Can You Have Honey While Pregnant?
Yes — honey is safe in pregnancy. The botulism warning is for babies under 1, not for you.
The full answer
People mix up two pieces of advice. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism — but that risk is specific to babies under 12 months, whose gut can't yet handle the spores. A pregnant person's mature digestive system deals with those spores without any problem, and they don't reach or affect the baby. So honey in your tea, on toast, or in cooking is completely fine in pregnancy. (You'll just need to remember not to give honey to your baby until after their first birthday.) The only general note is that honey is sugar, so account for it if you have gestational diabetes.
How to have honey safely
- Enjoy in tea, on toast, in baking, or to soothe a sore throat
- Count the sugar if you're managing gestational diabetes
- Remember: no honey for your baby until 12 months old
When to avoid: No need to avoid it during pregnancy. The under-1 rule applies only after the baby is born.
Honey by trimester
| Stage | What changes |
|---|---|
| First trimester | Honey is fine for pregnant adults. The botulism warning that people half-remember applies to infants under twelve months, not to pregnancy — an adult digestive system handles the spores without difficulty. |
| Second trimester | Unchanged. It's a genuinely useful option for a sore throat when most cold remedies are off the table. |
| Third trimester | Still fine, and worth remembering as a sore-throat option late on. The infant advice becomes relevant after the baby arrives, not before. |
Common questions about honey in pregnancy
Is honey safe during pregnancy?
Yes. The concern about honey is specifically about babies under one year old, whose digestive systems can't handle botulism spores. Pregnancy doesn't change that — the placenta isn't a route for it and your own digestion deals with the spores.
What about raw or unpasteurised honey?
Raw honey is generally considered fine for adults in pregnancy for the same reason. If you'd rather not, pasteurised honey is straightforward to find.
When does the baby rule start applying?
After birth — no honey before twelve months of age, including in food or on a dummy. It's worth knowing now so it isn't a surprise later.
Pregnancy food-safety basics
Most “can I have this?” questions in pregnancy come down to four things. Listeria — a bacterium that survives the fridge — is why chilled ready-to-eat meats, pâté, and mould-ripened soft cheeses are heated or avoided. Mercury is why certain fish are limited. Caffeine is capped at about 200 mg a day. And alcohol is best avoided entirely, as no safe amount is known. Cooking food until it’s steaming hot kills listeria and most other bugs, which is why “heat until steaming” solves so many of these questions.
For the full picture, see our pregnancy safety guide, and track your pregnancy with the How Far Along Am I? calculator and the week-by-week guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you have honey while pregnant?
- Yes — honey is safe in pregnancy. The botulism warning is for babies under 1, not for you. People mix up two pieces of advice. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism — but that risk is specific to babies under 12 months, whose gut can't yet handle the spores. A pregnant person's mature digestive system deals with those spores without any problem, and they don't reach or affect the baby. So honey in your tea, on toast, or in cooking is completely fine in pregnancy. (You'll just need to remember not to give honey to your baby until after their first birthday.) The only general note is that honey is sugar, so account for it if you have gestational diabetes.
- Why is honey considered safe in pregnancy?
- People mix up two pieces of advice. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism — but that risk is specific to babies under 12 months, whose gut can't yet handle the spores. A pregnant person's mature digestive system deals with those spores without any problem, and they don't reach or affect the baby. So honey in your tea, on toast, or in cooking is completely fine in pregnancy. (You'll just need to remember not to give honey to your baby until after their first birthday.) The only general note is that honey is sugar, so account for it if you have gestational diabetes.
- When should I avoid honey during pregnancy?
- No need to avoid it during pregnancy. The under-1 rule applies only after the baby is born.