I ask because a question I just read leads me to believe that there is a lot of misinformation out there, so here is your PSA for the day. Honey is not an allergen and besides being pure sugar, it is not in and of itself bad for a baby. Some honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum. Adults and older children have immune systems equipped to handle it, but babies do not. It can cause flaccid paralysis, and is sometimes referred to as floppy baby syndrome (or at least that's what my pathogenic bacteriology professor called it). It paralyzes the nerves and can be deadly for a baby which is why you should wait to give it. It usually takes 18-36 hours before you will see symptoms. However, it doesn't mean all honey contains spores and your baby won't automatically get sick.
And --- If I could add something... :) My son's doctor told me this at his 9 month check up...
It's only non-pasteurized honey that's the problem. Most honey that you can buy in your regular grocery store is pasteurized and is not harmful to infants. If you were to go buy honey from a farmer on the side of the road or with the honeycomb still in the jar, then that would be what you want to stay away from.
honey should not be fed to infants younger than 1 year old. Clostridium bacteria that cause infant botulism usually thrive in soil and dust. However, they can also contaminate certain foods â ” honey in particular. Infant botulism can cause muscle weakness, with signs like poor sucking, a weak cry, constipation, and an overall decreased muscle tone (floppiness).
I did know that. And I knew that not all babies get sick with it. I think my grandmother used to dip the pacifier in honey with all of her kids and they never had any problem and I've heard older people say "I always gave my kids honey", but why take a chance on something like that now that we know about it.
Johnny's Mommy - I had heard that too about the pasteurized vs. non-pasteurized. Did you know that the honey from the farmer's market is best for you though because it contains local pollens and helps with seasonal allergies? So that's the kind of honey we always get, but we never let our kids have any until they were older.
Ok, but why would I want to risk that exactly? Babies don't *need* honey, so why not just wait to give it to them until they're old enough to deal with the potential infectants?
I never heard anyone call it an allergen. I always heard it was to make sure baby did not get the boulinum.
So PSA--- we are not all stupid we have professors too.
Yeah, I knew that. My dad was telling me to dip my son's soother in honey to get him to take it, but I told him how risky that is (he didn't know) and I don't have a problem with my son not taking a soother anyway. It was annoying at first, but I'm glad I didn't have to try to take it away from him later!
I don't see why anyone would bother risking it anyway. While we're at it, why don't we drive our car with our children sitting in our laps? After all, MOST LIKELY nothing will happen. Sounds terrible right? Well I don't see the difference in doing that or making a baby ingest something that could be harmful to him/her.
Honey offers empty calories and poses a health risk like you said it contains the spores of Clostridium botulinum harmless to adults but can cause botulism (constipation, weakend sucking, lethargy and poor appetite) in babies. Its a serious but rarely fatal illness that can lead to pneumonia and dehydration. Honey should never be given to babies under 1 year.
Thanks! I knew it was because of botulism, but I didn't know all those details.
- yeah i knew that. in anyway- i don't see the point. i use to eat honey and peanut butter sandwiches but not anymore. the honey will sit in there forever
To me, it's a better safe than sorry situation. I'd rather not risk it.
YES due to botulinum
The reason honey is on the do-not-serve list for babies younger than twelve months old is because it contains botulinum toxin spores. These spores (the same stuff used in botox shots) don't affect adults or older kids, but can cause botulism food poisoning when exposed to the immature digestive tract.
In a recent study, botulinum spores were found in 5-10% of honey samples. The spores are not reliably killed by cooking or even pasteurization, so honey in any form is not recommended. Botulinum can also be found in maple syrup and corn syrup, as well as undercooked foods. The chance of spores is lower in these other foods â ” no botulism cases from corn syrup have ever been reported, so it's only a theoretical risk. Doctors still suggest that you not feed your baby corn syrup unless it's been pasteurized or says specifically that it's "spore-free." Yum.
Botulism is a serious illness, but it usually treatable if it's caught in time. Babies with botulism first become constipated, and then may act listless and lose muscle strength, including the ability to suck. Almost all babies will recover from botulism if it is diagnosed and treated effectively, but a serious case will require a hospital stay ranging from days to months.
Once your baby is over a year old, the botulism risk goes way down, which means that you and your relatives can dip and drip freely next year. But while you're explaining this all to grandma, you might want to add, too, that apples are a choking hazard.
IF your stating that not all honey contains spores, why take the risk though?
Also, IIRC, the reaction has never been observed in a baby older than 11mo, hence the 'no honey until 1 yr' recommendation, and baking doesn't kill the spores, so stuff like Honey-Nut Cheerios is still theoretically unsafe...
...but this is Yahoo! Answers. All questions pertaining to honey are still going to get answers re. imagined allergy risk/bad-for-you because it's sweet.
Thank youuuu aimee =]
How weird everyone jumping the gun saying "why risk it"...She never said to risk it, she was just being thoughtful!!!
As far as I know it was more of problem with them possibly choking on it. Same with peanut butter-it's not really allergy, it's also cause it can clump up in their throat if they are not experienced at clearing their throat from a gooey substance like that.
 Walking/Running Puppy - Advise needed
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Do you really know why babies can't have honey?