HeySolids
Choking risk
Honey is a low choking risk - it's a smooth liquid. The real reason to keep it away from babies is infant botulism. See how to serve for how to handle it at each age.
Allergens
Honey is not a common food allergen, so a true allergy to it is rare. The reason to keep it from babies is infant botulism, not allergy.[1]
Start with a small amount and watch for a reaction.
Food safety
Never give honey before 12 months. It can carry spores of Clostridium botulinum that a baby's gut can't yet handle, causing infant botulism - a rare but serious illness. Cooking doesn't destroy the spores, so this covers every form: raw, pasteurized, and honey baked into cakes or bread.[2][3]
Sugar
After the first birthday honey is safe, but it is still an added sugar. Children under 2 don't need added sugar, so keep honey out of food and drinks until then.[4][5]
How to serve
Up to 12 months old
Never give honey
Never give honey before 12 months, in any form - not raw, not pasteurized, not baked into food. Honey can carry spores that a baby's gut can't yet handle, and they can cause infant botulism, a serious illness.
Sweeten with fruit instead
If you want natural sweetness before the first birthday, use mashed banana, unsweetened applesauce, or other fruit.
12+ months old
No longer a botulism risk, but still an added sugar
After the first birthday, honey is no longer a botulism risk. It is still an added sugar, though, and US guidance is that children under 2 shouldn't have added sugars at all - so honey waits until then.
24+ months old
Small amounts, as with any sweetener
After age 2, honey can be used the way you'd use any sweetener - sparingly, and not every day. It is no better for teeth than table sugar, so the same limits apply. Honey in drinks is worth avoiding in particular, since it keeps sugar on the teeth longer than food does.