Pacifiers and Honey?

by Lana
(Minnesota)

When I was a baby, my mother was told to coat the pacifier in honey before giving it to me. I'm not sure what the motivation was behind this, but I'm sure it created an enthusiastic suck - until the honey was gone!

I can think of a number of reasons why this would be frowned upon today. First, I was told to never give honey to babies under 12 months because it contains bacteria that can cause infant botulism.

Second, they tell you not to allow a baby to fall asleep with a bottle because the milk left in their mouth will decay teeth. Can you imagine what sugary honey would do?

Lastly, I think allowing your baby to develop a dependance on something sweet will end up causing more problems than good. Once the "sweet" was gone, out would pop the pacifier, followed by a cry for more.

Amazingly enough, I managed to survive infancy, still have all of my teeth, and today I don't even like honey!