home » Plants » Honey portion child. From what age and what kind of honey can be given to a child

Honey portion child. From what age and what kind of honey can be given to a child

Of the huge number of products that nature gives to man, honey is one of the champions in terms of the content of useful components and effectiveness in the prevention of various diseases. Even in ancient times, this product was included in the recipes of many potions and ointments. Now there is a whole science of how to treat children and adults with honey.

Everyone knows that bee products should be included in the diet. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Individual intolerance to honey is a common occurrence. In the case of children, things are not so clear. Honey is fraught with dangers and, at the same time, helps a person grow up healthy and strong.

What is the use of the product for children?

This product improves the composition and quality of blood, increases hemoglobin. A weak, lethargic and anemic child becomes much more active and stronger when he uses honey. Dissolved in water, it almost completely corresponds to human blood plasma.
Easily digestible carbohydrates are produced not from sucrose, which is harmful to the body, but from fructose. The breakdown of fats and proteins in the intestine is accelerated, which eliminates the processes of fermentation and decay.
Magnesium and calcium strengthen the musculoskeletal system, teeth, nails. Honey is the prevention of school scoliosis.
Vitamin C and carotene strengthen both vision and the skeleton, which is very important for modern man spending a lot of time at the computer.
Honey is an expectorant. Its ability to strengthen the immune system helps to drive away any cold.
Hyperactive babies calm down and fall asleep more easily if they are given a spoonful of honey.
This product contains vitamins that belong to group B, minerals necessary for children. Interestingly, their ratio is almost identical to that of the blood.

Honey dangers

Why do parents have a question about whether it is possible to give such a treat to a child? At what age is this allowed? Why are doctors careful not to allow mom to pamper their baby? The fact is that honey, which has been considered medicinal for a long time, is fraught with some health hazards for some adults, and especially children.

All bee products are allergic. Some people react to it so strongly that they are taken away in an ambulance with swelling and respiratory failure. Babies, being more gentle creatures, are especially prone to allergies. Therefore, you need to start accustoming to the product carefully, starting literally with a drop. Mothers of infants prone to rashes should remember that allergens can also enter the baby's body through milk.
Children, especially those under one year old, have an immature digestive system. All heavy, indigestible or allergic food can leave microtraumas on the intestinal walls. Honey contains spores of various bacteria, including those that cause botulism. Adult people have nothing to fear: their immunity will cope, the disease will not develop. But babies of tender age (especially up to a year old), who are given honey, may well become the prey of this disease.
No one can guarantee that the honey bought in the distribution network or from private traders is natural. There are a huge number of ways to fake such a product. And if your one-year-old child is offered a mixture of sugar, dyes and preservatives instead of a natural product, his body is unlikely to respond adequately. If you personally know a beekeeper, you can buy a delicacy from him, but a check will never be superfluous.
Giving children a treat, even if the doctor has allowed, is necessary in small quantities. The product, at the time when it is digested, gives a serious load on the liver.

After evaluating all the dangers and benefits of eating honey by a child, it is worth deciding whether you are ready to treat him with a treat, how old you can do this and whether the baby will have a reaction to this product.

Infant age

Doctors unequivocally agree that children should not be given this natural sweetness until the age of one. Even if there is no allergic reaction, active substances can accumulate in the body, and, for example, rashes will begin later. Honey can be given to a nursing mother when her child is in good health. However, measure is also important here. The product will have to be excluded if the baby's condition suddenly begins to deteriorate.

Year and older

Honey is also not recommended for a one-year-old baby. Many parents play it safe, thinking about how old to introduce the product into the child's diet. Most pediatricians will warn mom, no matter what the quality of the delicacy, even from her own apiary. From one and a half to two years, depending on the health of the child, he can taste honey in very small doses. A safe daily serving after a year is a quarter teaspoon. However, for children without allergies, for example, a fruit or cereal dessert with honey instead of sugar will be useful.

