Danger of giving honey to your babyImage Credit Source: Getty Images
Should you give honey to a baby before one year? After the birth of any child, what to feed him, the parents are constantly worried about it. What will benefit the child will benefit from whom, it is also taken care of. Due to religious beliefs, many people or elderly infants start giving honey after 6 months of birth or a year after year. The reasoning behind this is that eating honey will increase the immunity of the child and the throat will benefit. The question is whether it is right to give honey to one year or young child.
These customs are not only of the elders but also the people of today adopt this custom. But let us tell you that licking honey for a small child can be harmful. Experts also consider it to be an unhealthy practice. Honey is considered a natural sweetener for the elders and also benefits them by taking limited quantities. But this is not the case in the case of children.
Children’s digestive system isolated from elders
Former Pediatric Department Dr. Rakesh Bagdi in Delhi AIIMS It is said that honey can make a child younger sick than one year. Although honey is said that it has natural sweetness, has anti-bacterial properties and it is used as home remedies in many diseases. But the digestive system is very different from the elders. The thing that we easily digest can be harmful for the child.
Why should the child not be given honey before a year?
Actually, sometimes in honey Clostridium botulinum Name bacteria may be present. This bacteria is not harmful to elders because our digestive system destroys it. But small children, especially the digestive system of infants under one year, does not develop so much, so this bacteria can thrive in their body and Infant botulism Can cause serious illness of the name.
Disadvantages of giving honey to children
In Infant Botulism, the muscles of the child start to weaken. He is unable to cry properly, has trouble sucking and swallowing and can also cause trouble in breathing. It is a medical emergency and can prove to be fatal even if he does not get timely treatment. The fearful thing is that the bacteria caused by this disease may be very small inside honey, but it can also be dangerous for the child.
World Health Organization (Who), American Academy of Pediatrics And many health experts of India clearly recommend that children below one year should not be given honey in any form. Whether it is raw honey, mixed in hot water or used in any home remedy, it is not safe. Because honey is quite concentrated, so one year old children are unable to digest it.
Then when can honey be given to the child?
Experts say that by the time the child becomes one year old, his digestive system becomes very strong and then giving honey is safe than a year before. But even then it should be given in limited quantity and should first try a small amount like any new food.
If you feel that the child’s throat is to be relieved or its immunity is to be increased, then consult a doctor for this before a year. Many safe options exist, such as mother’s milk, soup or fruit juice according to the appropriate age.