Honey worked....and still is working...

Ok Girls...

So yesterday I posted info about giving your child honey for a cough...instead of meds.

Well I gave a teaspoon to my 16mth dd last night at 7:00 (bedtime) and i 'maybe' heard he cough once during the night.
It is almost 8:30AM and she is STILL sleeping!?!?!?!?!

She has slept 13hrs maybe once or twice before....but do you think it's the honey?

[mamafessler]

If she is sick she might just need to catch up on sleep and since she is not coughing really she can rest peacefully.

[jjerzeegirl]

agreed.....
she's STILL out....14hrs of sleep.....poor baby!

[alaysha]

I love honey! My mom used to make me take it if I had a cough rather than any OTC drugs (since she doesn't believe they are good for you) and it used to ALWAYS help me sleep through the night and for my throat to not feel so irritated. :)

[kennedydp5]

the next time we have a cough in the house i'm gonna try this...  but i didn't know honey would help you sleep.  i thought it gave you energy!

[jjerzeegirl]

I thought it would give her energy as well....But ...nope, she slept for 14hrs and maybe woke up for a second to cough...it REALLY worked...
I ran out today to get more honey!

[CYW]

how early can you give them to your children? my baby is 11 weeks old he doesnt have a ought but for further refereces what should be the youngest age you would give it to your child??

[want2bamom11]

I'm pretty sure that you are supposed to wait until a child is atleast 1 yr old before giving him anything with honey in it- i think that they can't process it or they can catch something from it?

[CYW]

yeah kind of like penut butter or whatnot...i was just curious...but its def good to know i thought it wouldnt be good because sugar gums etc

[jjerzeegirl]

yeah...wait until the baby is 1 yr. I was even told to stay away from honey while i was nursing.

I don't think the babies can break it down.

I think it's a cultural thing...but the Indian community uses it when babies are younger then a yr and I know the hospital stresses to them that they should think twice about that.

[SeeingSpots]

The concern with honey is with infant botulism.  Honey often contains spores.

Botulinum spores are found widely in soil, dust, and honey. Adults who swallow botulinum spores are almost never affected. When infants swallow the spores, however, the spores can germinate in their immature gastrointestinal tracts and begin producing botulinum toxin. This has occurred even when the honey was only used to sweeten a pacifier.

Botulinum toxin is the most poisonous natural substance known to man. The lethal dose is only 1/10,000,000 mg per kg of body weight -- an amount that would be invisible to the naked eye. This tiny amount in the blood stream can cause death within minutes through paralysis of the muscles used in breathing.

Infant botulism has been found on every continent except Africa. In the United States it is most common in the states of California, Utah, and Pennsylvania. While infant botulism can occur from taking in soil or dust (especially vacuum cleaner-bag dust), eating honey is the number one preventable cause.

Honey does have studied antibiotic properties, and in children older than one year of age, the threat of developing botulism is small, so using it for a cold might indeed be helpful.

[April2]

We just had something in our local paper about that. I'll quote it:

"HONEY CAN HELP SOOTHE KIDS' COUGHS, STUDY SHOWS"
The Associated Press

"Chicago. A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better, according to a new study that relied on parents' reports of their children's symptoms.
The folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a three-way comparison. Honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat, the study authors said.
"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that grandma was right," said lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine.
The research appears in December's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Federal health advisers have recently warned that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn't be used in children younger than 6.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Honey Board, an industry-funded arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency had no influence over the study, Paul said."


However, remember that honey should not be given to infants younger than 1 year old.