honey
Parents are being reminded not to feed honey to babies following three cases of botulism in the last twelve months, some parents use honey as a sweetener say the FSA
Youngsters under the age of one year do not have the ability to fight off the botulism bacteria which causes serious illness and even paralysis, warns the The Food Standards Agency.
A statement from the FSA said the illness was "rare but serious" with only eleven recorded cases since 1980 but with three cases occurring in the past year have all with possible links to honey ythe FSA has decided warn parents.
Botulism is caused by a germ which normally lives in a dormant form in soil and dust but it occasionally gets into honey, but in a baby's undeveloped intestine the germ can grow and produce a toxin or poison, leading to infant botulism.
Although infant botulism is incredibly rare, it is a serious illness that causes muscle weakness and breathing problems, often requiring hospital treatment.
The FSA's utritionist said in a statement to the press that for the first six months babies only need breast milk or infant formula and although it might be tempting to give honey to your baby to ease coughs, infant botulism is a very serious illness and it simply isn't worth the risk.
He added once on solid foods, it's always best to avoid sweetening your baby's food or giving them sugary snacks and drinks, this will help stop them developing a sweet tooth and tooth decay."
Tagged in Parenting