How often do you hear that honey literally saves from all diseases. Milk with honey is a magical composition that grandmothers especially often like to offer to their grandchildren. And what does Komarovsky say about this? Honey, in his opinion, can play a trick on parents who want to improve the health of their child through this miraculous product.
The pediatrician does not dispute the virtues of honey. Taste qualities of this product are also understood, and, of course, the little ones will be delighted with honey, especially if they are limited in sweets. But Komarovsky emphasizes that honey is a biologically active product, the reaction to which is almost impossible to imagine, especially when it comes to children.
Giving honey to a baby in the first year of life is not only unnecessary, but even dangerous. The consequences of such an experiment can be disastrous. If a severe allergic reaction occurs, the child must be urgently taken to the hospital. The most dangerous thing in this case is that the reaction to honey occurs too quickly, and parents simply do not have time to take timely measures. So why experiment and endanger the baby's life, even when it comes to such a valuable and potentially useful product like honey?
Honey and its need in childhood
Introduces honey into the diet of a baby of the first year of life, according to Komarovsky, it does not make sense at all. There are several reasons for this:
- at breastfeeding the baby receives all the substances necessary for its development, and it is not worth overloading its body;
- with the introduction of honey into the diet of an infant, the risk of developing botulism increases, as evidenced by Western statistics;
- honey is one of the strongest allergens, unfortunately, it is after the use of bee products in people prone to allergies that the strongest reactions occur, up to anaphylactic shock.
Whether it is necessary to completely abandon honey - Komarovsky does not see the need for this. If the child does not suffer from allergies, and his parents consume bee products without any consequences, then honey is highly likely to be absorbed by the baby well.
If a child has health problems, he often suffers from respiratory diseases, has a weakened immune system, then you can accustom the baby to honey after he reaches one year. If there is no urgent need to introduce honey into the baby's diet, then it is better to wait until two years.. Komarovsky believes that at this age, even if negative reactions occur, their consequences will not be so terrible for a little gourmet. In any case, you can not overdo it with honey. This is not just sweetness, but a biologically active substance that has contraindications and side effects.
The daily dosage for a child, according to Komarovsky, should not exceed 30 g. Moreover, the product is not eaten at a time, but in small portions. You should know that honey, diluted in a liquid whose temperature exceeds 60 ° C, begins to release carcinogens.
Children can only be given liquid honey. Honey in combs, although considered the most useful, is not suitable for baby food.
Komarovsky: how to introduce honey into the diet of a child
A frequent problem of parents, according to Komarovsky, is that, mindful of the benefits of honey, they give it in unlimited quantities. This is the main and most serious mistake that can negate all the benefits of natural honey.
How to give honey to a child correctly - Komarovsky emphasizes that before feeding the baby with this highly allergenic product, a small allergen test should be carried out by smearing the inside of the child's wrist with a viscous composition. If redness does not appear at this place during the day, and itching does not begin, then it is allowed to give a few drops for a test. After making sure that the crumbs are not allergic to honey, parents can increase the daily dosage to 1 teaspoon. Honey can be diluted in warm milk or tea, added to compote or jelly. Komarovsky is sure that this product will be healthier than candy or chocolates, which children quickly get used to.
Do not forget that honey has unique beneficial properties, including:
- antibacterial action - the product has proven its effectiveness against many gram-positive bacteria;
- anti-inflammatory effect - it is useful to eat a small spoonful of honey in the presence of inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, respiration, biliary tract and kidneys;
- calming effect - after drinking honey, headaches decrease, well-being improves, sleep normalizes;
- antifungal effect - honey is effective in the treatment of childhood candidiasis in the mouth and tonsillitis against the background of a fungal infection.
Honey is a unique natural product with many beneficial properties. At what age can honey be given to a child without harm to his health? Is it possible to offer a tasty treat to a baby in the first year of life?
