what did i just see!!

[BabyMamma93]

im writing this on here just incase anyone else doesnt understand that babies cant have honey.
i have a friend on facebook who has a young baby who is very clingy and cries alot, among other advice a girl put to her, and i quote ' it might be frowned upon but when he's really carrying on and won't settle I dip he's dummy in a little bit of honey and it has saved my life there is no sugar in honey so won't harm him but honestly works wonders x'

im not normally one to reply back to friends friends on status' but i had to!! i too couldn't understand why babies cant have honey when honey is really natural but after i read about it, i soon made sure i never gave M honey, i was even weary after he turned 1!!

https://www.babycenter.com/408_when-can-my-baby-eat-honey_1368490.bc

 

[Quartz]

Not only the botulism thing but the idea that honey does not have sugar in it - its just not a processed sugar!

 

[Kirsty3051]

It's not worth the risk. I'd rather have an unsettled baby than one that's fighting for his/her life.

 

[SarahBear]

Honey IS sugar! I think I've read that you actually can give your baby honey, but giving your baby added sugar isn't really a great idea.

 

[shinona]

The advice is different in different countries. We were in France recently and they had cereal for weaning that had honey in it. However, in the UK, the advice is no honey before the age of one. The risk of infant botulism is very small but it can be so serious.
OP, you did the right thing.

 

[BabyMamma93]

i made a mistake or 2 when M was younger, when he was about 8 month old i got him some of the mini weetabix, i gave him some 2ce and i didnt realise till after it had honey in it. i immediatley called my HV almost having a fit, she said that he will be fine, the amount of honey in the cereal is very small, its more so just coated in it a tiny bit, she said i can carry on giving it if i want but if not thats fine, i also once gave him some gammon which i realised after it was cooked in honey, again he had a small amount and my HV reassured me he will be fine.
We all make mistakes!

after i commented on this 'advice' her reply was really snappy, she said she knew someone would but in with their information, reassured me she knows the risks but she knows 12 babies that have all had a dummy dip in honey and they are all fine, so she is happy with it. fair enough your baby and the 12 others you know may have been fine, but i couldnt imagine giving someone advice that could potentially harm their baby, i couldnt even begin to imagine giving someone that advice then god forbid their child is ill from it, will she take the heat for it? doubt it!
they all got a little heated with me for putting my 2 pence in, but they are both new parents who always moan when other first time parents give advice.
i once gave my advice on hungry milk, i told her i wouldn't bother trying and instead take him to the docs. she got funny with me then put a status saying 'hate it when first time mums talk down to new mums like me like they know everything' firstly that was NOT what i intended to do she was asking 'any mums give me advice please?' so i did! anyway another girl commented in reply to the girl who gave the honey advice, she said 'i didnt know honey was good for them, i might try it' i told her its not really good for them as such, defo not under 12 month but also told her ive tried it with M when he has a cough, just brush their teeth after because honey IS 55% sugar, its actually worse for you than sugar is! no one replied after that.

like i say im not one to pipe up in relation to anyones parenting, if it works for her and shes comfortable with it then so be it, just dont give dangerous advice to another mum whos oblivious to how dangerous honey is!

 

[calm]

I read that about honey. Cereals here for under 12 months often have honey, and I'm not sure if its some sort of honey that is "safe", but I avoid it just in case

 

[minties]

The honey avoidance thing was pretty big here when my kids were babies, my MIL thought I was being stupid about the whole thing.

 

[BabyMamma93]

in all honesty i never knew until i had M but it does say it on the jar! infact the jar of honey i do have, thats just about all it says on it, it has no ingredients just says 'WARNING: not suitable under the age of 12 month' that for me is enough not to give my child it!

 

[hanni]

I'd never heard anything about honey until I read this, glad I did! Why can't they have it? I don't understand why it would settle her baby either?

 

[shinona]

Hanni, here's a link here:
https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Botulism/Pages/Introduction.aspx
The risk is of infant botulism. Rare but awful x

 

[Larkspur]

It's pretty common for people not to know about the honey thing. I had to email a writer at The Guardian once because she'd written a story about "healthy first foods for children" and one of her recommended starter meals was yoghurt with some chopped fruit and a drizzle of honey. The Guardian!

 

[BabyMamma93]

Yes it is common, this girl knew the risks of it though, her arsy reply was that she knew someone would try explain this to her, she didnt tell the other girl to try it, just that it works for her, she then went on to say she knows 12 babies inc. herself that was always given honey and they are all fine, i politely replied that every parent is different and thats fine, but i dont believe you should give someone advice that could harm their baby, she then went on to attack me that im causing a FB argument i just left her to it

 

[hanni]

Holy sh*t that sounds scary. I had no idea about it, I've just asked my mum who has 4 kids and she had no idea either.

I'm glad you told that girl straight. Why would you suggest that to someone knowing the risks.

 

[BabyMamma93]

that was my point, i never slammed her for giving her baby it, i just couldnt understand why you would know the risks yet still advise someone else to do it, the girl who was given the advice, her baby is only 10 week old!!

i used to give M water as a baby, its what my MW advised due to constipation, i knew there were some rare but harmful risks in giving water under 6 month, and thats why i did it my self on the advice of a health care professional, but i didnt advise anyone else to do it!!