Can I Give Honey To My Baby ?

The question is Can I give honey to my baby ?  The answer is a BIG NO !! Want to know why ? Read below.

When I was packing my bags to Mumbai from Kerala , my aunt got me a large bottle of honey . I wondered what its for. She told ” This is organic honey. If Lali (my daughter ) doesn’t take any medicines , feel free to mix it
with honey and give it “. I smiled and placed it inside my bag. So did I give honey to my three and a half month old daughter then?

Honey is very good for health , but when its given to babies under 12 months or 1 year , it causes botulism , commonly called as infant botulism.

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1. What is infant botulism or botulism ?

Botulism is an infection / illness caused by the clostridium botulinum spores which is usually found in honey

2. What are the causes of botulism ?

It is mainly caused by the spores bacteria which grows and multiplies inside the large intestine of babies within 24 -72 hours of consumption of spores, that produces toxins inside the baby’s body. The digestive system of babies are immatured to digest it out and hence the baby falls sick.

3. What are the symptoms of botulism?

Constipation is the main symptom followed by weakness , difficulty in feeding or sucking , breathlessness and in severe cases facial muscle paralysis.

4. What if my 2 year old has honey ?

Nothing !! His body will retain the goodness of honey . An older kid’s digestive system will be matured enough to digest the spores , hence toddlers above 1 year old , are generally not affected by botulism

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5. Other than honey , what are the other sources where in my baby could get affected by spores ?

Canned foods , foods exposed to dust , soil or any other dirt , honey are all sources of toxic producing spores

6. Can’t my daughter / son have canned foods ?

For sure they can . All canned foods should be properly stored and ideally pressure cooked before usage to eliminate the presence of spores if any.

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7. When can my baby have honey ?

Post 1 year of age ie soon after his / her first birthday , honey can be given

8. In what all food items honey can be given to my toddler ?

In cornflakes , milk , cut fruits , milkshakes , bread etc honey can be used.

So you might be thinking what I did with the large bottle of honey . It was used by us in our cornflakes and my facemasks 😛 till Anshika turned one :):) , Now Anshika has it with her cornflakes and banana milkshakes. Simple My aunt was happy , we were happy and now our Anshika is also happy :):)

So did you give honey to your baby ?

Source : en.wikipedia.org , Image source : Flickr.com