Beneficial features
You can talk endlessly about the benefits of this ancient delicacy. Bee products have a number of useful properties:
- rich in vitamins of groups B, C, E, K;
- contain a large number of important trace elements (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, chlorine and others);
- have local and general antimicrobial activity;
- improve digestion;
- activate the body's defenses;
- improve mood;
- maintain general tone;
- accelerate wound healing.
Only pure natural honey has useful properties. Synthetic products on the shelves of many stores are not only inferior in quality, but can also cause significant harm to health. Artificial honey is especially dangerous for children. This is why babies should not be offered an unknown product purchased in a random place. For nutrition of children, you can use only natural honey collected from a well-known apiary or purchased from trusted suppliers.
Bee products are used not only in their pure form, but also in the composition different dishes. For example, milk and honey are well-known remedies for colds. One mug of this drink at night will quickly alleviate the condition of the baby and speed up his recovery. Propolis, pollen and pollen also have useful properties.
Clostridium botulinum spores found in honey can cause serious health problems in babies
Harm
If honey has so many health benefits, why not give it to all children, regardless of age? Unfortunately, bee products pose a certain danger to babies in their first years of life. The problem is that honey contains Clostridium botulinum spores. This dangerous bacterium causes botulism, a serious disease that often ends in death. fatal in young children.
Why is it impossible to give honey to children under one year old, while adults safely eat this product in any quantity? Are adults immune to botulism? Clostridium botulinum spores can cause poisoning in people of any age. But most adults will digest these bacteria calmly and not notice, while the baby will develop a severe reaction to the same serving. The digestive tract of young children is not yet ready to digest such a complex product, let alone fight botulism. Even a small portion can cause serious poisoning and death of a child.
Another danger of bee products is their pronounced allergenicity. In some people, they cause a fairly strong reaction in the form of urticaria, angioedema, or anaphylactic shock. Young children are more prone to developing allergies than others. Especially careful should be those parents whose kids suffer from various allergic diseases.
Optimal age
When can you give honey to a baby without fear for his health? The opinions of experts on this issue differ. Definitely do not give bee products to children in the first year of life. At this age, the main food of the baby is breast milk or formula. There is no need to add a potentially dangerous product for the development of botulism to the diet of a baby who is not yet 12 months old.
Honey for children under one year old should not be given also because of the high risk of developing allergies. At this age, many babies develop skin rashes or loose stools in response to small amounts of the product. Even if the baby is not allergic in principle, a new dish can provoke a negative reaction and trigger the disease. The benefits of honey at this age are very doubtful, while the harm can be very noticeable. The baby receives all the necessary nutrients through breast milk or formula. Is it worth risking the health of your baby and introducing him to such an ambiguous delicacy too early?
From what age can honey be given to a baby in this case? Many parents are trying to introduce a new dish to the diet of children older than a year. Grandmothers also insist on this, adding honey to milk and other products. But what do pediatricians say about such an early introduction of a tasty treat?
Doctors say: you can not give honey to a child under 18 months. Many pediatricians advise waiting until the age of 3 years. During this time, the digestive tract matures, and the risk of getting botulism is significantly reduced. After 3 years, you can offer your baby honey in its pure form, add it to milk, tea or pastries.
Always introduce new foods in small portions and carefully monitor the child's condition.
And what about the parents of small allergies? Experts believe that babies suffering from allergic diseases should not be given honey until they are 7 years old. Bee products are strong allergens, and it is impossible to predict the reaction of the baby in advance. Under the ban delicacy is in children suffering from atopic dermatitis, hay fever, bronchial asthma and many other diseases. Before introducing a new dish into the diet of a child, you should consult a doctor.
How to give honey to a child?
How much honey can a child eat at one time? The portion of the product will depend on the age of the baby. Children aged 2 to 3 years can eat no more than ½ teaspoon of treats per day. After 3 years, the portion of the product can be increased to 1 teaspoon per day.
Like any product, honey should be introduced gradually. For the first time, you can invite your baby to try a new treat on the tip of a spoon. During the day, you need to observe the reaction of the child. With the appearance of a rash, itching, shortness of breath, and even more so with the development of a serious allergic reaction, you should forget about a new dish for a while. You can repeat the experiment after 6-12 months.
