why is honey bad for babies?

Answer 1

reason #1) babies can easily develop allergies to substances they are exposed to within the first few years of life. since honey is an insect-produced food, it can make the infant more likely to develop natural allergies.

reason #2) honey, specifically, is also very difficult for babies to both swallow and digest. believe it or not, they can easily choke on the thick liquid because their bodies are incapable of fully dissolving it in the mouth.

reason #3) when bees collect nectar from flowers, they incidentally pick up botulism spores that get mixed into their honey. lacking a fully-formed immune response, a baby that eats honey provides a perfect environment for the spores to activate and unleash their toxin, resulting in infant botulism (which can lead to paralysis or death).

reason #4) the sugar in honey can harm a baby's teeth and may also give them a 'sweet tooth'.

Answer 2

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).

Answer 3

Honey should not be given to children under a year of age because of the risk of infant botulism, which can kill a baby. In addition, nothing sweet should be put on a pacifier. It can harm any teeth or erupting teeth.

Answer 4

Honey isn't processed and can contain baterias that couse botulism in infants. Their small bodies hasn't developed the immune system that is needed to protect them. Wait at least two years before giving them raw honey. If it is cooked into a recipe it is fine, as long as it has been heated at a high tempurature for a while (ie. baked in bread or cake is fine)

Answer 5

"Due to the natural presence of botulinum endospores in honey, children under one year of age should not be given honey. The more developed digestive systems of older children and adults generally destroy the spores. Infants, however, can contract botulism from honey"

Answer 6

from what i have read and what i have been told it can cause botulism, which can make anyone under the age of one very sick or it may cause death.

now a doctor told me if honey is cooked into something like graham crackers ( gave some to my 8 month old) its ok. of course after him trying it i read the ingredients and panicked and ask a doctor about it and they said it was ok as long as its a ingredient in something and its cooked.

Answer 7

Because honey can lead to a fatal form of botulism(food poison) in babies.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

It contains spores which causes botulism in infants under one year of age. After one year of age the immune and digestive system is developed enough that the spores are no longer harmful.

Answer 10

It is because it can cause a condition called botulism. Corn syrup may also cause it so be careful with that too. Here is a link to more information about infant botulism.

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/botulism.html