Parents are advised NOT to feed honey to babies who are under a year old.
This follows at least 3 confirmed cases of the rare but serious illness, infant botulism.
In the last 30 years there have been just 11 confirmed cases of infant botulism, but three of these have occurred in the last year and all have had possible links to honey. The most recent case involved a 15 week old baby.
Botulism is caused by a germ which normally lives in a dormant form in soil and dust and occasionally gets into honey. If the germ gets in to a baby’s intestine it can grow and produce a poison which will lead to infant botulism. Honey is safe for children over the age of one, but a younger baby’s gut is not developed enough to be able to fight off the bacteria. This is why parents are advised not to give a child honey until they are one year old.Food Standards AgencySam Montel, nutritionist at the Food Standards Agency, said:
“For around the first six months babies only need breast milk or infant formula and although it might be tempting to give honey for easing coughs, infant botulism is a very serious illness and it simply isn’t worth the risk.... Once your baby is introduced to solid foods you don’t really need to sweeten anything for him as you’ll only be encouraging a sweet tooth. Honey is a source of sugar so avoiding it, along with other sugary snacks and drinks will help prevent tooth decay.”
Dr Kathie Grant, botulinum expert at the Health Protection Agency (HPA), said:
“Although infant botulism is incredibly rare, it’s a serious illness that causes muscle weakness and breathing problems, and most babies require hospital treatment. While recovery may be slow, thankfully almost all babies recover fully. Not all babies who are given honey will develop infant botulism, but because of the link to this infection, babies under one year of age should not be given honey under any circumstances, even on their dummies or mixed with their milk.”
June 2010Signs and Symptoms of Infant BotulismAlthough very similar to many common childhood ailments, early signs of an infant botulism infection may include:
 Lethargy
Listlessness
Poor feeding
Decrease in bowel movements
Generalised weakness over several days
For more information on feeding babies and foods to avoid, visit:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/baby/ | 
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