Skip to the content
Peabody ParentsTalk, play, read and grow, from day one

Honey for babies

How to serve it at 6, 9 and 12 months.

The CDC says not to give honey before 12 months, because it can cause botulism, and not to add it to food, water, formula or a pacifier. Not on the CDC's or AAP's choking lists. Not a major allergen. At about 6 months: Not served in any form.

Checked October 29, 2026.

How to serve honey at 6, 9 and 12 months

Serving honey, following the CDC and AAP texture and choking guidance
AgeHow to serve it
About 6 monthsNot served in any form.
About 9 monthsNot served in any form.
About 12 monthsThe CDC's honey warning is for before 12 months. It also says children under 2 shouldn't have added sugars, so ask your pediatrician.

Every baby is different. Start the same way for every food: your baby sits up, you are right there, and the pieces match what they can do.

Is honey a choking hazard?

It is not named on the CDC's or AAP's choking lists, but the CDC says its list may not include every hazard, so the size and texture rules still apply. The AAP says to cut food for infants and young children into pieces no larger than one-half inch, to have children sit while they eat, and to watch every meal.

Hold off before 12 months.

Is honey an allergen?

It is not one of the nine major food allergens the FDA names.

Even so, try one new single-ingredient food at a time, so you can tell what a food does (CDC).

Where this comes from

Neither the CDC nor the AAP pages we read name this food, so this page applies their general rules; it is not food-specific advice from them. The serving steps follow the CDC's texture advice and the AAP's finger-food and choking pages.

Call your pediatrician if…

Your pediatrician knows your child. Call them if you have a worry about a food, a reaction or choking. The AAP and the CDC have more:

Peabody editors write these pages from the sources below. We are not doctors, and this is not medical advice for your child.

Sources