Why cant you feed babies honey

Infant Botulism (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth

en español: Botulismo del lactante

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD

Primary Care Pediatrics at Nemours Children's Health

What Is Infant Botulism?

Infant botulism is an illness that can happen when a baby ingests (takes in) toxins from a type of bacteria. Babies with infant botulism (BAH-chuh-liz-im) can have muscle weakness, a weak cry, and trouble breathing. They need to be treated in a hospital. With early diagnosis and proper medical care, a baby should fully recover from the illness.

What Causes Infant Botulism?

Infant botulism is caused by a toxin (a poison) from Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which live in soil and dust. The bacteria can get on surfaces like carpets and floors and also can contaminate honey. That's why babies younger than 1 year old should never be given honey or any processed foods that contain honey (like honey graham crackers).

These bacteria are harmless to older kids and adults. Their mature digestive systems can move the toxins through the body before they cause harm.

Infant botulism usually affects babies who are younger than 6 months old. But all babies are at risk for it until their first birthday.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Infant Botulism?

Babies with infant botulism might have:

constipation (often the first sign that parents notice)
weak facial muscles that makes their face look "flat"
a weak cry
weak muscles in the arms, legs, and neck, leading to floppiness
breathing problems
trouble swallowing with a lot of drooling

They also might not feed well or move as much as usual.

How Is Infant Botulism Diagnosed?

Doctors diagnose infant botulism by asking about the baby's symptoms. They'll do an exam, and might order tests to look for the toxin and to see how the baby's muscles are working.

How Is Infant Botulism Treated?

Babies with infant botulism need care in a hospital, usually in the intensive care unit (ICU). The health care team will try to limit the problems the toxin causes in the baby's body.

Doctors treat infant botulism with an antitoxin called botulism immune globulin intravenous (BIGIV). They give this to babies as soon as possible if they suspect botulism. Babies with botulism who get BIGIV early recover sooner and spend less time in the hospital than babies who don't.

If the toxin affects the breathing muscles, a baby might need to use a breathing machine (ventilator) for a few weeks until they get stronger. It also can affect the swallowing muscles, so babies usually need intravenous (IV) fluids or feedings through a tube to get nourishment.

Can Infant Botulism Be Prevented?

Experts don't know why some infants get botulism while others don't.

One way to reduce the risk of botulism is to not give infants honey or any processed foods with honey before their first birthday. Honey is a proven source of the bacteria. Light and dark corn syrups also might contain botulism-causing bacteria, but a link hasn't been proved. Check with your doctor before giving these syrups to a baby.

If you have questions about other products to avoid, ask your doctor.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD

Date reviewed: March 2023

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When Is It OK for Babies to Eat Honey?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

You may have heard about some of the benefits of honey. Parents looking for an alternative to sugar often turn to honey as a more natural choice. However, you should not give honey to your baby if they are under the age of one. Honey can cause botulism, which is a type of food poisoning, in babies under one year old. Babies should not have honey in any form, even cooked in baked goods.

Learn about the dangers of giving honey to babies and when it's safe for your baby to eat honey. When given at the right age, honey can be a part of your child's healthy diet.

Symptoms of Botulism

Giving honey to babies under 12 months has been associated with a rare, but serious, condition called infant botulism. Infant botulism is caused by exposure to the spores of a bacteria. Clostridium botulinum bacteria spores can grow and multiply in your baby's intestines. This produces a dangerous toxin that causes infant botulism.

Infant botulism occurs most often in babies under six months old. Most adults and older children have defenses in their intestines that prevent the spores from germinating and reproducing. Honey is not the only source of the spores that cause botulism. These spores can also be present in soil or dust. The symptoms of infant botulism can be mild or severe and can include:

Overall weakness or floppiness
Slow feeding
Constipation
Loss of facial expression
Reduced gag reflex

Nutritional Information About Honey

Because honey is a natural sweetener, many people think it's healthier than sugar. Honey does contain trace amounts of:

Vitamins
Minerals
Electrolytes
Enzymes
Amino acids
Flavonoids

However, to get the benefits of these nutrients, you would have to eat far more honey than is healthy. Honey is a sugar and is high in calories. Honey is considered an added sugar, so it should be eaten in moderation.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that you not give children under the age of 2 any added sugars at all. The sugar that naturally occurs in fruits, whole grains, beans, or dairy is not considered added sugar. These natural sugars are necessary for your baby to grow and develop. Added sugars may be labeled as sucrose, dextrose, and, yes, honey. These are associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

Once your toddler is two, the AAP recommends they have no more than 25 grams, or 6 teaspoons, of added sugars daily. Honey can be used in place of sugar as long as it doesn't exceed the recommended amount.

