Question – safety of honey for a one-year-old
Angela is over twelve months but I am still scared to give her honey. What makes it not safe one day and safe the next, i.e. the day before they turn one, to the next day? Angela is small, just 18.5lbs – is the safety issue weight-dependant or am I being crazy?
Answer:
I’m very happy that you brought up this issue as many people aren’t aware that they’re not supposed to give honey to babies under twelve months. Though it’s extremely rare for this to cause a problem, honey can cause a potentially deadly type of the food poisoning called botulism. This is because honey can carry botulinum spores. These are also found in dust and soil, and unwashed fruit and vegetables (which is one reason why it’s so important to wash fruit and vegetables). While these spores don’t cause a problem for older children and adults, in a young baby’s less-developed gastro-intestinal tract the spores can germinate (like a seed for the botulism) and grow and produce the botulinum toxin or poison (yes, the BoTox used to reduce wrinkles!). While this may result in a mild illness, it can also be very serious and death is possible. This is quite different to the form of botulism that affects adults and children alike, which is generally caused by improperly canned or preserved food.
I don’t want to scare anyone who has given their baby honey – botulism is very rare, and generally only occurs during the first six months of life. However, to be on the safe side and since babies develop at different rates, experts recommend no honey for twelve months. This is why, even though Angela may be on the smaller side, you can feel comfortable giving her honey now she is a year old.
There is a theory that honey given to babies may reduce the risk of developing allergies. Please note that this is not something a dietitian would recommend. While pasteurised or filtered honey might be suggested, botulinum spores are not removed by filtering and some can survive heating for several hours, so all types of honey are a potential risk. Breastfeeding, however, has been shown to reduce the risk of developing allergies, and also may reduce severity of botulism if it did develop – which is another reason to continue breastfeeding babies if possible, particularly during the first six months.