Why can't you feed an infant under the age of 1 honey?

Question

This morning I was putting honey in my tea and I noticed a small line of tye that read "NOTE: Do not feed to infants under one year of age." I have never heard of that.

Answer 1

Honey, corn syrup and other natural sweeteners are a potential and acute threat to infants. Harmless to adults because of a mature person's stomach acidity, botulinum spores are widely present in the environment and are among the few bacteria that can survive in honey. Since an infant's digestive juices are non-acidic, ingestion of honey creates an ideal medium for botulinum spores to grow and produce sufficient levels of toxins to cause infant botulism. For this reason, it is advised that neither honey, nor any other sweetener, be given to children under the age of 18 months. Once a child is eating solid food, the digestive juices are acidic enough to prevent the growth of the spores.

Answer 2

Never give honey or foods made with honey to babies under 1 year of age

Honey may contain bacterial spores that can cause infant botulism - a rare but serious disease that affects the nervous system of young babies (under one year of age). The following are symptoms of infant botulism. Call your doctor immediately if your baby:

· is too weak to suck or cry as usual

· does not want to feed or cannot swallow

· has weak arms, legs or neck

· suffers from constipation

Answer 3

Honey, corn syrup and other natural sweeteners are a potential and acute threat to infants. Harmless to adults because of a mature person's stomach acidity, botulinum spores are widely present in the environment and are among the few bacteria that can survive in honey.

Since an infant's digestive juices are non-acidic, ingestion of honey creates an ideal medium for botulinum spores to grow and produce sufficient levels of toxins to cause infant botulism. For this reason, it is advised that neither honey, nor any other sweetener, be given to children under the age of 18 months.

Once a child is eating solid food, the digestive juices are acidic enough to prevent the growth of the spores.

Answer 4

There is a relation between honey consumption and botulism in babies under 12 months. This is a long standing practice but new studies are coming out that it may not be a fatal as once thought.

Answer 5

In honey there are traces of botulism, it is totally harmless to adults, but infants immune systems cannot stand up to the bacteria.

Answer 6

I seem to remember something about how honey could contain some bacteria that small children's bodies are too young to deal with.

It has to do with the way honey is created, insects secrete it.

Answer 7

The reason children shouldn't have honey at a young age (I say under two years old) is because they may be allergic. Children under the age of two should not be given strawberries or peanuts either.

Answer 8

There's this fungus that can have it's spores in the honey. Not a problem for a child or a adult. A baby's immune system can't handle dealing with this particular fungus.

Answer 9

You shouldn't feed very young children honey because it can contain botulism.

Answer 10

They say, honey is raw product and it might affect the baby. But in other countries, they feed honey real early.