts solids, so from around 6 months, and is a nutritious addition to their diet.
Fruit juice should be avoided though as it provides a concentrated source of sugar that is not bound up in the plant cell wall. Unlike fresh fruit, the sugar in fruit juice is classified as free sugar.
How to detect sugar in packaged foods
A lot of the sugar in foods these days is hidden in processed foods, often foods we wouldn’t usually consider ‘sweet’. For that reason, it’s important to check ingredients lists on food labels when choosing foods for your baby, so you know exactly what’s in there.
The ingredients list on packaged foods is the best place to look for added sugar. When looking through the ingredients list, bear in mind that sugar can go by different names (see below), it won’t necessarily be listed as ‘sugar’.
The Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) can tell you how much sugar is in a product, but the ‘sugars’ listed in the table don’t differentiate between intrinsic sugar and added or free sugars.
So in the case of a product with a high fruit content or a milk or yoghurt based product, some or all of the sugar will be naturally occurring sugar (e.g. lactose in milk or yoghurt). The best way to check whether a product has added sugar is to read the ingredients list.
Different names for sugar
Sugar can go by many different names and it’s often not actually called ‘sugar’ on a food label! Here are some alternative names for added sugar:
Fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit paste
Rice malt syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, golden syrup
Evaporated cane juice, molasses
Dextrose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, fructose
Malt extract, malt, malt glucose
Raw sugar, brown sugar, invert sugar, coconut sugar
Can babies have honey?
Honey shouldn’t be given to babies under 12 months due to the risk of botulism.
Botulism is a rare but serious illness that can occur after eating contaminated food and can cause paralysis. Children under the age of 12 months are most at risk of infection.
How to avoid added sugars in your baby’s diet
Read the ingredients lists on packaged foods and choose products that have no added sugar, remembering that sugar can go by different names (see above)
Check products such as sauces and canned fruits and vegetables to make sure they don’t have added sugar
Avoid teething rusks, packaged cereals and snack foods with added sugar
Avoid fruit juice and sugar-sweetened drinks. Breastmilk or formula and water are the only drinks your baby needs
What about birthday cake?
Wondering whether you should make a sugar-free cake for your little one on their first birthday or just go for the full sugar extravaganza?
In my opinion, there’s no real issue with giving your child the usual sugar-filled cake on their birthday - it’s a one-off and very unlikely to cause any harm or turn your child into a cake obsessed sugar fiend (you may even be surprised to find they don’t actually like it that much!).
But, if you prefer to go for a sugar-free cake or fruit-based cake, that’s also completely fine. Your baby will most likely be far too busy playing with wrapping paper to care too much about cake anyway.
Looking for a no added sugar recipe?
No Added Sugar Banana, Blueberry & Chia Seed Muffins
Key Take Aways on babies and sugar
Foods with added sugar aren’t recommended for babies due to their high nutrient requirements and also its potential effects on dental health
There is a difference between naturally occurring (intrinsic) sugar and added or ‘free’ sugars. Foods with naturally occurring sugar such as whole fruit and dairy products are nutritious foods for babies and do not need to be avoided
The best way to avoid added sugars in your baby’s diet is to read the ingredients lists on packaged foods and check whether sugar has been added. Bear in mind that sugar can go by different names (refer to list above).
For more information about sugar and babies and everything you need to know about introducing your baby to solids, check out my Step-by-Step Starting Solids Guide
Looking For More Advice On Feeding Your Baby?
References:
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/fat-salt-sugars-and-alcohol/sugars
https://www.who.int/news/item/04-03-2015-who-calls-on-countries-to-reduce-sugars-intake-among-adults-and-children#:~:text=A%20new%20WHO%20guideline%20recommends,would%20provide%20additional%20health%20benefits.
https://www.actiononsugar.org/sugar-and-health/sugars-and-tooth-decay/#:~:text=When%20sugar%20is%20consumed%20it,or%20cavities%20in%20the%20teeth.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4654709/
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/botulism.aspx