Honey For Children: When To Introduce, Benefits And Precautions

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Honey for kids can be a healthy choice since it contains considerable amounts of phytochemicals and flavonoids that can impart several health benefits over time (1). The natural sweetener has moderate nutritional value and offers the same calories as refined sugar. However, honey may still be a better alternative to refined sugar since it also provides health-promoting compounds. You can use honey in food and home remedies to alleviate certain health issues and promote general health.

Read on as we tell you about the nutritional composition of honey, the right age to give honey to children, and different ways you can give honey to children.

When Can You Give Honey To Children?

Honey is nutritious but should only be introduced to children after they are one year old. This is to avoid infant botulism, an illness that may occur due to the consumption of honey by children below the age of one year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 162 cases of infant botulism, with females comprising 55% of the cases. Affected infants had a median age of four months, and it was found that three of them had used pacifiers containing honey.

Honey contains spore-forming bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which can multiply in the intestine (2). The bacteria releases toxins that irritate the little one’s gut and affect the nervous system. It happens because infants have an underdeveloped digestive system that’s not acidic enough to destroy Clostridium spores.

Honey is, however, safe for children above one year as their digestive system is mature enough to expel the bacteria through the body (3). However, use it as a replacement for refined sugar but not in addition to it.

Nutritional Value Of Honey

The nutritional value of 100g of honey is as given in the table (4).

10 Benefits Of Honey For Kids

Besides being a sweetener, honey offers some health benefits too.

1. Energy-dense: A teaspoon of honey gives approximately 20-30 calories. It can be added to the child’s meals to meet their total calorie requirement. If you give honey to your child, choose low GI honey like acacia, which will support their overall health (5).

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2. Supports healing: Honey is known for its healing properties. Its antimicrobial and wound-healing properties help treat lesions, insect bites, burns, boils, and sores. A mixture of honey with beeswax and olive oil might help in treating damaged skin and conditions such as psoriasisⁱXA condition marked by dry, itchy, scaly patches on the skin or atopic dermatitisⁱXA chronic condition causing extremely dry, itchy rashes and inflamed skin in children (6).

Quick tip

Applying honey on canker soresⁱXPainful sores developing inside the mouth can help reduce pain and hasten healing (24).

3. Antiviral properties: Pure honey has antibacterial and antiviral properties against pathogenic bacteria and enteropathogensⁱXMicrobes that cause intestinal diseases . These qualities are the likely reason for honey’s use in Ayurvedic medicine, especially for treating cough and cold. Controlled consumption of honey is known to have the potential to prevent tooth problems like tooth decay (5).

4. Anti-inflammatory properties: Owing to its proven antioxidant activity, honey is considered a natural medicine for treating inflammatory conditions like sore throat, asthma, mucositisⁱXInflammation of the mucous lining covering the mouth and the gastrointestinal tract , gastroenteritis, etc (7) (8).

5. Antioxidant and antibiotic properties: Natural honey has antioxidant and antibiotic effects. Its radical scavenging property has been imparted to it by phenols whereas its antibiotic properties are imparted by inhibine. These health promoting properties of honey has made it the most widely food item amongst infants and children (9).

6. Prebiotic properties: Honey works as a prebioticⁱXFood sources that aid in the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut . It means it stimulates the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. Honey added to buttermilk or yogurt makes a good pre-probiotic combination that helps maintain a healthy gut microbiome in kids (10).

7. Relieves gastric reflux: If a child is suffering from GERD, then honey can be used for relief. The intake of honey rectifies this condition by coating the esophagus and stomach lining. This prevents the upward flow of food and gastric juice and thus provides relief. It further stimulates the tissues on the sphincterⁱXA muscle capable of opening and closing the body passages to facilitate the normal flow of substances and thus assists in the regrowth thereby reducing the chances of acid reflux.

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8. Relieves constipation and diarrhea: Constipation and diarrhea are not uncommon in kids. So if they suffer from either, raw manuka honey can be taken on an empty stomach to get some relief. Honey helps improve bowel movements by increasing the water content of the stool.

9. Promotes heart health: Honey has antioxidants like phenolic acids and flavonoids that might improve cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of heart disease. Though early studies suggest these benefits, more extensive, long-term research is needed to confirm honey’s positive impact on heart well-being (11).

10. Enhances brain health: The polyphenols in honey reduce inflammation in the hippocampus, a brain region connected to memory. These polyphenols also shield against memory issues and aid in memory development on a small scale. Research suggests that honey’s influence on specific brain pathways leads to improved memory and brain health benefits. However, more studies are necessary for a comprehensive understanding (12).

Despite its several benefits, probably the most widespread medicinal use of honey is for the treatment of cough and cold.