Allergic children can be offered new dishes only outside the exacerbation of the underlying disease.
When can you start adding honey to milk, tea, or baked goods? Only after the child has mastered the new product in full. If the baby does not have a negative reaction to daily use bee products, you can gradually increase the list of new dishes. It is best to add honey to warm milk or tea and offer delicious drink before bedtime. Such a treat will speed up falling asleep and make the baby's sleep deep and restful throughout the night.
Many children do not like warm milk, refusing healthy drink. In this case, honey can be added to ready-made cereals and other dishes. It should be remembered that delicious product has useful properties only at low temperatures. You can not add a delicacy to hot dishes. The optimum temperature for porridge with honey is 60 degrees.
Storage method
So that a delicious delicacy retains all its beneficial features, you should follow simple rules:
- store the product in a clean, sealed container (preferably glass);
- for a long time, the treat can be stored in a kitchen cabinet or other dry and cool room;
- The optimal temperature for storing honey is from +5 to +10 degrees.
The benefits of honey are enormous, but the harm from this delicacy can be very noticeable. You should not risk the health of your child and introduce him to bee products too early. Let everything take its course. The grown-up kid will have time to fully enjoy delicious treat without fear of developing unwanted reactions. Add honey to milk, tea, cereals and pastries - and let each dish delight you with its unique taste.
One of the problematic issues for young parents is whether it is possible for a child up to a year old to give honey and from what age is this product generally allowed? Read our article about the effect of a bee product on the body of children! We will figure out whether it is possible to give a bee product to an infant.
There are 2 sides of the same coin here. After all, as you know, it greatly enhances immunity, has a mass beneficial vitamins and minerals, which is so important for a growing and developing organism. And yet, there are rumors that it can cause a severe allergic reaction, which is why if you use it hastily, you won’t get around.
Since young children have not yet developed their own normal immune system, they have to be constantly supervised. This is especially true for toddlers who, at age 2, try to eat almost everything they can get their hands on. The very approach to the diet is very important here, as it can greatly spoil the state of health. The point is not that at 10 years this will not work, but the resistance of the organism itself at that age will be much higher.
In fact, honey is an anti-allergic substance - that is, it cannot cause an allergic reaction. The irritant is pollen, which, although in small quantities, is still present in its composition.
Allergy test
To avoid unpleasant consequences, you should make sure that honey can be given to your child.
To do this, apply a little honey to the skin of the hand. And do not slap the whole hand, just a little bit on the wrist. If within a few minutes the place of skin contact with this substance turns red, the baby complains of itching, or unpleasant pain from it, feels a rise in temperature, then further use is out of the question.
In fact, not everything is so sad, since such phenomena are very rare. About one in 12 dozen children may have this reaction. And if nothing happened after the test application, then you can safely give this amazing product to children.
What is good for children?
- It is endowed with a mass of trace elements that stimulate blood circulation.
- Normalizes cardiac activity.
- Provides oxygen to the cells of the body.
- Helps synthesize vitamin C.
- Accelerates the very renewal of blood cells.
- Vitamin activity is several orders of magnitude higher than in synthetic imitators.
For those who are aware of their interaction with mineral salts, do not worry - in honey this ratio is optimal.
Let's remember childhood
If you think a little, you can remember how in childhood, when it was even less than 10 years old, at a high temperature, their own parents ran for honey and gave a tablespoon of this sweet edible until 10 pm, before going to bed. It acted as an excellent diaphoretic, and if one did not get out of bed for another day, then one more dose of this life-giving remedy often brought the disease to naught. Just in case, spoon number 2 was used early in the morning, even before breakfast.
Sometimes such sweetness is mixed with milk, and then it is completely impossible to refuse it. A very useful feature of this substance is its ability to be quickly absorbed, while not depressing the stomach at all with prolonged work.
