Can i give my 1 to 2 year old honey?

What the evidence says

Good news: once your child turns 1, honey is safe to give them. The reason doctors say no honey before age one is a rare illness called infant botulism, caused by bacterial spores that are sometimes found in honey.

Before age one, a baby's gut does not yet have enough of the helpful bacteria needed to keep these spores from growing and making a toxin. Health Canada explains that after age one, kids have developed protective gut bacteria, so their risk becomes very low.

Infant botulism itself is quite rare in Canada, with well under a dozen cases reported most years, and honey is only one of several possible sources. Cooking or heating honey does not make it safer for babies under one, since the spores survive heat, but this is not a concern once your child is over one.

There is one unusual exception worth knowing: some Canadian pediatric emergency guidance now says a small dose of honey can be given even to a baby under one in the specific emergency of a swallowed button battery, because the risk of the battery burning the throat is more urgent than the tiny botulism risk. That is a special emergency use, not a reason to start regular honey before age one.

For your 1-to-2-year-old, honey can be offered as part of a balanced diet. As with any sticky or sweet food, it is still worth thinking about portion size and dental health.