Introducing new foods to your baby can be a fun experience, but it also causes anxiety for some parents. With so many new tastes and textures to explore, a curious baby may want to try everything. As your child gets older, he'll get to try more and more new foods, but it's your job to make sure he stays safe while doing so. Knowing which items are unsafe for an infant can help you plan your baby's introduction to solid foods.
Toxins
Some foods are unsafe for babies because of the potential for harmful toxins. Children under 1 year old shouldn't consume honey or corn syrup because these products may contain toxic spores of the micro-organism Clostridium botulinum. Consuming infected honey or syrup can lead to infant botulism, a form of food poisoning that causes a loss of muscle tone, difficulty sucking and weak crying. Canned food that has a visible bulge in the can or improperly prepared home-canned foods may also be infected with botulism. Another source of toxins comes in the form of mercury contamination from large ocean-dwelling fish. Swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel all have high levels and should never be given to babies or young children. Even canned tuna may not be safe, since scientists measuring mercury content in a variety of canned tuna brands found levels higher than the EPA-recommended limits, according to a study published in the February 2010 issue of "Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry."
Food Poisoning
Practicing safe food handling is a good idea for everyone, but it is especially important for parents of infants and young children. All food served to babies should be thoroughly cooked, especially meat, eggs and seafood. Dairy products and juice should be pasteurized to destroy any harmful parasites or microorganisms. Food poisoning may also occur if bacteria from uncooked foods get transferred to cooked foods. For example, cutting cooked food for baby into bite-sized pieces with a knife that was used to chop raw meat can introduce dangerous bacteria to the already-prepared food.
Safety Hazards
Some foods are inappropriate for children because of the choking danger they pose. Small, hard and round foods can be a danger because they could lodge in your baby's throat. Foods in this category include grapes, nuts, raisins, popcorn, hard candies and cough drops. Sticky foods, such as nut butters, also pose a choking hazard since they can be difficult to swallow and clog the throat. Soft squishy foods such as marshmallow or jelly candies are also dangerous as a choking hazard.
Allergens
If your family has a history of food allergies, avoiding potential allergens may be a good idea. Peanuts are one common food allergy that can be fatal, so many parents wait to introduce it until the second or third year of a baby's life. Other potential allergens that some parents avoid giving to babies under age one include egg whites, soy and seafood. People without any history of allergies may not need to limit these foods.