Disease prevention
For the prevention of diseases, children over 10 years old, as well as those who are close to this figure, it is enough to give a teaspoon in the morning and evening. Do not forget about half-hour intervals before meals and sleep. In Western countries, such a bee product has long been included in the diet of the younger generation, as a mandatory food for normal development.
Is it possible for a baby?
In the situation with an infant, everything is a little different than with an older one. First of all, because of the reasonable caution of the parents. However, if you make sure that a month-old baby does not have a predisposition to rejection of this product, then it is advisable to give it in small doses. Such actions will provide an excellent start to the development of a completely healthy organism.
Already in ancient Greece, mothers smeared their nipples with honey to a month-old baby in order to strengthen his health. After all, so many years ago already realized the value of this substance. But it is important to understand that if it did happen to an infant to catch a cold, then in this case it is undesirable to rely only on honey. It would be better to take the advice and recommendations of a specialist.
Is it possible for children under one year old?
Legendary scientists from the British Isles found it necessary to conduct research on this issue. The results of their research were astonishing. It turns out that in children who are not yet a year old, honey forms a good environment for botulism. In most of its cases, this is not critical, but the young body does not always cope with the infection.
In some countries, doctors still insist that children can eat this product only after reaching the age of 2 years. This means that a one-year-old child falls under the main risk group, and even in order to check him for the possibility of an allergic reaction, because this can lead to a rise in temperature.
Can children be 2 years old?
In fact, even opinions about the possibility of using bee products children who are only 2 years old are completely ambiguous. According to many assurances, only at the age of three is it worth starting to eat it. One thing is known for sure - upon reaching 10 years, it is certainly possible to apply it. In addition, the remedy perfectly resists an increase in body temperature, treats colds well.
Correct Dosage
If you decide to give children this remedy at the age of 2, then do not neglect daily rate in half a teaspoon. Not 10, not 5, but only half. Even such a small amount will be enough for such years of life. This will strengthen the immune system and provide a supply of vitamins, which is especially important in winter, when they are not enough.
In fact, the responsibility for when it is actually worth starting to add this healing agent to the baby's diet is entirely entrusted to his parents. Therefore, they must make a worthy choice.
Video "Honey for children"
Is it possible to give sweet Honey babies who are still suckling their mother's breasts? If not, at what age can honey be given to a child without fear? Is this product as useful as they say, and is there a risk of causing an allergic reaction in a newborn? What do doctors think about the common parental practice of smearing honey on a pacifier to get a baby to fall asleep faster? We will answer these and other questions in our article.
Honey has many useful properties, but its improper use can harm the health of the child.
O healing properties oh honey, our ancestors knew in ancient times. People of the older generation still consider it a truly magical product that saves from many diseases - it is not surprising that our grandmothers are so fond of offering milk with honey to their grandchildren. But before young parents begin to treat their babies with honey, it would be useful to know in advance at what age it is recommended to give it to children so as not to harm.
None of the pediatricians object to the healing properties of honey:
- this product is famous for its pleasant taste, and even capricious kids enjoy it with pleasure;
- parents can give honey to children in cases where you want to limit them in sweets;
- healthy recipes traditional medicine, in which honey is used as a remedy for colds and coughs, are probably kept in the arsenal of every family.
Honey has a pleasant taste, replaces sweets and is good for treating colds and coughs.
What is the danger
And yet, doctors warn parents against excessive admiration for this golden and viscous delicacy. Alas, honey itself is an extremely strong allergen, and instead of improving the health of your crumbs, you risk causing him serious harm. This is due to several factors.
- The biological activity of honey is so great that it is dangerous to give it to an infant in the first year of life. A violent reaction to a product in a baby can develop so rapidly that you simply do not have time to take him to the hospital, where he will be given the necessary assistance. A child can easily die in your arms from anaphylactic shock!
- If you start introducing honey into the diet of newborns, then there is a risk of developing a serious disease in babies - botulism. This is a severe food poisoning, accompanied by intoxication and damage to the central nervous system.
- The risk of hives and itching, runny nose, severe headaches will increase sharply.
- In children, excess weight appears, from where it is not far from obesity.