After two

The age of 2-2.5 years is usually the boundary when the child gradually moves from the dietary menu to the food that the whole family consumes. Of course, you should not give him pickles and fried potatoes, but honey as a medicine, an additive to porridge, as part of any dessert is quite acceptable. AT kindergarten at this age, the menu is quite diverse, including a wide range of products, so at home you can supplement the diet of a two-year-old baby with this natural dessert.

Honey and three-year-olds

From the age of three, the body of a small person is getting stronger and stronger. Within this age, children usually outgrow the childhood allergies that may have plagued them for several years earlier. If a child reacts badly to a bee product in a year, by three or four it is quite possible for him to try to give honey again. In the absence of a negative reaction, sweetness is introduced into the baby's diet.

Preschool and primary school age

4-8 years is an extremely important period for the development of the child's body. This is the stage when both good health and the correct mental and physical development of the child depend on nutrition. In the absence of allergies, it is possible and necessary to give honey, because its components are involved in metabolic processes, form a skeleton. Large workloads and fatigue at school, frequent viral diseases - all these negative factors make us think about the support that the body needs. It is useful to give honey to children during the school year in the morning with porridge or in the evening with warm milk.

Energy Support for Teenagers

Puberty is not easy for many children. Immunity is weakened, the nervous system is on edge, there are problems with studying, I want to be in the center of attention of peers. Natural bee dessert will support children even after 9-10 years old, will give them strength for study, sports, and communication. But even after the tenth or twelfth year of life, allergies can occur, so it is necessary to monitor the condition of the child.

For hundreds of years, honey has been considered a medicine. It was given to the seriously ill to maintain strength. Today it is included in many preparations, even in cosmetics. But along with the benefits of this product is the harm. Therefore, thinking parents will approach the introduction of honey into the diet of their child carefully, without experimenting and understanding: what is medicine in small doses can become poison in large doses.

In connection with the deteriorating ecology, more and more parents are striving to raise their baby in conditions close to natural. Honey is an indispensable assistant in this difficult task. But from what age can honey be given to a child so that it is beneficial and does not cause harm? Let's just say: there is no need to rush. It is a complex product that requires careful handling.

What is the value of honey

It is difficult to overestimate the taste and healing properties of one of the most valuable bee products. Since ancient times it has been used as medicine in all corners of the earth. Today, science recognizes the benefits of this product and often recommends it as an additional treatment for a particular disease. Honey is actively used in medicine, cosmetology and cooking.

Beneficial features

bactericidal;
immunostimulating;
anti-inflammatory;
enhances metabolism;
favorably affects nervous system, soothes, normalizes sleep;
accelerates tissue regeneration;
normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract.

Chemical composition

Carbohydrates: glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrins, etc.
Water (15-20%).
Minerals: potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron.
Trace elements: copper, lead, manganese, zinc, aluminum.
Nitrogenous substances: proteins and amino acids (up to 17 amino acids, depending on the type of honey).
Vitamins: nicotinic acid (PP), panthenol (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B2 (riboflavin), B1 (thiamine), B9 (folic acid), C (ascorbic acid), biotin.
Enzymes that aid in the absorption of sugars. Coloring and aromatic substances (the amount depends on the origin of honey).

We correctly introduce honey into the children's menu

The opinions of doctors about the age at which children can have honey vary somewhat. Some say that it should be introduced from 1.5-2 years of age, others recommend starting after 3 years. And some advise not to rush, and to acquaint children with this product no earlier than 6 years.

Before you give your child honey for the first time, dissolve a couple of drops of it in a glass of water and let the baby drink (in the morning). If during the day there are no negative reactions, then start giving 1/3 teaspoon per day. Children under 3 years old can be given 1-2 teaspoons per day, 3-6 years old - 2-3 teaspoons, 7-12 years old - 3-4 teaspoons, over 12 years old - 1-2 tablespoons.

The World Health Organization (WHO) strictly forbids giving honey to a child under the age of 12-18 months. Approximately 20-25% of honey is contaminated with botulism spores, which can cause irreparable harm to a fragile organism, or even lead to death.

