Health Promotion and MaintenanceQuestion 844 of 2368
The parent of a 9-month-old asks about adding honey to the infant's cereal. What is the nurse's best response?
- Honey should not be given before one year of age because of the botulism risk
- Honey is safe once the infant has started eating solid foods such as cereal
- Honey is safe if it is mixed into warm cereal because heat kills bacteria
- Honey is safe after the infant reaches six months of age and can sit up well
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Correct answer: Honey should not be given before one year of age because of the botulism risk
An infant's gut is immature, which raises the risk of botulism from honey. Honey should be avoided until one year of age.
Source: Nursing Health Promotion (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2025), Healthy Diets: Dietary Recommendations for Newborns and Infants. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Practice the topic "Health Promotion and Maintenance"Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026