It is not a fact that all these troubles will happen to your baby, because the reaction to the products is individual. But this is just the case when experimenting means putting the life of a newborn in danger. Remember - it is absolutely impossible to give honey to children under one year old!
A severe allergic reaction to honey in a child can lead to anaphylactic shock.
Lubricating the nipples with honey as a means to calm the baby is generally nonsense. Sweet at such a young age, even in microscopic doses, is highly undesirable. A small portion can also cause an allergic reaction. Also, do not forget about the threat of caries (honey is too sweet for emerging children's teeth) and diabetes.
Do children need honey at an early age
Doctors say that in the first year of life it is unnecessary to give honey to a child. Judge for yourself.
- A baby, being breastfed, already receives with mother's milk all the components that the body needs for successful development.
- Honey, even if it is not so allergenic, is hard to digest, so do not overload the children's body with it.
From five to six months, babies are allowed to give complementary foods so that their body begins to receive additional vitamins and minerals. But in these cases, it is quite possible to get by with other products. The queue for honey will not come soon.
Breastfed babies receive all the necessary substances with mother's milk, therefore they do not need honey.
Is honey dangerous after a year
After all that has been read above, any parent may well have a reasonable fear: is it possible to give honey to older children, those who are already a year old or more? Maybe it’s better not to risk at all until two or three years?
In the complete rejection of honey up to two or even three years, doctors do not see the need. However, in order not to risk it, you can completely refuse honey up to three years, if you do not see any urgent need to introduce it into the diet of baby food. Even if a three-year-old child shows negative reactions, at this age they will no longer be so scary.
However, everything should be in moderation. You should not overdo it with honey at any age. Remember, however, that this is not just a sweet, but also an active biological product. And he, like other substances of this kind, has contraindications and side effects.
Even at the age of two and three, honey should be given to a child with caution.
When honey is desirable
But in cases where the baby is already a year old and has health problems, honey can be very useful. This happens when:
- the child has weakened immunity;
- the baby often catches a cold;
- the baby is sick with respiratory diseases.
In such cases, give him honey, but with reasonable care. This product has unique properties, for example, with the help of honey it is possible to fight fungal infections, children's candidiasis in the mouth.
But, we repeat, it is necessary to gradually accustom the body of the crumbs to this product after a year, not earlier.
In what cases honey will not hurt a one-year-old baby
The baby's body successfully absorbs honey in cases where:
- a one-year-old baby is completely healthy;
- he does not have allergic reactions to other products, which he has tried a lot by this age;
- all adults in the family consume bee products without any consequences.
giving one year old baby honey in small quantities is possible only when it is absolutely not prone to allergies.
Many parents ask if honey should be limited to certain daily allowances when giving it to children. Yes, doctors insist that age dosages be observed when introducing honey into the diet of babies. We present them in a table.
Also, when introducing honey into the children's diet, adhere to the following rules:
- you can’t eat the whole portion at a time, divide it into 2-3 smaller servings (we indicated this in the table);
- It is advisable for children to eat only a liquid drink, because comb honey not suitable for them.
It is strictly forbidden to dilute honey in boiling water. At temperatures above 60 °, all vitamins and enzymes are destroyed in it. Moreover, honey also produces a toxic carcinogen - a poison that can accumulate in the liver and cause food poisoning over time.
Adding to the diet
Any new product in the baby's diet should be introduced with caution in order to minimize the possible negative effect. Honey, as we found out, has high allergenic properties, which is why parents need to conduct a kind of allergen test for their child before using it. This is done in the following way.
- First, a small amount of honey should be smeared on the inside of the baby's wrist.. Next, see if some redness appears in this place before the evening, if the baby starts itching, etc.
- If everything is normal, give the next day the baby to taste a few drops of honey for testing., and again follow until the end of the day for a possible allergic reaction.
- Only on the third day, you can give the baby to eat half or a full teaspoon of honey., depending on the norm indicated in the table.
It is necessary to start giving honey with one drop, and the maximum dose should not exceed half a teaspoon.