Pediatric botulism

Botulism spores commonly infect soil and plant pollen. This pathogen has been found on every continent except Africa. Botulism spores are not bacteria, so they cannot harm a child from 1-1.5 years old and an adult, as they die already in the stomach under the influence of hydrochloric acid. In children of the first year of life gastrointestinal tract is still being formed, and its acidity is not high enough to fight pathogens. Spores, getting into the immature intestines of an infant, begin to produce a toxin that disrupts neuromuscular connections. Infant botulism is quite rare and is usually completely curable, but there is sometimes a risk of disability or death.

It should be remembered that honey can be dangerous for babies not only in its pure form, but also in a variety of confectionery products, since processing in the oven does not kill botulism spores (this requires exposure to high pressure, in other words, autoclaving).

But if, nevertheless, your baby's acquaintance with this product happened in the first year of life, carefully observe him for a month. Contact your doctor immediately if you notice the following symptoms:

constipation for more than 3 days;
lethargy and drowsiness;
permanently closed eyelids;
the child "drops" the head;
loss of appetite;
weak cry;
decreased gag reflex;
difficulty sucking;
difficulty swallowing and salivation;
labored breathing;
muscle paralysis from top to bottom.

The sooner a correct diagnosis is made, the faster and easier doctors can cope with the disease. And don't forget to keep a sample of the honey your child ate.

Allergy

An allergic reaction to honey is not common, but the immune system of young children is not fully developed, so care should be taken when giving honey to children. The reason for the allergy is in the complex multicomponent composition of the product, that is, the reaction does not occur on the honey itself, but on its individual components. Sometimes there is a negative reaction to antibiotics that accidentally got into the honeycombs during the treatment of bees, or to chitin left after poor-quality cleaning of the dead (dead bees at the bottom of the hive that have accumulated by the end of winter). Allergy to honey in a child may be accompanied by the following symptoms:

tearing, itching and redness of the eyes;
itchy skin rashes;
runny nose;
headache;
wheezing, as in bronchial asthma;
swelling of the face;
rarely - stuffy ears and hearing loss.

If within the first hour (sometimes up to 5 hours) the child develops a rash in combination with severe pain in the abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, swelling of the face and throat, loss of consciousness and other serious symptoms, immediately call an ambulance, so as it may be signs of anaphylactic shock.

If your baby is diagnosed with an allergy to this delicious product, but he really wants to eat it, try buying artificial honey. It is prepared from different products: beet and cane sugar, the pulp of various vegetables and fruits (watermelon, melon), adding tea leaves, St. John's wort flowers, saffron. Of course, this is not real honey, but it is also a tasty and healthy natural product that can please your sweet tooth.

Determining the quality of honey

To give your child a treat that will really benefit, you need to know a few simple methods for determining its good quality:

Maturity. If honey foams, is not thick enough, has a sour smell and taste, then we can talk about its immaturity and souring. Freshly downloaded honey should have a sweet taste and smell (do not give off caramel), slightly tickle in the throat.
Density. The natural product of beekeeping should crystallize around the end of autumn. If he for a long time remains liquid, then it is a fake or unripe honey. But there are some varieties (linden, raspberry, fireweed) that retain their liquid state for quite a long time.
Uniformity. If you notice stratification and uneven crystallization of honey of one variety in a jar, then you have a fake. But when such a phenomenon is observed after long-term storage, then you should not be afraid - this is a normal stratification of glucose and fructose. Just stir and enjoy.
Fluidity. A simple but not always true method is to dip a spoon in honey and see how it drains. Natural and mature honey will flow in a continuous stream, and a significant amount of it will remain on the spoon. But such an experiment should be carried out at an air temperature of 20-25 degrees, since in the cold the honey will be very thick and will not give a thin stream or will not flow at all, and in a heat of 40 degrees it will flow like water, and may seem too liquid.
"May honey". Often already in May you can see sellers with liquid honey, which they call "May" on the market. Remember that there is no liquid honey at this time. May honey is collected around July, and it is called so because it contains nectar from all plants that begin to bloom with the first warmth.

