The American Academy of Pediatrics (news) and the World Health Organization advises that honey should not be added to food, water, or formula that is fed to infants younger than 12 months of age. This technically, applies to raw and unpasteurized honey, local honey; even applies to all foods and baked goods containing honey.
Honey can contain spores of bacterium called Clostridium Botulinum, which can germinate in a baby’s immature digestive system and release the toxin that causes Infant Botulism – a potentially fatal illness.
Honey should never be given to a child under the age of 12 months old.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF INFANT WITH BOTULISM
Symptoms typically appear within 12-36 hours after eating contaminated food, but may occur as early as a few hours and as late as 10 days.
- muscle weakness
- flat facial expression
- decreased movement
- lethargy in feeding or weak sucking
- weak cry
- constipation
These are all a result of the muscle paralysis caused by bacterial toxin. If your infant has signs of botulism, it is recommended you visit the emergency room immediately as this is a life-threatening illness. Be sure to keep samples of the potentially contaminated food for testing.
IS HONEY SAFE FOR TODDLERS, OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS?
These spores are usually harmless to adults and children over age one. In adults, the amount of botulism spores ingested (if any) from honey is really quite negligible because we have mature intestines. The intestines of an adult contain enough acids to counteract the production of toxins the botulism bacteria produce. Once an infant reaches the age of 1 year or older, their immune system is well developed and intestines have a balance of acids that help destroy and fight off any toxins that the botulism bacteria produce.
WHAT ABOUT FOODS CONTAINING HONEY?
Children under age 1 should not be offered any foods with honey, including yogurt with honey and cereals and crackers with honey, such as honey graham crackers, honey nut cheerios, honey wheat bread. Cooking and baking do not reach temperatures high enough to kill or destroy the botulism spores.
Honey is unsafe in any form under one.
BOTTOM LINE
Honey contains modest amounts of B vitamins and vitamin C, it can be a nice addition to your baby’s diet, but it’s important to wait until after 12 months of age. Remember, honey, a sweetener, does have a lot of calories, just like other natural sugars. Read labels carefully to see if processed foods contain honey.
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