Although honey is most beneficial to eat in its pure form, for example, drinking it with tea, you can still feed it to your baby:
- adding a spoonful of honey to jelly or compote;
- sweetening them with cottage cheese or porridge. Children really like this honey product;
- diluting it in warm milk or tea (with a temperature not exceeding 60 °, be sure to remember this).
It would be nice if instead of the usual sweets and chocolates, which are quite harmful for children, you accustom your baby to honey.
How to make a compress with honey
If your baby often catches a cold, and at the same time the disease is accompanied by a cough, you can use honey as a medicine, but not for oral administration, but to create a special honey compress. Such a compress helps to effectively get rid of a cough, and to treat a cold itself.
Honey compress has the following healing properties:
- warms the bronchi;
- dilates blood vessels;
- promotes increased blood circulation.
Even small children can make such a compress, although an allergic test should be performed first., as we indicated earlier.
Here is the easiest honey compress recipe.
- They take a fresh and elastic cabbage leaf, put honey in it, wrap it and then apply it to the chest or back. It helps a lot with coughs. The cabbage leaves themselves can be dipped in boiling water first to make them softer and “obedient”.
- The attached sheets are covered with cling film, then tied to the body with a towel so that they hold on tighter.
It is advisable to make such a compress before going to bed already for a lying baby. During the night, honey fully warms up both the chest and the back.
Summary
Considering all the features of honey as a highly active biological substance, we can draw the following conclusion: giving it to small children who have not yet turned at least a year old is a very dangerous lottery. It all depends on the individual tolerance of the baby. A parent who gives honey at such an early age is at great risk.
There are parents who treat their children with honey almost from the cradle, and then they are not overjoyed at how healthy and plump it grows in them. In the future, this could seriously backfire on them. For other dads and moms, the very first introduction of honey into the diet of the crumbs ends with sleepless vigils in a hospital bed, after the baby was saved from anaphylactic shock.
So the conclusion here might be:
- children under one year old should not be given honey;
- it is undesirable to give it to children under three years of age if they do not experience any special need for this;
- starting to give honey from a year or two years old, be sure to adhere to the daily allowance.
In autumn, when colds and viruses cause illness in a baby, you often ask me about honey.
Is it possible to give honey to a child if he has a cold? At what age can honey be given to a child? Let's deal with these questions together.
Useful properties of the product and is there any harm
Honey is a natural storehouse of vitamins. It contains 300 types of vitamins, enzymes, minerals and acids, carbohydrates, fats and proteins, glucose, fructose and many trace elements.
Since ancient times, it has been used as a cure for colds. In addition, this delicacy has the following benefits:
- contributes to the active development of the body;
- strengthens teeth, skeleton and skeletal system;
- improves blood composition;
- stimulates the work of the digestive organs;
- strengthens the immune system;
- improves eyesight;
- prevents the destruction of tooth enamel;
- excellent remedy for microbes;
- improves mood and maintains general tone;
- accelerates wound healing
- the product improves the physical development of the baby$
- also, it is an excellent pain reliever for stomatitis;
- honey soothes and relaxes, helps bring down the temperature.
Remember! Only pure natural honey is beneficial. Synthetic, artificial, which is sold in stores, is very dangerous for the baby, it can harm his health.
Despite the many useful properties, the product can carry a serious health hazard. Why can't children have honey and in what situations can it harm?
- Honey is a strong allergen;
- It can cause botulism;
- Honey can provoke tooth decay;
- It should be limited in use if there is excess weight.
How and when to give honey to a child
To begin with, let's find out at what age you can give honey to children.
Can honey be given to a one month old baby? No, it is strictly forbidden (by the way, find out what a child should be able to do at 1 month?>>>).
Previously, they smeared the nipple with honey and gave it to the baby, but you don’t need to do this, because you, at the same time, take a big risk.
- This can lead to serious consequences, up to poisoning;
- The method of accustoming to the nipple, if you smear it with something sweet, is also outdated. A baby can do just fine without a pacifier (read the article on the topic: A pacifier for a newborn: Pros and cons >>>).
