Soy sauce

A dish containing soy sauce can be offered in occasional small tastes from about 6 months. Soy sauce contains soy and often wheat. It is high in sodium.

How it is made

Soy sauce is a sauce native to East Asia. In the traditional method, soybeans and wheat are cooked. They are then mashed together with a specific mold. This mix ferments and makes glutamic acid, the source of its rich umami taste. Salt, water, and yeast are added next. The aged liquid is strained and pasteurized.

Nutrition

Soy sauce is not eaten in nutritionally meaningful amounts. It carries a little carbohydrate, amino acid, organic acid, and antioxidant. It also has prebiotics that support the gut flora.

Do not give baby soy sauce on its own. Share an age-appropriate bite of your own dish as a small taste. The source considers this fine when done now and then.

There are several ways to cut sodium. Use a low-sodium soy sauce. Use less than the recipe says. Add it to the adults' portions only, not the whole pot. Boost umami with mushrooms, garlic, ginger, green onion, seaweed, or dashi. Water or rice vinegar can be used to dilute the sauce.

As they grow

After the first birthday it can be part of family meals in its usual role. After age two you can offer a small dish of sauce and show how to dip food or drizzle it on top.

Soy sauce is a liquid, so the choking risk is low. In theory, any food can cause choking.

Cut the dish that holds the sauce to suit your baby's age. Set up a safe eating space and stay close while they eat.

Soy sauce is made from soybeans and often contains wheat. Both are common food allergens. Some people allergic to soy or wheat can handle soy sauce in moderation. If your baby has a known soy or wheat allergy, ask your allergist before giving soy sauce.

When introducing

Before soy sauce, try soy and wheat on their own, along with any other major allergen the bottle lists. That way you know your child already eats them safely when the sauce comes along. It also makes it easier to tell which food is responsible if a dish causes a reaction. Give a small amount in the first few servings and raise it slowly if there is no reaction.

Wheat-free option

Should wheat be the child's allergen while soy is fine, a sauce made without wheat, tamari for instance, may be safe. Go through the label closely so the allergen in question never appears among the ingredients.