Babies and Honey.?

Question

I always heard that you can't give babies honey because there is a something in it that can make babies sick.
But at what age is it safe to start letting them have honey?
Just wondering.

Can babies be affected by honey if they are breastfed and the mother eats honey?

I was mostly talking about using honey as a flovor in cereal or other foods...I wouldn't just give a baby a goop of honey...thanks for all your answers.

Answer 1

Mom eating honey while breastfeeding is fine.
NO honey for babies under 12 months.
It can cause botulism which is SERIOUS and can kill. I know a little girl who almost died of infant botulism when she was about 10 mos old. SCAREY.

Answer 2

Its not that they will get sick. It is because they could choke. Honey is hard to swallow for their little throats and can cause the airway to be blocked. PS botulism can only be caused in an no oxygen atmosphere (underground like potatoes). The only reason I know this is because I am a chef and just had to take a hazardous foods course for certification. Honey has no poisons. It is safe at any age so long as it is in VERY small amounts.

Answer 3

no your not supposed to give babys hunny till like 2-3 yrs old. the hunny has poisons from the bees in it that cant be processed out. my kids never had a problem with it though but its not lke i dump it in there mouth straight i add it as a flavor to teas, oatmeals, cookies, muffins stuff like that. talk to your babys doc they know your baby and can give you a better idea when ts best for your baby.
my kids all had honey about the age of 1.

Answer 4

Babies under a year old can't have honey because of the bacteria. Their stomachs are not able to digest or fight it off. Its ok to eat honey and breast feed though.

Answer 5

My babies doc told us not to give her honey until she was 1 year of age...because of all the allergies and things like that.

Answer 6

I found this interesting as my husband would like to give our girl (a wk shy of 1yr) honey and I always have to 'remind' him not yet and he asks why. Couldnt answer him before, I blindly said 'allergies' which is usually the reason. From the Dr Greene article given to you about (to save you time):

The concern is with infant botulism.

Botulinum spores are found widely in soil, dust, and honey. Adults who swallow botulinum spores are almost never affected. When infants swallow the spores, however, the spores can germinate in their immature gastrointestinal tracts and begin producing botulinum toxin. This has occurred even when the honey was only used to sweeten a pacifier (European Journal of Epidemiology, Nov 1993).

Botulinum toxin is the most poisonous natural substance known to man. The lethal dose is only 1/10,000,000 mg per kg of body weight -- an amount that would be invisible to the naked eye. This tiny amount in the blood stream can cause death within minutes through paralysis of the muscles used in breathing.

Infant botulism has been found on every continent except Africa. In the United States it is most common in the states of California, Utah, and Pennsylvania. While infant botulism can occur from taking in soil or dust (especially vacuum cleaner-bag dust), eating honey is the number one preventable cause. Corn syrups are not sterilized and may also be a source of contamination (The AAP Red Book, 2000).

Infant botulism can occur any time in the first year of life, but like SIDS it is most common in the first six months. In fact it has been suggested as the cause of death in up to 10% of SIDS cases (Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics; Saunders 1992).

Thankfully, in most instances of infant botulism, the amount of toxin is so incredibly minuscule that the case remains mild. For this reason it is often misdiagnosed.

....The single most effective way to prevent infant botulism is for infants to avoid honey. Breast feeding also appears to lessen the severity of botulism cases.

Despite other health benefits, honey is an unsafe food for any infant. HONEY SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN TO CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 12 MONTHS.


There you go, straight from Dr Greene. He does say in one of those articles when the honey is used in cooking the danger is less...

Oh yes, you are free to have as much honey as you like!

Answer 7

I found a couple of sites for you that can explain why and how long to wait.
Now the other thing I was going to say is that there are many alteratives to hoeny that are yummy and safe. I like Brown Rice Syrup it has a similar tick texture and is a nice mellow sweet flavor. I also like just pure maple syrup for things like pancakes (obviously) and also things like oatmeal. I hope all this helps :)

Answer 8

Babies under one year should not have honey as it may contain the spores of botulism, which could colonise in the intestines of the young infant.

Answer 9

you can give babies honey but the only place you can give them it is their formula because if they are constipated it helps to sooth the babys tummy. i did this all the time. it is one of the best things u can use besides apple juice.

Answer 10

You can't feed babies honey until they are one year old.