Medicinal use

If your child is sick, and you want to help him with something else, in addition to the medicines recommended by the doctor, you can use honey for medicinal purposes in small quantities from a year old. As well as when introducing a bee product into the menu, caution is required here. Start with small doses, and if the baby's reaction is normal, feel free to take the treatment.

Remember that you should not add this valuable product to hot drinks. Heating it over 45 degrees reduces the enzymatic activity of the product, that is, the absorption of carbohydrates worsens, and poorly soluble salts are formed. It turns out an ordinary candy, only expensive.

Light sedative at night. If your "shumelkin" does not want to go to bed after a stormy day, give him a spoonful of honey with warm milk at night. This will help him calm down and go to sleep easier.
Vitamin blend. Grind with a meat grinder or blender and mix dried apricots, prunes, pitted raisins, figs, walnuts and honey. Give your child a mixture of a teaspoon per day as an additional source of vitamins (this is especially true in winter and spring).
Rubbing in respiratory infections. With a runny nose and cough, you can smear the chest, neck and back of the child with honey, and then wrap it warmly. But you should not do this procedure at elevated temperatures, otherwise the heat transfer from the skin will be impaired.
First aid for cooling. If your "explorer" has come home from a deep exploration of cold puddles, make tea for him and offer him honey. This combination will increase blood circulation and allow you to warm up faster.
With nocturnal urinary incontinence. Brew one teaspoon of horsetail and yarrow in a glass of boiling water, add one tablespoon of honey and leave for 2 hours. Give your child this tea an hour before bedtime.
When coughing. Honey with radish is often used for coughing in children. Take a black radish, cut off the tops, make a small funnel and pour honey into it to the brim. For convenience, the radish can be placed on a glass so that nothing spills out. In a few hours, juice will stand out from the root crop and mix with honey. Here is this liquid and drink the baby 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day.
With angina. In the convalescent stage, to relieve the child's cough and soothe the throat, give him honey dissolved in warm milk or water (drink and gargle). But this should not be done in the acute phase until the films have come off, as irritation of the mucous membrane may occur, which will increase discomfort.

Any therapeutic manipulations with the use of honey should be discussed with the doctor beforehand. Moreover, do not give up antibiotics and other serious drugs in favor of home treatments.

Answering the question whether honey is possible for children, let's say - it is possible, just be careful! Having decided to introduce it into the baby's diet, remember that there should be a measure in everything. Carefully observe the child's reaction to the ingested honey or medicines containing this product. And most importantly, never force it to be eaten, otherwise you will be disgusted with such a tasty and healthy product for life.

Honey is an extremely useful product. Scientists, doctors and just lovers of natural sweetness talk about this tirelessly, but how useful or harmful is this product for children? Many mothers, trying to give their child all the best and most useful, often ask - is honey possible for children, when can honey be given to a child and how much?

Honey for children - only quality, only nature

Honey is a product, no doubt, useful, in addition, it is often used both in pharmacology and in traditional medicine. Everyone has probably heard that honey is the best cough medicine? But these statements are true only in relation to a quality product, and today there are a lot of fakes of honey. On the shelves of stores you can easily find honey, which is mixed with sugar or starch molasses, flour and even various very unhealthy materials - gypsum, minerals, glue. Therefore, you should always be careful about the choice of goodies, buy only a quality product, preferably natural, from trusted beekeepers.

Many parents believe that the benefits of honey are so great that it is fashionable to use this product at any age, almost from the cradle. Grandmothers recommend mixing a teaspoon of honey into milk or dry formula for babies aged three months and older.

In fact, British scientists have found that it is very, very dangerous to give honey to children under one year old: at this age, a treat can create a very favorable environment for the development of botulism in the baby's digestive system. This is due to the content in the honeycombs spore-forming bacillus Clostridium botulinum. The entry of these spores into the human body can cause severe toxic damage to the body, and if an adult is able to endure such a strong one more or less normally, then for children under one year old it can be, in rare cases, even fatal. That is why doctors strongly do not recommend giving honey to children under one year old, in some countries - up to 18 months. Think about it, and the next time you decide to ask if honey is possible for a baby, weigh all the benefits and possible risks from using this product and make the right decision.

