Mommy 's Foods, Baby's Poisons

Who knew honey is pure poison to babies under one year? This writer didn't and I was shocked that food in some cases could be poisonous. We know about peanuts but there are some other surprises that are hard to swallow, literally.It seems one man's treat could be another's poison, deadlier than even hemlock. As far as honey , it is true poison to children less than a year old.It creates infant botulism , a type of stomach complaint that is different from the botulism adults get from canned food, namely mushrooms.This is when a baby swallows the spores that are within the sweetener.They then activate in the gut and produce botulinum toxin.The child loses muscle tone ,allowing with having a problem swallowing.Even when honey is used mixed with other ingredients, it is still not safe.Wait until your child is about eighteen months before introducing him or her to honey. Sadly enough dark corn syrup falls into this category too.Light corn syrup is fine however and can even be used as a laxative for constipated infants. Surprisingly there are several other foods that are also not baby friendly.Low fat or skim milk is one of them.While giving this to an older child is fine, feeding it to any of the diaper set is a taboo.Babies need as much fat as allowed.Whole milk provides this.It also has the nutrients need for bone and brain growth.Foods dangerous to a child's trachea are problem.Well meaning godparents and grandparents along with lackadaisical baby sitters may think it's cute or OK to give the little one pretzel nuggets or Crackerjack but these are dangerous. Even adults could choke on them.Sub in healthy treats like apple or pear slices or zwieback.Remember that soft sticky foods like marshmallows and gummy bears are also dangers too. Little ones could get these lodged in their throats too. Keep these well out of reach if you have them for your older kids. What works for Mommy may not work for baby. keep this in mind if you're expecting a little foodie to be or you're just babysitting.Those little bellies are developing. treat them with the utmost care.