Your pediatrician may have advised you to avoid feeding your infant honey, either in raw form or in home-baked goods. You may be wondering why it is fine for you to consume honey but it is not okay for your infant to have it. Honey may contain bacteria that can cause infant botulism, a rare but serious condition that can lead to death.
Dangers of Honey
Honey may carry spores of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. The spores multiply in your baby's body and cause infant botulism. Infant botulism, like botulism that occurs in adults, can be deadly. Infants lack the immunity to fight off this infection, which puts them more at risk than adults. Honey, either raw or used in home-baked goods, is not heated enough to kill the spores. As a result, you should not feed honey to an infant under 12 months of age, unless it is part of a commercially prepared food. Commercially prepared foods are heated enough to kill the spores.
Symptoms of Infant Botulism
Infant botulism can be difficult to detect because the symptoms may seem like any other illness. The symptoms include constipation, a weak cry, weak movements and an inability or unwillingness to eat or suck. It is also possible for your child to contract Clostridium botulinum from a source other than honey. For example, improperly canned goods or even contact with infected soil can cause an infection of Clostridium botulinum that may lead to botulism. Contact your child's pediatrician right away if you suspect she has infant botulism.
Treatment
Treating botulism is not an easy task because by the time you have noticed your child's weakness, the infection can be very serious. Your physician would conduct a blood test or a stool test to confirm that your infant has botulism. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the physician would probably hospitalize your baby to watch him carefully. The pediatrician would likely treat your infant with botulism immune globulin -- also known as BIG -- to combat the infection. Antibiotics are not typically used to treat botulism.
What to Do if Your Infant Has Eaten Honey
If your infant has eaten raw honey or honey from a home-prepared item, don't worry too much. Botulism, even among infants, is rare. Monitor your child for the next two weeks after she has consumed the honey. The first symptoms typically appear within one week of infection. If you are still concerned or not sure what to look for, consult your pediatrician. She may run tests as a precautionary measure, or she may tell you not to worry about it unless symptoms appear.
References
- BabyCenter: When Can My Baby Eat Honey?; Charles Santerre
- Mail Online: Why Shouldn't Infants Eat Honey?
- MayoClinic.com: How Can I Protect My Baby From Infant Botulism; Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.; May 2010
- KidsHealth: Botulism; February 2008
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: Botulism Infant Fact Sheet; June 2011
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