Interestingly, in many Western countries on packages with a natural delicacy it is always indicated that honey is strictly forbidden for children under one year old.

Attention: It is forbidden to give honey to infants in many countries of the world, in the countries of the former CIS it is not recommended to give honey to children under 18 months old!

When can you give honey to a child?

Many pediatricians recommend giving honey to a child only after they reach the age of three. Skeptics and lovers of bee delicacy are of the opinion that it is necessary to start giving honey to a child already in the second year of life. But both sides agree on one thing: you need to start giving honey to a child in small doses in order to check the reaction of the child's body to sweetness.

Do not forget that honey is a strong allergen, along with citrus fruits. Although honey allergy is not common in a child, it is important to monitor the baby in order to be able to take action in time if any symptoms appear. In addition, it is important to understand that even if a child is not allergic to honey, excessive consumption of this product at a young age can cause allergies in the future!

Is it possible to give honey to a child: a few more facts

It is important for parents who decide to pamper their child with a tasty and sweet treat, it is important to understand that we are talking about the benefits or harms of honey only against the background of a quality product and, in no case, honey analogues or fakes that are often found on supermarket shelves.

It is also important to understand that not always honey from an apiary can be completely safe. There is a so-called poisonous honey or "drunk honey". It is not made by wrong bees, as Winnie the Pooh said, but completely ordinary ones with only one difference - they collect nectar from plants containing poisonous substances (flowers of aconite, henbane, tobacco, rhododendron). After drinking poisonous honey, weakness, deterioration of health, dizziness and even fainting may occur. Fortunately, such "drunk honey" is rare.

How much honey can a child?

If you decide to introduce honey into your child's diet, you need to know the recommended doses of this product.

Children under the age of two are advised to eat no more than half a teaspoon of honey per day.
Children over two years old can eat a teaspoon of honey per day.

At the same time, according to doctors, honey has a beneficial effect on the nervous system of the child and has a calming effect. That is why it is recommended to take half or a whole teaspoon of honey at night, for example, dissolved in warm milk or tea. This will improve and also help to cope with bedwetting in young children.

The properties of honey have been known for so long that young mothers consider it their duty to improve the health of their babies with the help of the golden gift of nature, without really thinking about the consequences. And without specifying at what age the introduction of the product into the children's diet is allowed. For adults, a delicacy will bring undeniable benefits, which cannot be said about babies. Acquaintance with a new product that is so allergenic can end very badly, so the topic “honey for children under one year old” is still relevant.

Benefits of honey

Nature creates valuable medicines, honey occupies a leading position in the list:

Contains over 50 valuable human body substances, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fructose, glucose, a number of trace elements, vitamins.
The use of the product helps to increase vitality, strengthen immunity, accelerate growth - for this reason, mothers mistakenly begin to give honey to newborns.
Due to the unique effect on the gastrointestinal tract, the delicacy improves digestion, normalizes peristalsis, and is indispensable for stomach diseases. It contains beneficial enzymes that help digest food.
The first helper for colds is honey, which is an excellent antimicrobial, antiseptic and diaphoretic. With him successfully get rid of cough, high temperature, but this does not mean that honey can be given to a child with initial symptoms of the disease without first consulting a pediatrician.

The main difference between honey and modern medicines: The product has no limited shelf life. By observing the necessary conditions, valuable properties are saved. It is necessary to put the product in a dark place, the optimal temperature for storage is the limit of 5-10 C. It is advisable to choose enameled, ceramic or dark glass dishes with a tight lid. Due to soured honey, an allergy may appear in an adult.

Folk "healers" are advised to lubricate the wounds of the baby with amber syrup, treat the throat, and use it as a cough remedy. Such recommendations are dangerous: due to the use of honey, an allergy occurs that causes irreparable damage to the health of the crumbs.

Harm of honey

Pediatricians say: you can give a child such a concentrated product for food and cough from at least 12 months. But it is better to wait until the age of 18 months in the absence of allergic reactions. If the baby is prone to rashes and skin diseases, you will have to postpone acquaintance with honey.

