Question
A two-month-old baby has not had a bowel movement for five days. Is it okay to feed her honey water? If not, how should it be handled?
Answer
For such a young baby, it is not recommended to give honey water. Particularly for infants under one year old, honey may contain spores that can lead to botulism in babies, so it should be avoided. For breastfed babies, it’s not uncommon for them to go several days without a bowel movement as they adjust, a condition known as ‘changing belly’. If the mother is very worried, she can take the baby to the hospital for a check-up. In the meantime, it’s helpful to give the baby more water and gently massage the baby’s abdomen to promote bowel movements.