Can my baby have honey?
A quick, age-by-age answer with how to serve it safely. Checked against CDC, AAP.
Wait until 12 months. This one is a hard no.
Honey can carry Clostridium botulinum spores that a baby’s gut cannot neutralize, which can cause infant botulism. This includes honey baked into foods and on pacifiers. Pasteurization does not destroy the spores.
How to serve: No safe amount under 12 months, raw or pasteurized, baked in or on a pacifier.
Botulism is no longer the worry. Honey is still an added sugar.
After 12 months a child’s gut can handle the spores, so honey is no longer a botulism concern. It is still an added sugar, and TinyPlate keeps added sugar off the menu before age 2.
How to serve: Sweeten with mashed fruit instead. Check labels on cereal, yogurt, and snacks made with honey.
Still an added sugar. Keep it rare.
The botulism risk is long gone, but honey counts as added sugar at every age, and young children do best with as little added sugar as possible.
How to serve: Sweeten with mashed fruit most days. Save honey for a rare, small taste.
Sources: CDC, AAP. This is general guidance, not medical advice. Ask your pediatrician about your child.
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