In the first year of life, it is difficult for a child to fully master this product due to the lack of necessary enzymes. Due to the rich composition of natural syrup, it is considered highly allergenic. Even from the age of 18-36 months, a child can be given a treat literally drop by drop.

Beekeepers warn that the highest quality honey may contain a small amount of vegetative forms of botulism. Adults are not at risk - their intestines will successfully cope with bacteria. Features of the intestinal microflora of the infant will lead to the reproduction of clostridium, releasing toxic substances and causing botulism.

Young mothers are familiar with intestinal colic firsthand, so you should not aggravate the situation and give your child honey for a cold. It is likely that the allergy will not appear, and there will be no trace of the cough, but other problems will have to be treated. The composition includes almost 80% carbohydrates, which cause fermentation and putrefaction processes in the intestines. Honey is equated in its shortcomings with ordinary sugar, which is also prohibited in the diet of children under one year old.

In the presence of diabetes, honey is completely contraindicated

Since babies do not differ in mobility until a certain age, the consumption of a natural product can cause obesity. 100 g of honey contains 300 kcal.

If the older generation continues to insist on the benefits of the product, it will not be out of place to introduce them to the other side of the coin.

When is the best time to start dating?

Leading experts do not recommend experimenting on a baby. The first time you can offer honey to a child not earlier than 12 months - even to treat a cough or cold. It is advisable to endure a longer pause, because it is not so important at what age to start - it is more important to preserve the health of the baby.

If there is an allergy in the anamnesis, it is better to refuse honey until the age of 3 years or completely, so as not to provoke new negative reactions of the child's body.

But even at the first tasting, a number of rules must be followed:

It is better to give the product with your favorite fruit, tea or porridge - this way it will be fully absorbed and bring benefits. It should not be forgotten that the temperature of food or drink should not exceed 40 C, so that honey does not lose its valuable properties.
As for the question of how much to start with, you can follow the recommendations for the first complementary foods - no more than a few drops or ½ teaspoon.
After tasting, it is necessary to observe the baby for 2-3 days, noting any changes in his condition, although allergies can appear almost immediately.

It is important to remember that the daily dose of treats also exists:

up to the age of three, it is a maximum of 2 teaspoons
from 3 to 6 years should not exceed 3 teaspoons
from 7 to 12 years, you can give no more than 4 teaspoons

Even for adults, there are restrictions on the use of a natural remedy - up to 2 tablespoons per day, both in the treatment of coughs and in food. All data are indicated with the condition that the child is not worried about allergies. If it is, it is advisable to refuse honey.

Expert opinion

The popular pediatrician Oleg Evgenyevich Komarovsky is convinced that any attempts to give honey to children under one year old are associated with health risks that are much higher than the intended benefits. He receives information about the "amazing properties" of honey in the treatment of rickets, which the doctor himself considers stupidity. A natural delicacy and a dangerous childhood disease are in no way connected. Such folk recipes have long outlived themselves, but there are parents who want to test the effectiveness.

Some mothers prefer to smear the baby's mouth when treating thrush, based on the antibacterial and antiseptic properties of the syrup. The pediatrician is sure that if an allergy did not appear during the course of alternative therapy, the baby and parents were lucky. A negative reaction of the body to a dangerous product can lead to a number of ailments. Throat, all forms of cough can be treated exclusively by medical methods under the supervision of a local pediatrician. Self-treatment will not give positive results, like a medical intervention, a mother is not able to make a correct diagnosis better than a doctor does.

At all times, honey was considered an excellent cure for many ailments. It is not only very tasty, but also healthy, thanks to the content of many vitamins, macro- and microelements. Since this product contains many substances necessary for the body, it improves immunity, and many parents wonder at what age honey can be given to a child.

Most often, honey is used to treat colds and coughs by adding it to hot milk or tea. They also make compresses by rubbing a small amount of the product with radishes or onions. This product helps you recover much faster and stay healthy longer.

