BECAUSE HONEY IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR.

Not long ago there was the custom of putting a little honey on the baby's pacifier or in the bottle with the intention of encouraging babies to drink milk in an easier way, since the sweetness of honey made it more appetizing. .

Throughout life, human beings have consumed honey and it has been used both in adults and in children, since it was considered a noble product.

However, doctors discovered that honey should not be given to babies less than one year old.

This recommendation led to the fact that honey was bad, to the point that even many mothers began to doubt whether they could take it while breastfeeding, since they were afraid that if they consumed honey it would reach the baby through breast milk.

In the end it turned out to be an unfounded fear since all adults can consume honey and it does not affect at all if the baby is being fed with breast milk.

It is only dangerous to give honey to the baby during his first year of life.

baby

 

Why is it dangerous for babies under one year old?

Honey itself is not bad. The problem is in a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which is present in honey, especially in honey that has not been properly cleaned.

This bacterium is harmless when the intestinal flora has reached maturity, that is, when it has reached one year of life.

Problems arise in babies under one year of age when the spores reach the baby's large intestine, then transform into vegetative forms and expel toxins, causing a neurological disorder that has been called infant botulism.

What is Botulism?

Infant Botulism is a disease caused by a toxin.

Its history is quite brief since it was known in 1976 and its incidence is really quite low.

It has very varied symptoms from constipation, weak cries, paralysis or drooping eyelids.

 

Although this disease has been related to the consumption of honey in babies under one year of age, it must be said that not only is honey the cause, but it has also been caused by the consumption of some infusions of plant species, in infant cereals, corn syrup and dehydrated infant formula.

Spores of this bacterium have also been found in soils and aquatic sediments around the world.

 

For all these reasons, it is not only honey that causes cases in babies, but it is found in the land and soil of rural areas (especially if there is livestock) and in urban areas with construction sites.

 

Is it seen as an oversized risk?

According to a report by the AESAN (Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition), the problem of infant botulism caused by the consumption of honey could have decreased since countries such as the US and the UK began to discourage its consumption in babies in the late 1970s. .

That is why in many countries they already put on the labeling of honey that "its consumption is not indicated for children under 12 months".

Due to this, it was recommended that only babies be fed with breast milk, no baby food with ingredients that are dangerous for them.

 

You should not have an exaggerated fear of honey, just be careful and do not give it to children under 12 months, since they are not physically prepared to take it perfectly in their body.

We must be calm and avoid fears around honey.