Guest guest Posted December 11, 2002 Report Share Posted December 11, 2002 Does anyone remember why you are not supposed to give raw honey to children and babies? What's the age limit? Good raw eggs are fine for an infant, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2002 Report Share Posted December 11, 2002 According to what I've read, children under a year of age don't have sufficient stomach acid to neutralize the botulism that can be present in honey. Not that they magically start producing more acid on their first birthday, I'm sure it happens gradually, but most of what I've read says that it's safe by a year. BTW, it's not just raw honey, this bacteria can be present in pasteurized honey as well, since it takes either a certain level of acidity or very high heat (such as that possible with pressure canning) to kill it. Aubin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2002 Report Share Posted December 11, 2002 ----- Original Message ----- From: " " <jc137@...> > Does anyone remember why you are not supposed to give raw honey to children and babies? Botulism. And it's not just raw honey--it's honey in general. Botulism spores can survive pasteurization, but they can't reproduce in an adult's digestive tract--only in an infant's. > What's the age limit? The figure I've heard most often is twelve months. > Good raw eggs are fine for an infant, right? Should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2002 Report Share Posted December 11, 2002 Here is an interesting piece from this website: http://www.hotcity.com/~bees/honey.shtml#bot What about infant botulism? Inconclusive studies have been done that might suggest a link between honey and a rare disease of babies, called infant botulism. The link has never been conclusively proven. The studies listed a number of foods that could harbor the botulism spores, but did not definitively link any of them to infant botulism. To stay on the safe side, most authorities and experts have recommended that babies under 2 years old not be fed honey. It's true that botulism spores are among the few types of encapsulated bacteria that can survive in honey (See How long will honey keep? for more details.) Until the final verdict is in on infant botulism and honey, (and it probably never will be) it makes sense to follow the recommended guideline. It appears that children over the age of 2 years have sufficiently developed immune systems to be safe from the problem, regardless of whether honey can cause it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2002 Report Share Posted December 12, 2002 You are not supposed to give ANY honey to babies or very young children because they can get botulism because their immune system is not able to cope with it. It's not a danger for normal adults. I don't remember exactly how old the child has to be before you can give honey, but any pediatrician would probably know or you could find it in some health site like webmd. I would probably err on the side of giving it later rather than sooner. It's probably better for them not to get used to sweet stuff. I wish I hadn't. Robin From: " " <jc137@...> Reply- < > Subject: Raw honey and babies Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 09:51:45 -0500 Does anyone remember why you are not supposed to give raw honey to children and babies? What's the age limit? Good raw eggs are fine for an infant, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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