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I’ve been getting a lot of questions about honey lately, and it’s no wonder! As a natural substance, honey seems pretty innocent and harmless. So it can be pretty surprising for parents who learn that honey is actually not safe for babies, and should only be given to toddlers in moderation. Today’s post addresses the FAQs I get around honey, from “is honey safe for babies?” to the pros and cons of raw honey, and everything in between.
No, honey is not safe for babies under 12 months old. It’s best to avoid this sweet, sticky substance altogether until their first birthday.
Even if cooked or baked in, honey still is not safe for babies under 12 months old. You should check labels of any packaged products you plan to feed baby just to make sure there’s no honey in them.
Honey can be contaminated with spores of a bacteria called clostridium botulinum. In babies under 12 months old, the spores can multiply and produce a dangerous toxin that causes infant botulism.
Babies are at the highest risk for botulism when they are under 6 months old. Experts agree that by the time babies are 12 months old, the risk is no longer present.
For children over 1 and adults, the spores are harmless. Our digestive tracts can process the spores if we ingest them, which prevents us from getting sick.
After age 1, the risk of botulism is no longer an issue, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding added sugars for children under 2. Honey is natural, but it’s still considered an added sugar, so you should avoid serving it until your child turns 2.
Instead of using added sugars, I recommend using fruit to sweeten foods. It’s best to do this all the time for your baby, and most of the time for your toddler.
That being said, there’s no need to scour labels for honey after your baby turns 1. A little bit of honey in a sauce, a salad dressing, crackers, or a bar is not going to be an issue. A small amount of honey (or maple syrup) is not the end of the world.
And, after they turn 2, it’s totally fine to drizzle honey on something for them or bake with it. You’ll still want to keep their overall added sugar intake low though, so I’d consider it a food to use in moderation.
Even though this post might seem a little anti-honey, it’s really not! Honey has some benefits, and in moderation it definitely has a place in your family’s diet (for everyone over 2, anyway!).
Honey can be used as a cough suppressant (instead of cough medicine). And, it contains trace amounts of beneficial minerals and antioxidants!
Nope! Raw honey doesn’t have significant benefits over regular/pasteurized honey. Since there aren’t specific health benefits for one type over the other, just make sure to:
You may hear that eating local honey helps reduce seasonal allergy symptoms, but studies show that those who suffer from seasonal allergies didn’t see improvement from daily local honey intake.
Do your go-to recipes rely on honey, syrup, or other added sugars? Need something more toddler- and baby-friendly? Here are a few of my favorite added-sugar-free recipes:
A huge hit at our house! These are perfect as a finger food for babies and toddlers.
Isn’t everything better in a stick form? This recipe is from my friend Heather Staller‘s cookbook, and we love them around here. To make them sugar-free, just skip the maple syrup for dipping.
4 Comments
Matthew Wood · January 16, 2021 at 3:18 pm
Actually, honey has enzymes and vitamins that are destroyed or compromised when heated. Raw honey is significantly better than cooked.