Baby honey: at what age should you start eating it?

Honey remains one of France's favorite ingredients. We consume around 500 grams a year per inhabitant. This is well below the average for aficionados who are keen to discover as many varieties as possible. And yet, baby honey is forbidden by health specialists until the age of one. In this article, we'll explain the basic rules for infants. Finally, we'll see that honey is also an excellent ingredient for good health.

Honey remains one of France's favorite ingredients. We consume around 500 grams a year per inhabitant. This is well below the average for aficionados who are keen to discover as many varieties as possible. And yet, baby honey is forbidden by health specialists until the age of one. In this article, we'll explain the basic rules for infants. Finally, we'll see that honey is also an excellent ingredient for good health.

Baby honey and the infant's stomach: beware of infant botulism

Honey is renowned for strengthening the body. It helps cure many ailments. However, a little-known warning to parents is that baby honey should not be consumed before the age of 12 months. Let's take a look at what it says.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria: a danger for newborns

Everyone sees the good in the honey-baby relationship. We tell ourselves that honey is a healthy product and can do no harm. With one exception! Honey is dangerous for children under one year of age. The bacteria that form in pasteurized and unpasteurized honey can produce toxins in infants. If ingested, honey can cause paralysis of limbs and muscles. Infantile botulism also causes constipation. As a general rule, do not give honey to babies until they are one year old. Respect this rule for your child's well-being, to avoid any health risks.

What behaviors should be avoided for good?

There are certain cultural or culinary practices that parents put into practice to soothe their baby. We feel obliged to list them here. This is to put a stop to them and preserve the health of children under one year of age.

Among those known to people, there are the following situations in the honey-baby theme:

• Soaking your child's bottle nipple with honey to soothe him or her. This is a common practice when your child has a sore throat or is crying.
• Let your child taste the honey by the spoonful so he can discover the flavor. Be patient and wait until your baby reaches 12 months.
• Avoid mixing honey into yoghurt or compote.

Baby honey or sugar: beware of value judgments

Baby honey or sugar? Some mothers are tempted to go for the first ingredient. Between honey and white sugar, they might think, there are no photos. Our answer is in the negative for both options. The risk of developing infantile botulism is real in the first case. So is the risk of developing sugar independence and obesity in the future. In both situations, protect your children by giving priority to breast-feeding until the age of two, if possible. Finally, introduce the first foods in the form of porridge when the first teeth appear.

Is it safe to breastfeed a mother who has ingested honey?

Certain questions concerning the relationship between honey and baby lead us to take our reasoning a step further. We have seen that infant botulism is a disease that develops before the first year of life. Honey spores are partly responsible for this pathology. Nevertheless, there is no risk of the disease developing between the fetus and breast-feeding when a mother tastes honey. Indeed, this explanation is self-evident, as the mother assimilates the honey into her body before the nutrients present in breast milk reach the infant's mouth. In this case, the honey-baby relationship has no impact on the development of infantile bolutism.

Infantile bolutism: a disease that doesn't just concern the honey-baby relationship

Infantile bolutism is a disease that can find its cause in the consumption of honey. Although cases are rare in France. It was during the 1980s that this disease began to wreak havoc on infants. Although cases of honey in babies are not yet clearly established. Deli meats and the bacteria that develop in the heart of cured meats are the main causes of knowledge of the disease. Canned foods that have not been properly sterilized are also implicated. It was only much later that the health authorities pointed the finger at the cause of baby honey.

Is honey dangerous to health?

Apart from the case of baby honey, which can manifest this serious pathology in minute cases, honey is excellent for your health. In fact, it's one of everyone's favorite ingredients. That's why it's often overlooked that baby honey can be dangerous to health. In fact, the product's innocence and lack of knowledge lead people to believe that anything can be done with honey. The exception to the rule is the prohibition on its consumption by infants under 12 months of age.

Apart from this, why shouldn't I worry about the harmfulness of honey?

Pure honey is healthy by nature. If you hadn't been presented with this problem, you would never have seen any harm in baby eating honey. Better than that, baby would even have made tongue gestures at the pleasant taste. So keep in mind that mixing honey with baby can be hazardous to your health. Apart from that, we encourage you to eat honey, no matter what the page. Buy different varieties and enjoy them with full knowledge of the facts. That's the basic rule!