Being a mother in a desi family means hearing a lot of advice and criticism from our parents and elders. Although it is simple to do as you are told when you are a new mother, believing it all might be our first mistake. Here, we encourage mommies to study and research to differentiate between myths and truths. Raw honey is a miraculous food that never spoils. Honey is known as the “golden elixir of life.” It helps in the prevention of numerous illnesses and disorders and has been proven to be an antioxidant, antibacterial, and antimicrobial. Honey is widely used by individuals of all ages, and knowing its benefits it is also very common to give it to our babies. But not many of us know if honey is healthy for babies or not. Let’s bust this myth today.
Honey, a Curse or a Cure?
It is a common belief that honey is healthy in all forms, sterilized or raw, and for everyone, we are told that the benefits always outweigh the factors that may cause harm. But that’s not the case for our babies. Honey contains bacteria that our babies, who are under one, can’t fight with. So yes, mommies, honey might not be the first sweetener you should give to your babies. As our babies grow, we are excited to introduce them to different tastes, and honey, being a natural sugar with so many health benefits, is the first choice of many mothers, however, we need to take another look at whether honey is healthy for babies or not.
Why Honey is Not for Babies
As a mother, I know how excited we all get when it’s our kid trying something for the first time. But make sure it’s not honey if your baby is not at least a year old. Honey can rarely be the cause of botulism, which is a serious paralysis state of the whole body. The spore of botulism bacteria is found in honey, which may enter the baby’s gut, while the baby’s immunity is not strong enough to fight the bacteria off, resulting in severe illness.
Infant botulism is an illness that can happen when a baby ingests spores from a type of bacteria. Babies with infant botulism have muscle weakness, constipation, weak crying, and trouble breathing. They need to be treated in a hospital. With early diagnosis and proper medical care, a baby should fully recover from the illness.
Nutritionist Sam Montel at the food standards agency says. Babies only require breast milk or infant formula for the first six months of their lives. While it may be tempting to feed your baby honey to help with coughs, infant botulism is a very dangerous condition, therefore, it is just not worth the risk. In order to prevent your baby from getting a sweet tooth and tooth decay after they are introduced to solid meals, it is always advisable to avoid sweetening their food or providing them with sugary snacks and drinks.
While also keeping in mind raw honey contains a large number of pollen grains, which may, in turn, trigger an allergic response that can also be life-threatening for some people. Another reason why honey is not healthy for babies is that it is always encouraged to avoid high sugar content foods for babies because of the risk of tooth decay.
The Best Time to Introduce Honey to Your Baby
Doctors advise that it is totally fine to introduce honey after your baby turns one because the baby’s gut is now strong enough to destroy the spores, so the risk of botulism is close to none. But honey is still an added sugar in your baby’s diet, so giving too much honey may lure your child to become a sweet tooth early in life.
Honey is healthy for babies, but it still is a form of sweetener and has the same effects on oral health as any other sweet product. Therefore, it’s always healthier to fulfill your baby’s sugar cravings with fruits and other no-sugar diets.
But mommies also keep in mind that Honey is healthy for babies; it has many vitamins that enhance babies’ energy levels, increase immunity, and give strength to fight off many infections. As we have already mentioned, honey has so many benefits, but one important one is that it’s a cough suppressant, so it’s a common home remedy for kids and even elders. So soon after your child turns 2, don’t shy away from adding honey to their diet and let them enjoy the drizzles on the pancakes, milk, or salad dressing.
