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From the YummyYucky team, founded by Nancy Nash

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When can babies have honey?

The short, firm answer: not until after 12 months. This is one of the few hard rules in feeding babies, and it is worth taking seriously, because the reason behind it is genuinely dangerous.

⚠️ No honey of any kind before 12 months, including honey baked into food.

Why honey has to wait

Honey can contain spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. In older kids and adults, the gut handles these spores without a problem. In a baby under one year, the gut is immature, and the spores can grow and produce a toxin that causes infant botulism. It is rare, but it is serious, and it is completely avoidable by simply waiting.

Baked and cooked honey counts too

This is the part people miss. The botulism spores can survive normal cooking and baking temperatures, so honey is not made safe by being baked into something. That means no honey graham crackers, teething biscuits, honey wheat bread, honey-sweetened yogurt, or glazes for babies under 12 months. Get in the habit of checking ingredient labels, since honey turns up in surprising places.

Signs of infant botulism

Signs can include constipation (often the first sign), a weak or altered cry, poor feeding, drooping eyelids, and floppy, weak muscles. They can show up anywhere from 3 to 30 days after honey.

If your baby has had honey and seems well, it is not an emergency: one taste is unlikely to cause botulism. Watch them over the next month, and it is reasonable to call your pediatrician to let them know. Botulism is a medical emergency, so do not wait if your baby shows any sign of it. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) if your baby goes floppy, limp, or very weak, is suddenly sleepy or hard to wake, or has trouble breathing, sucking, or swallowing. Go to the ER now for poor feeding, a weak cry or one that sounds different, drooping eyelids, a face with less expression than usual, or head control that is weaker than usual. Constipation is often the first sign, but it has plenty of other causes, so if it is the only sign in the month after honey, get your baby seen today, by your doctor or at the ER, rather than waiting it out. If your baby has had honey, tell the ER or the doctor what they ate and when.

What to use instead

Babies do not need added sweeteners at all. When you want to sweeten oatmeal, yogurt, or purées, reach for fruit: mashed banana, applesauce, or a little blended date paste all work beautifully and bring fiber along with the sweetness.

After the first birthday

Once your child is over 12 months, their gut has matured and honey is no longer a botulism risk. It is still an added sugar, though. The AAP says to avoid added sugar before age 2, so keep honey to an occasional small taste until then, and a little goes a long way after that too.

Related reading

See other foods to avoid before age 1, when babies can have water, and when babies can have cow's milk.

Frequently asked questions

When can babies have honey?

Not until after their first birthday. Honey, including raw, pasteurized, and honey baked into food, can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness. A baby’s gut cannot handle those spores until around 12 months. After 12 months, honey is no longer a botulism risk. It is still an added sugar, though, and the AAP says to avoid added sugar before age 2, so keep honey to an occasional small taste until then.

Is cooked or baked honey safe for babies?

It is safest to avoid it under 12 months. The spores that cause infant botulism can survive normal cooking and baking temperatures, so honey in bread, crackers, teething biscuits, or graham crackers still carries a risk for babies under one year. Check ingredient labels.

What is infant botulism?

It is a rare illness caused by botulism spores growing in a baby’s immature gut. Signs include constipation, a weak cry, poor feeding, drooping eyelids, and floppy or weak muscles. Botulism is a medical emergency, so do not wait if your baby shows any sign of it. Call 911 (or your local emergency number) if your baby goes floppy, limp, or very weak, is suddenly sleepy or hard to wake, or has trouble breathing, sucking, or swallowing. Go to the ER now for poor feeding, a weak cry or one that sounds different, drooping eyelids, a face with less expression than usual, or head control that is weaker than usual. Constipation is often the first sign, but it has plenty of other causes, so if it is the only sign in the month after honey, get your baby seen today, by your doctor or at the ER, rather than waiting it out. If your baby has had honey, tell the ER or the doctor what they ate and when.

What sweeteners can babies have instead?

Under 12 months, babies do not need any added sweetener. Fruit provides plenty of natural sweetness. Mashed banana, applesauce, or dates blended into food are great ways to sweeten oatmeal or yogurt without honey, sugar, or syrup.

Sources

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Last updated September 2026. Next review December 2026. How we write these: built from current published guidance from the AAP, CDC, FDA/EPA, NIAID, WHO, and other pediatric and public-health authorities, with sources cited on the page. See our editorial and medical policy for how we research, source, and update these, and how we double-check the food advice.

This is general information, not medical advice, and is not individualized for your baby. Always talk to your pediatrician about your baby's diet, introducing allergens, and any reaction. In an emergency, contact emergency services.

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