Honey - When did you give it?

libbyann

I totally forgot to ask the pedi this morning! When did you introduce honey? What signs should I look for if he has an allergy (or is botulism really the only worry w/ honey?)

I'm not planning on giving it to him raw, but I'd like to give him graham crackers w/ honey in them. I'd also really like to quit buying two loaves of bread b/c the one DH and I eat has honey in it.

Thanks!

fjaril

i could be wrong, but i thought it was just raw and or unpasteurized. graham crackers with honey should be fine.

 

mcurban

fjaril:

i could be wrong, but i thought it was just raw and or unpasteurized. graham crackers with honey should be fine.

 

this. it's actually botulism that is the concern (a bacteria that can be found in raw, unpasturized honey). 

so, yeah, no worries w/ honey grahams or breads. 

mcgee

fjaril:

i could be wrong, but i thought it was just raw and or unpasteurized. graham crackers with honey should be fine.

 

This. Avoid straight honey until after age 2, but honey in graham crackers or bread should be fine.

MrsH07

you can give honey to a baby after 12 months.

CollieJade

Our pedi told us not to worry about it at all, even now.  The risk of botulism was worse when honey was sold in metal containers.  Most of it now is in plastic and is probably okay.  I don't plan on giving it until after a year anyway, but I did ask our pedi about things containing honey (like bread and such) and she said there's no reason to restrict those foods, even now at only 6 months.

bobcatsteph

mcgee:

fjaril:

i could be wrong, but i thought it was just raw and or unpasteurized. graham crackers with honey should be fine.

 

This. Avoid straight honey until after age 2, but honey in graham crackers or bread should be fine.

Good. I was starting to freak out because we've been giving graham crackers, honey wheat bread, and honey nut cheerios for a few months now.

abbysmom1005

bobcatsteph:

mcgee:

fjaril:

i could be wrong, but i thought it was just raw and or unpasteurized. graham crackers with honey should be fine.

 

This. Avoid straight honey until after age 2, but honey in graham crackers or bread should be fine.

Good. I was starting to freak out because we've been giving graham crackers, honey wheat bread, and honey nut cheerios for a few months now.

Nuts are suppose to be after 2, sorry.  If she has not had a reaction though I am sure it is fine.

My Ped said honey is fine after 1 year, not 2 years.  Also I always thought it was ok if cooked and that it was only the raw stuff that was a concern.  My MIL though last weekend convinced me otherwise.  She is a nurse and said that the botulism would not cook out.  We were having ribs and the BBQ sauce had honey in it.  I have absolutely no idea if she is right (she can be a bit crazy so it is very possible) but I played it safe and did not give any to J.

 

*ETA- she also said that she did not believe the botulism concerns were really anything to worry about either.  BUt, she did say cooking would not have an effect.

naclh2otaffy

abbysmom1005:

[

  My MIL though last weekend convinced me otherwise.  She is a nurse and said that the botulism would not cook out.  We were having ribs and the BBQ sauce had honey in it.  I have absolutely no idea if she is right (she can be a bit crazy so it is very possible) but I played it safe and did not give any to J.

I call the crazy card.   

According to the World Health Organization "The toxin is destroyed by normal cooking processes (heating at >85C for five minutes or boiling for a few minutes)." 

From the section that pertains to infants "Infant botulism is rare. It occurs when infants ingest spores, which germinate to produce bacteria that reproduce in the gut and release the toxin. In most adults and children older than about six months, this would not happen because the natural defences that develop over time prevent the germination and growth of Clostridium botulinum. Clinical symptoms in infants include constipation, loss of appetite, weakness, an altered cry, and a striking loss of head control. Infant botulism has been associated with honey contaminated with botulism spores. Mothers are warned not to feed raw honey to their infants, as Clostridium botulinum spores in honey have in a few cases resulted in infant botulism."

Note, it states RAW honey.  Cooked honey (in commercial BBQ sauce, bread, graham crackers, etc.) would be fine.

abbysmom1005

naclh2otaffy:

abbysmom1005:

[

  My MIL though last weekend convinced me otherwise.  She is a nurse and said that the botulism would not cook out.  We were having ribs and the BBQ sauce had honey in it.  I have absolutely no idea if she is right (she can be a bit crazy so it is very possible) but I played it safe and did not give any to J.

I call the crazy card.   

According to the World Health Organization "The toxin is destroyed by normal cooking processes (heating at >85C for five minutes or boiling for a few minutes)." 

From the section that pertains to infants "Infant botulism is rare. It occurs when infants ingest spores, which germinate to produce bacteria that reproduce in the gut and release the toxin. In most adults and children older than about six months, this would not happen because the natural defences that develop over time prevent the germination and growth of Clostridium botulinum. Clinical symptoms in infants include constipation, loss of appetite, weakness, an altered cry, and a striking loss of head control. Infant botulism has been associated with honey contaminated with botulism spores. Mothers are warned not to feed raw honey to their infants, as Clostridium botulinum spores in honey have in a few cases resulted in infant botulism."

Note, it states RAW honey.  Cooked honey (in commercial BBQ sauce, bread, graham crackers, etc.) would be fine.

 

Well, she is definitely crazy! No questions there.  Thanks for the proof on that one though.  She says some crazy *** and I no longer have the energy to find proof to prove her wrong though.  :P  When it is on health/science stuff she sometimes get me though since she is a nurse, like it gives her some credibility.  I should have know better.  

Emer

Our pedi just recommended raw honey to treat a cough for DS at 15 months.  It was his first raw honey, but he's been eating it in graham crackers for months.

I've read that it really shouldn't be a huge concern to give babies raw honey, but we still weren't in a hurry to do it.  We aren't big honey eaters, but I don't know what I would have done without graham crackers- my kids love them.