Useful properties of honey

Honey is a very valuable product in modern world. After all, it contains more than 60 useful substances. Most of all, honey contains grape sugar and fructose. If you eat only 100 g of this wonderful product, the body will receive 335 calories, 77.2% carbohydrates, and 3.3% protein.

With the daily use of a small amount of honey (1 tsp), metabolism improves, blood circulation is stimulated, and cardiac activity is normalized. The body gets a lot of useful macro- and microelements. Including vitamins: B2, B6, PP, C, E, K, H, folic and pantothenic acids.

Mandatory allergy test

If you decide to give honey for the first time to a child under one year old, it would be useful to make sure in advance that there is no allergic reaction to bee honey.

To do this, you need to perform a few simple manipulations. On the skin of the hand between the index and thumb, apply a little honey and rub it lightly. Record at least 5 minutes. If during this time the skin has not changed, has not turned red, has not begun to itch or hurt, you do not observe an increase in body temperature, then your child does not have an allergic reaction to honey. You can safely regale your baby with a useful product.

If at least one of the listed symptoms appears, it is better to refuse the use of honey. According to statistics, such a reaction occurs only in 1 out of 120 children, that is, the probability is not very high that it is your baby who will be allergic to this product. An allergic reaction is the only answer to the question: why honey is not allowed for a child.

Can small children have honey

In spite of beneficial features wonderful product consensus about whether to give it to children or not to give it - no. Despite this, many parents are still wondering at what age honey can be given to a child, considering it to be very useful.

According to experts, it is undesirable to give honey to children under one year old just because it is a strong allergen (the same as citrus fruits, eggs or chocolate). Therefore, if there is an urgent need to use this product as a therapeutic drug, then this is allowed, but after testing for an allergic reaction. Nutritionists say that a child under two years old should not eat more than half a teaspoon of honey per day. It is preferable to give it, previously dissolved in hot milk or tea. It is better to refuse daily use, because a certain bacterium may be present in honey, the spores of which can cause botulism in young children.

So, at what age can you give honey to a child? Mandatory in small quantities only after two years. It can be added to a variety of pastries, drinks, combined with cottage cheese. It will be not only tasty, but also useful. Honey can be absorbed by the body fairly quickly (much faster than other carbohydrate-rich foods). The amount of sugar contained in a healthy product is exactly what the body needs to maintain its required level in the blood.

Is it worth giving honey to a baby

Often this great product is necessary for children who are still very small. This applies only to those babies who are not on breastfeeding. After all, they receive all the necessary substances with mother's milk. But artificial people have to be fed with special mixtures, and when there is no opportunity to buy them - with cow's milk. In order for babies to eat better, honey is used as a natural sweetener, a sugar substitute.

Most often, children eat such a “mixture” with pleasure and their body does not show any negative reactions. When cow's milk and honey are introduced into the diet of an infant, his body is enriched with all the necessary nutrients for normal development. It is also worth considering the antiseptic properties of a useful product and its ability to increase immunity and make the body less susceptible to various diseases. Babies, having honey in their diet, will almost never suffer from colic. In small quantities, there is no harm from it to a small organism, only benefit.

Therefore, the question of at what age it is possible to give honey to a child does not have an unambiguous and specific answer.

Can honey be given to one year olds?

As the kids get older, it's time for potty training and diapering. First during the day and then at night. If at the same time the child is given half a teaspoon of honey with warm milk daily at night, then potty training will be much easier. This product has a special effect on the nervous system of the baby and allows you to sleep through the night in dry panties. Thanks to honey, excess fluid is adsorbed in the body. The child will sleep soundly and calmly at night.

It is up to parents to decide at what age honey can be given to a child. If for babies who are not yet 1-3 years old, there are some restrictions on the use of this product, then for 10-year-old children there are none. The only thing to always remember is the dosage, which should not be exceeded, even though the product is well tolerated by children. The dosage for babies under three years old is one teaspoon per day, divided into two doses. With any first manifestations of diathesis or allergies, it would be better to stop using honey for a while.