Benefits of Honey

Cough suppressant. One clear benefit of honey is how effective it is as a cough suppressant. In a study of 105 children ages 2 to 18 who had upper respiratory infections, honey was more effective at relieving nighttime coughing than cough medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the AAP recommend honey as a natural and effective cough suppressant.

Wound healing. Honey has also been shown to be effective in treating some wounds and burns. Honey has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have shown honey to be as effective as conventional treatments for acute wounds and superficial partial-thickness burns. However, more studies will need to be done to recommend it for medical use.

Types of Honey

There are over 300 types of honey. You can buy honey that is either raw or pasteurized. Unlike some raw foods, raw honey is considered safe to eat for children over 12 months old. Raw honey is the least processed type of honey and probably has the most nutrients. Honey's flavor and color change depending on the type of plants that bees used to make it.

Some of the different types of honey include:

Acacia honey. This light honey has a floral scent but doesn't change the taste of foods you use it in.
Clover honey. This is the most common type of honey in the US. It's a light honey with a sweet taste. It has a bit of a bitter aftertaste.
Buckwheat honey. This is dark, full-flavored honey that is good in marmalade. This is also the type of honey that was used in the study as a cough suppressant.

Manuka honey. This is a dark honey that is made from the Manuka bush in New Zealand. It contains antioxidants, along with antibacterial and antifungal properties. It has been used topically to treat burns, cuts, and sores.

Honey in baby food. Benefits and harms

Can children eat honey and when can it be given to them? Honey is famous for its many health benefits, it has an antibacterial effect, is rich in trace elements and vitamins. At the same time, honey is also a strong allergen and can be contaminated with toxins. Honey has been used for centuries to treat many diseases. Considered a natural antibiotic. Due to its antiseptic and bactericidal properties, it is used in the treatment of colds, flu, supports the heart, improves digestion, nourishes the brain, increases concentration, and also calms. Until recently, honey was recommended for children and even babies during viral infections, coughs or digestive problems. Today it is not recommended to give honey to a child before his first birthday, and possibly longer. When introducing honey into the diet of a child, it is necessary to monitor the reaction of the child's body.

1. In what cases is it not recommended to add honey to children's diet
Honey has many health benefits, but it is not indicated for babies. Children under the age of 1 should not receive it for two main reasons:
- allergy - honey can cause this unpleasant condition, especially in children who are allergic to pollen or bee venom, but there is also a risk of food allergies (especially when one or both of their parents have a similar ailment). Honey contains an admixture of pollen or bee protein. An allergy to honey causes a rash, vomiting, diarrhea, a runny nose, and watery eyes. This product can provoke a severe reaction - anaphylactic shock, which is manifested by shortness of breath, swelling of the throat, eyes and nose, severe diarrhea and even loss of consciousness;
- bacterial infection - honey may contain rods of botulinum bacteria Clostridium, which produce botulinum. It is a very strong toxin belonging to the group of neurotoxins. It causes tension and even paralysis of the muscles, and can lead to visual impairment. Honey may contain traces of this toxin, which an older child or adult will not respond to because their body will fight it off without causing dangerous symptoms. But in the body of a child under 1 year old, the intestinal flora is still immature, so it is not able to fight the dangerous toxin.
Honey should be introduced into the child's diet very carefully and in small quantities, and babies under 1 year of age should not be given it at all. So you don’t need to succumb to the recommendations of good consultants who advise using cough honey in a child. Even a small dose in such a baby can provoke dangerous reactions that the body cannot cope with. It is also necessary to avoid honey in drinks and any dishes, even those that are processed (dangerous toxins are resistant to high temperatures). In addition to the above reasons against the use of honey in a child's diet, the very sweet taste of this product is also worth mentioning. This teaches the baby to sweets. And also honey contains a lot of calories that can lead to obesity (however, fewer calories than white sugar). It contains simple sugars (glucose and fructose) that are not needed in a child's diet. They cause a sudden rise in blood glucose levels with an equally rapid decline. Such fluctuations in glucose can cause excitement and irritability in the baby.

