Giving honey to babies

Do not give honey to any baby younger  than  a year old.  This is because occasionally honey contains the spore of  a bacterium called  Clostridium botulinum. This can cause a rare form of poisoning known as botulism. The bacteria grow inside the baby’s gastrointestinal tract and cause the following symptoms.
 

 

• weak cry
• poor sucking
• breathing problems
• sag or partially closed eye lids
• constipation
• loss of head control
• over all decreases muscle tone
• lethargy

 
Another reason you may not want to add honey or sugar to your baby’s food is that it may cause damage to his emerging teeth.  It will also encourage sweet tooth. If you want to add some flavor to your baby’s food such as rice cereal , it is best to add pureed fruits . These are naturally sweet and contain essential vitamins and minerals that the baby needs.

Parents can reduce their baby’s chances of infant botulism by not introducing any honey or processed foods containing honey  into the baby’s diet until after their first birthday. You should also note that light and dark corn syrup are known  to contain botulism causing bacteria. However no proven cases botulism have been attributed to ingesting corn syrup. You  need to check with your doctor before giving babies these syrups.
 
Content Sources