Can babies under 1 year have honey?
NHS and CDC say not to give honey to babies under 12 months. What the sources say, what they do not cover, and where honey hides in an ingredient list.
Author: Lulyo
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Short answer
The NHS says not to give a child honey until they are 1 year old, and the CDC says to avoid honey for children younger than 12 months. The reason given: honey occasionally contains bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines (NHS); the CDC names the result as botulism, a severe foodborne illness.
Details
What the sources say
- NHS (UK): "Do not give your child honey until they're over 1 year old." Reason given: occasionally, honey contains bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines.1
- CDC (US): avoid honey for children younger than 12 months; honey at that age may cause botulism, a severe foodborne illness.2
Both sources draw the same line: 12 months.
Honey in an ingredient list
Honey can be an ingredient of prepared foods, not only something sold in a jar. Look for the words "honey", "мед", "miód", "miel" in the list. The ingredient list check handles honey separately for children under 12 months, and the methodology explains how that enters the rating.
Ingredients · example list
rice flour, honey (Veto), water.
Veto
Honey is listed in the ingredients. CDC and NHS guidance says honey should not be given to children under 12 months; these sources link this to the risk of infant botulism. So by our methodological rating this product is not recommended for this age.
An example list, not a real product, rated for 6 to 12 months by the same engine as the check tool.
The check applies this age rule to any list that names honey. The sources we opened do not cover honey in prepared foods, so this is a choice of our rating method, not a finding of the sources.
The date on a source is when we last opened it for the rating rule; the article date is when the article text was checked.
A methodological rating, not medical advice.
Honey and sugar
Apart from the age limit, honey is a source of sugars. The WHO definition of free sugars includes sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices.3 The NHS advises avoiding food and drink with sugar or sweeteners for children aged 4 or younger, including the natural sugar in honey.1 More: How much sugar can a child have, according to WHO?.
What this article does not claim
We do not rate specific products or brands. The sources we opened do not cover honey after cooking or inside packaged foods, so we draw no conclusion about that. This is information from third-party sources, not medical advice; for questions about a particular child, talk to a paediatrician.
To read a whole ingredient list: How to read the ingredients on baby puree. Additive reference: food additives.
More questions
Why 12 months specifically?
The NHS says honey occasionally contains bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines. The CDC links honey given before 12 months to botulism. Both sources set the line at 12 months.
Does honey count as sugar?
Yes. The WHO definition of free sugars explicitly includes sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. The NHS also advises avoiding food and drink with sugar or sweeteners for children aged 4 or younger, including the natural sugar in honey.
What about honey in packaged foods such as biscuits or cereals?
The sources we opened do not cover honey inside packaged foods or after cooking, so we draw no conclusion here. Check the ingredient list: if honey is named, take your child's age into account, and ask a paediatrician if in doubt.
Sources
- Foods to avoid giving babies and young children (opens in a new tab)NHS (UK)Back to the text
- Foods and drinks to avoid or limit (infants and toddlers) (opens in a new tab)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)Back to the text
- Healthy diet (fact sheet) (opens in a new tab)World Health OrganizationBack to the text
This summarises third-party sources and is not medical advice. We do not rate specific products or brands.