On it, I explain in detail all about the needs of the baby and help you successfully breastfeed.
- It is better not to give honey to children under one year old, so as not to create an environment in the intestines for the development of botulism. Offer this product after 2.5-3 years;
- Even if the child has weak immunity and often suffers from colds, honey should not be given to the child.
There are other ways to boost your immune system. We analyze this topic inside and out in the online seminar Healthy Child >>>.
- If the child does not have a tendency to allergies, then after 2 years you can add a little sweet treat to cottage cheese (read the article Cottage cheese in complementary foods >>>), milk and porridge, but honey must not be heated;
- The product goes well with unsweetened fruits, as well as with different vegetables. If mixed with raw pumpkin or zucchini and bake them, you can get a delicious treat;
- From one and a half to two years, depending on the health of the child, he can taste the treat in very small doses;
When choosing the age for acquaintance with honey, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the baby's body:
- You need to start introducing nectar into the child's diet with a microdose. Take 1 g of the product and mix it with water or other drink;
- During the day, observe the baby, if rashes and other suspicious symptoms do not appear, then increase the amount slightly, gradually bring it up to half a teaspoon.
Are you asking if a two-year-old child can have honey?
- At two years old, you can give no more than 20-30 grams per day;
- And in three - 30-40 grams;
- A four-year-old child is already allowed 50 grams.
Any amount should be divided into 2-3 doses. It is better to give the product as a vitamin and mineral supplement, mixing it with other products.
Can children drink milk with honey? Yes, but the milk must be warm so that the product does not dissolve in a liquid whose temperature is above 45 degrees.
Let's look at the main features of introducing honey into the baby's diet:
- honey cannot be given in its pure form, only added to other dishes;
- be sure to do an allergy test;
- do not heat honey, tea and milk should be warm (read the article on the topic: Tea in baby food >>>);
- you can use honey daily for only one month, then take a short break;
- children are given only a natural product;
- if the baby refuses to try the product, you can’t force him.
How does an allergy manifest itself?
- Allergy to honey in children manifests itself in the form of a skin rash. Also, the skin may turn red, become swollen, blisters may appear on it;
- In addition to a rash, the reaction is manifested by cough and shortness of breath, runny nose and sore throat, the child may feel pain in the chest;
- With an allergic reaction, swelling of the lips and tongue, nausea, lacrimation and fever appear.
If you notice any warning symptoms in your baby after using the product, be sure to show it to the doctor.
Before you give your baby honey, make sure that he does not have allergies. To do this, you need to do a test:
- Apply a drop of honey to the baby on the wrist and watch him for a day;
- If there is no redness and rash on the skin, you can drop a drop of this delicacy on his tongue;
- After making sure that there is no allergy, you can give nectar, observing the age dosage.
How to choose and store honey?
What kind of honey can a child? Children are allowed only the liquid product. At the same time, remember that it cannot be heated, but can only be diluted in a warm liquid;
Also, the product must be fresh and natural.
Exists different varieties, but not all are suitable for children:
- Many kids like acacia honey, it is delicious and smells good. This variety is less allergenic compared to other species;
- Linden honey is soft and pleasant in taste. It is often given to babies during coughs and colds (read the article How to protect your child from a cold >>>);
- Many children do not like brown buckwheat nectar, it has a specific aftertaste with bitterness.
- It is best to buy the product from a trusted beekeeper. Many sellers mix the treat with sugar and this is already considered a fake;
- The product must be collected in your area;
- Natural honey initially has a liquid consistency, and then begins to crystallize;
- Real honey does not exfoliate and, if it is dropped on a sheet of paper, it spreads in different directions;
So that the nectar does not lose its beneficial properties, it is better to store it in a glass sealed container in a dry and cool room at a temperature of + 5-10 degrees.
You now know whether it is possible to give honey to a child, from what age and in what quantity. And for nutritional problems in a child older than a year, see the course
