Is Raw Honey Safe for Babies?

This is not a "raw honey" issue specifically — it applies to all honey, and it is worth understanding why.

The Official Guidance

The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics are both clear: no honey, in any form, for children under 12 months old — not even cooked or baked into food.

Source: CDC

Why Cooking Does Not Help

Honey can naturally contain spores of Clostridium botulinum. In adults and older children, a mature gut microbiome keeps these spores in check. An infant's gut has not yet developed this competing bacterial population, which lets the spores germinate and produce toxin internally — a condition called infant botulism. Cooking or baking does not destroy these spores, which is why "just a little in baked goods" is not actually safe.

Source: NCBI Bookshelf / StatPearls

Important Clarification

This risk applies equally to raw and commercially processed honey — do not assume one is safer than the other for this specific concern. After 12 months, honey (including raw honey) is generally considered safe to introduce.