Is honey safe for my 2 year old?

What the evidence says

Honey is safe for your 2-year-old to eat. The rule that honey is unsafe only applies to babies younger than 12 months old.

The reason honey is risky for very young babies is a rare illness called infant botulism, when muscles. Honey can sometimes contain tiny bacterial spores that, in a baby's gut, can grow and make a toxin that causes muscle weakness. A baby's digestive system under age 1 doesn't yet have enough protective gut bacteria or stomach acid to stop this from happening.

By the time a child turns 1, their gut has built up helpful bacteria that destroy these spores before they can cause trouble. This is why Health Canada and other health authorities say honey becomes safe once a child is past their first birthday.

Health Canada notes that since tracking began in 1979, there have been very few confirmed Canadian infant botulism cases linked to honey, and all were in babies, not toddlers or older children. There's no ongoing concern for children over 1.

One general reminder: like any unpasteurized or raw food, make sure the honey is handled and stored properly, since any young child can get general food poisoning from poor food handling. But the specific botulism risk from honey itself is not a concern for your 2-year-old.