2. When you can give honey to children. Useful properties of honey
Despite the numerous contraindications for the introduction of honey to infants, it is worth adding it to the diet of an older child. Of course, if the baby does not have allergies, because in this case it is necessary to consult an allergist and take honey under control. Honey will naturally support the child's body in the fight against infection, especially the upper respiratory tract. It relieves coughs, protects and moisturizes the throat, therefore it also treats sore throats. Honey also supports the immune system, fights germs, and has an antiseptic effect. Therefore, it is worth giving it to a child, especially in the autumn-winter season, in order to protect the baby from infections. Honey has the most health benefits when diluted. You just need to remember to add it to chilled drinks and dishes, because at temperatures above 40 ° C it loses all its properties and becomes just a sweet substance. It is best to add it to boiled chilled water and leave it to dissolve for up to 12 hours.

3. The norm of honey consumption

Infants up to 1 year old - 0 g
Children 1-16 years - up to 50 g/day (about 2-3 tablespoons)
Adults - up to 100 g/day (about 5 tablespoons)

4. What kind of honey to buy for a child?
When buying honey for a child, you need to pay attention to:
- crystallization - natural honey crystallizes after a while. If the consistency is liquid for too long, it means that it is not quite natural;
- origin - you always need to check from which apiary it comes, to be sure of its source;
- natural honey - you should not buy an artificial product, because it has no health benefits and is usually made from sugar.

Honey for a child: at what age can it be given?

Many parents sooner or later think about the age at which they can give their child honey. Below you will find all the necessary information about this, as well as whether it is possible to put compresses from this product.

This is one of the most useful products. It strengthens the immune system and helps cure colds, so it's no surprise that many parents want to feed it to their babies. But honey is contraindicated even for some adults. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that it is safe for children before feeding them with honey.

Can I breastfeed?

Most doctors are categorically against giving honey to a nursing baby. And the reason lies in its composition. This product contains a certain number of bacterial spores, which the bees collect from the nectar. These bacteria cause botulism and their spores cannot be removed or extracted from honey in any way.

These bacteria cannot develop in an adult, as his digestive system is able to suppress them. But the baby has an insufficient level of acidity. Therefore, bacteria can actively develop in the intestine, contributing to the formation of toxins. The latter cause severe food poisoning, which is called botulism.

Breast milk is the best food for babies. After all, it contains all the substances necessary for development and growth. Some parents give honey to their children from the moment they are born and they claim that no negative effects have ever occurred. Indeed, exceptions do happen. But it’s still not worth taking risks by giving this product to the baby and hoping for luck at the same time.

Can a one year old child?

Many doctors do not recommend giving honey to those who have not yet reached 18 months, and certainly not to those who are not yet one year old. And the main reason is the same as for babies - botulism. If you still decide to introduce this beekeeping product into the diet of a baby who is not more than 1 year old, then be sure to consult a doctor.

If you did not go to the pediatrician and made the decision to give this product to a one-year-old baby, then carefully monitor his health. If, after taking it, constipation appears, appetite worsens, general weakness occurs, then immediately consult a doctor. These are symptoms of botulism, in which health can deteriorate significantly. Therefore, do not hesitate to visit the doctor!

At what age can the product be started?

Many parents are puzzled by the question of how old you can feed babies with honey. Some doctors argue that bee products can be fed to those who are 2 years old. But still, most pediatricians advise giving honey to children who are at least 3 years old.

At the same time, it is necessary not only to know how old to feed honey, but also to follow several important rules. Firstly, this product is undesirable to give in a diluted form. Give no more than 1-2 teaspoons per day, mixing with warm drinks or porridge. Secondly, it must be of high quality.

Thirdly, watch your baby's reaction. Don't force him to eat honey if he doesn't want to. If skin rashes or digestive upsets occur after taking, then stop taking it to avoid allergies.

Some doctors suggest that the ideal age for introducing honey into the diet is from 6 to 9 years, unless, of course, the child has allergies and other contraindications to taking it. You can eat about 3 tbsp. l. honey per day, but it is necessary to stretch this amount over several doses. Children who have reached 9years, you can give almost an adult dose equal to 5 tbsp. l. in a day.

Is it possible to treat children's coughs with honey compresses?

Many children, especially at a very early age, catch colds easily and often. And some diseases can drag on for a long period, and often they are accompanied by a cough. Usually, first of all, parents want to get rid of the cough in order to alleviate the condition of the baby.

Traditional medicine has long used a honey compress to relieve coughs.