Honey For Cough And Cold In Children

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against use of OTC drugs for cough and cold for children under four years of age, unless directed by a physician or pediatrician (13). Natural honey is known for its antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties, due to which people use honey as a natural remedy for cold and cough.

It is believed that pasteurized honey given before bedtime provides some relief from the symptoms of cough and cold in children aged over one year (14) (15).

Honey is also said to improve the quality of sleep in children.

A vlogger and mom who goes by the name ‘Mami Tai’ used a honey compress to alleviate her son’s cough. She shares the honey compress recipe: “Add two tablespoons of flour with one tablespoon of honey and mix it until you have a consistent paste. The paste should be such that you can grab and squish it with your hand. Apply this mixture to the tissue paper and tie the compress to the back using a muslin cloth. Apply it about two or three hours before bedtime, and don’t let the child sleep with it. I noticed that Leo (her son) started spitting up a lot of mucus, and he got better after four days of using this compress (i).”

Quick tip

Add a teaspoon each of honey, fresh ginger juice and lemon juice to warm water. Sipping this drink can relieve symptoms of cold and cough.

Ways To Give Honey To A Child

Introduce honey in a child’s diet gradually. Doing so will give you time to check for any probable allergic reactions. It will also give your child adequate time to adapt to honey’s delicious taste and sticky texture.

Here are a few ways you can replace refined sugar with honey:

• Add honey to oatmeal for enhancing the flavor of the dish.

• Instead of adding sugar, add honey to sweeten the milk.

• Spread it on bread toast.

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• Mix yogurt and honey to make a delectable side dish.

• If your children like to have the smoothie sweet, you may add honey in it instead of sugar.

• Spread honey on pancakes and waffles.

• Use it as a topping, flavoring agent, or/or as sugar substitute in baked foods.

Discontinue serving honey to the child, if you notice side effects such as breathing problems, muscle weakness, and constipation.

Precautions To Follow

Before consuming honey, it is necessary to ensure that its purity remains intact. Here is what you can do for that.

• Do not serve too much honey to children. Honey is high in calories and contains free sugars like fructose, which on over-consumption, might lead to undesired weight gain, dental caries, and gastric issues (16). So, practice moderation in use.

• Check the manufacturing date and contents mentioned on the label.

• Choose real honey, and read the labels to ensure that it isn’t adulterated with high-fructose corn syrup.

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• Do not keep it in the open without a lid, as it may get contaminated by insects and dust.

• Store the honey bottle in a cool place.

Try and use the honey within a month or two of getting it, even though it stays fine and useful long after that.

Which Is Better: Raw Honey Or Processed Honey?

Raw honey contains nutrients in its original form but also has natural toxins such as grayanotoxinsⁱXToxins naturally found in the honey derived from the plants of the genus Rhododendron , which can cause honey poisoning. The symptoms of honey poisoning include low blood pressure, nausea, and vomiting.

However, when the honey is processed, the toxins get diluted and may not have any severe effect on the body. Processed honey is also free of pollen grains and dust particles.

This suggests that processed honey has fewer risks compared to raw honey, but the nutritional value of raw honey makes it superior to the processed one (17).

Did you know?

Honey may be adulterated with sugar cane, corn syrup, glucose syrup, sucrose syrup, inverted syrup, and high fructose inulin syrup. These may reduce the benefits of honey (25).

Does your child like honey? How do you give it to them? Do share your experience with us in the comment section below.

Infographic: Honey Types And Quality Determination

When consumed in moderation, children can reap several potential health benefits of honey. Our infographic shares different types of honey that children above 12 months can relish. Additionally, we provide a few simple tests to distinguish real honey from artificial honey.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

Uncover the manifold benefits of Manuka Honey, a natural wonder, in the video given below. Check it out to know about its various effects on oral health and overall well-being.

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Eva De AngelisRDN

Eva is a dietitian nutritionist and freelance health and nutrition writer from Argentina. She did her BS in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at ISalud University and MS in Nutrition, Gastronomy, and Health at Argentine Society of Clinical Nutrition. Eva also holds a culinary diploma, and an intermediate-level technical degree in Food Science. With a passion for everything related to food,...more

Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in...more

Rohit GarooBSc, MBA

Rohit Garoo is a writer-turned-editor with over 9 years of experience in content writing, editing, and content marketing. He did his bachelors in Science at St. Xavier's College, Hyderabad, and masters in Business Administration at Osmania University. Also, he holds a certificate in Developmental Psychology from The University of Queensland and loves to expand his knowledge through certifications in various...more

Dr. Joyani DasM.Pharm, PhD

Dr. Joyani Das did her post-graduation from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra and PhD in Pharmacology. Previously, she worked as an associate professor, faculty of Pharmacology, for two years. With her research background in preclinical studies and a zeal for scientific writing, she joined MomJunction as a health writer. Her research work was published in international journals and publications, such...more