Giving honey to the baby: good or bad?

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Extract from the article: Honey is a food that contains more than 80% sugar, especially fructose, which is slowly assimilated by the body. It has antioxidant and bacterial properties, which are very useful for maintaining good health. However, is it recommended for babies? F

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Honey is a food that contains more than 80% sugar, especially fructose, which is slowly assimilated by the body.  It has antioxidant and bacterial properties, which are very useful for maintaining good health. However, is it recommended for babies? From what age can you give honey to your baby? Is it dangerous?

Your baby cries all the time, it is tempting to relieve him by giving him a little honey on the tip of his finger, isn't it? However, honey is not recommended for children under the age of one.

On its website, the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) states that "it is absolutely not recommended to give honey to children under one year of age. Thus, honey should never be added to the food of infants, nor used on the finger to calm an agitated infant suffering from colic.

No honey for children under one year old

Babies under one year of age are not allowed to eat honey. The ingestion of honey can indeed cause infantile botulism. This is a serious neurological condition caused by a very powerful toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The toxin develops in poorly preserved food, and the disease is usually the result of food poisoning. Although botulism is rare, mortality is high if not treated immediately.

In newborns, the bacterium Clostridium botulinum causes anorexia, impaired crying and loss of head control, constipation, and in severe cases paralysis and respiratory failure. Babies are particularly susceptible to botulism because their digestive systems are not yet sufficiently developed to fight the bacteria. In addition, babies have not yet developed good eating habits and may be more susceptible to ingesting dangerous bacteria. The risk of infant botulism is therefore particularly high in infants under 12 months of age.

At what age should a child be given honey?

After the age of 1 year, the intestinal flora of children is sufficiently developed to prevent the growth of bacterial spores. From this age onwards, your baby can take full advantage of the benefits of honey and its antibacterial properties. However, you should be careful, as honey is very rich in sugar, which should not be given in excess in children's daily diet.

Be careful!

Honey can be found in many preparations, including biscuits and sweets. If you think you have inadvertently given your baby honey, do not be overly concerned. Keep a close eye on your baby in the hours that follow. If none of the symptoms of botulism (constipation, difficulty in sucking or holding the head, weak general condition) are noted, you can be reassured. If these symptoms appear, consult a doctor quickly, in particular a paediatrician.                                                            Arnaud KONDO

Article validated by Dr Pascaline Magnoulelen N'Zonou, Paediatrician at Bè Hospital in Lomé, Togo.