Why Is Honey Unsafe for Babies?
Current parents (and expectant parents-to-be) hear not to give honey to babies under a year old all over the place, from their own parents, doctors, and people just trying to be helpful.
Since honey is touted as being such a wholesome substance for adults and older children, what is it, exactly, that makes it so unsafe for babies? What is it about the one-year mark that suddenly makes it okay to give? Honey, in and of itself, is a very healthful food.
Though high in sugar, it is unrefined sugar, and also contains pollen and antimicrobial enzymes that make it suitable for everything from using homeopathically to treat allergies, to a wound dressing for cuts, scrapes, or burns.
Unfortunately, though some safe, all-natural baby products for external use contain honey, feeding it to babies under a year old for any reason can be deadly.
Honey is a natural product, and the only food in the world that does not spoil.
Despite how shelf-stable and otherwise beneficial honey can be, it often contains juvenile spores of Clostridium botulinum.
In the hospitable atmosphere of the digestive tract, these spores can result in botulism, a potentially lethal condition in children, adults, and even animals that causes lethargy, constipation, eventual paralysis of the muscles in the extremities, torso, and respiratory system, and death.
Even products that simply contain honey, like some cereals and baked goods, can still harbor Clostridium botulinum spores, and should not ever be given to babies.
Of course, the FDA hasn't banned honey, and there hasn't been a widespread honey recall or botulism epidemic, so what gives? The fact is, if you eat honey, you've already come across hundreds of billions of spores in your lifetime and handled them with no problem.
Babies under a year old, though, have a distinct disadvantage- an immature immune system.
Like other toxins illnesses that may leave children and adults fine, and only strike the very aged and newly made, developing botulism from consuming honey isn't something most adults with normal immune systems have to deal with.
Having an immature immune system, coupled with their small size, makes children under one year old the most at risk group for developing this illness.
Though honey may be unsafe for babies, don't let it stop your enjoyment of it! Avoid using honey in cooked recipes your baby will end up eating- either make a separate portion for them without honey, or leave it out altogether.
Luckily, infant botulism is a relatively rare disease, but arming yourself with knowledge about what is and isn't safe for your baby can help you slash your child's risks of contracting it even further.
Since honey is touted as being such a wholesome substance for adults and older children, what is it, exactly, that makes it so unsafe for babies? What is it about the one-year mark that suddenly makes it okay to give? Honey, in and of itself, is a very healthful food.
Though high in sugar, it is unrefined sugar, and also contains pollen and antimicrobial enzymes that make it suitable for everything from using homeopathically to treat allergies, to a wound dressing for cuts, scrapes, or burns.
Unfortunately, though some safe, all-natural baby products for external use contain honey, feeding it to babies under a year old for any reason can be deadly.
Honey is a natural product, and the only food in the world that does not spoil.
Despite how shelf-stable and otherwise beneficial honey can be, it often contains juvenile spores of Clostridium botulinum.
In the hospitable atmosphere of the digestive tract, these spores can result in botulism, a potentially lethal condition in children, adults, and even animals that causes lethargy, constipation, eventual paralysis of the muscles in the extremities, torso, and respiratory system, and death.
Even products that simply contain honey, like some cereals and baked goods, can still harbor Clostridium botulinum spores, and should not ever be given to babies.
Of course, the FDA hasn't banned honey, and there hasn't been a widespread honey recall or botulism epidemic, so what gives? The fact is, if you eat honey, you've already come across hundreds of billions of spores in your lifetime and handled them with no problem.
Babies under a year old, though, have a distinct disadvantage- an immature immune system.
Like other toxins illnesses that may leave children and adults fine, and only strike the very aged and newly made, developing botulism from consuming honey isn't something most adults with normal immune systems have to deal with.
Having an immature immune system, coupled with their small size, makes children under one year old the most at risk group for developing this illness.
Though honey may be unsafe for babies, don't let it stop your enjoyment of it! Avoid using honey in cooked recipes your baby will end up eating- either make a separate portion for them without honey, or leave it out altogether.
Luckily, infant botulism is a relatively rare disease, but arming yourself with knowledge about what is and isn't safe for your baby can help you slash your child's risks of contracting it even further.
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