WHY YOUR BABY SHOULD NOT BE FED HONEY!

Ever heard of botulism? Pediatricians recommend waiting until your baby is at least 12 months before introducing honey because it may contain spores of bacteria that can cause botulism. These bacteria are however harmless to adults and children over 1.

It is also advisable to avoid the following until your baby becomes 12 months:

- Cow's milk and soy milk: Please stick with breast milk or formula until your child's first birthday. This is because your baby can't digest the protein in cow's milk and soy milk for the first year, they don't have all the nutrients he needs and they contain minerals in amounts that can damage his little kidneys. A baby who was ignorantly fed with cow's milk in Enugu, died a couple of months ago, so let's be careful.

- Food that is either sticky or really hard such as hard candies, popcorn, marshmallows. They can cause your baby to choke.

- Hard raw vegetables like carrots should be shredded or cooked and cut up. Fruits like grapes, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, etc should be cut into pieces before serving, to prevent them from being stuck in your child's throat.

- All kinds of nuts present choking hazards in children under 4. Nut butters stirred into purees or spread on toast are however safe.

- Shellfish like shrimp, crayfish, lobster, crab etc can cause serious allergies.