Honey contains spores of c. botulinum, which germinate into bacteria and release neurotoxins in the gut. This causes a sickness called Infant Botulism. And yes, raw honey is a lot more likely to contain the bacteria spores than regular honey.

Is Infant Botulism really that bad?
In severe cases, it can lead to difficulty breathing, paralysis, and between 5 and 10% of cases are fatal. There is no specific cure for the disease itself.

However, the risks are pretty low. It is very rare. Interestingly, the disease is almost exclusive to the United States, and barely seen in Europe. I write about why, in my article, as well as about other causes, calculated risks and why you shouldn't feed your baby honey anyway.

It was a genuinely interesting rabbit hole, read it here: Really, No Honey for Babies?

The Book Recommendations for Parents page has now been updated to include a total of 24 noscripts.

The categories are Health & Nutrition, Home-School, Parenting and Pregnancy.

View all here.

Baby's first ice cream 🍦

Kids pre-writing shapes, developmental expectation

Diet for keeping baby's parents healthy during mothers pregnancy, through baby's growing years and beyond - should start before conception. (Personally I don't agree with supplementing CLO)

Parents don't want to hear this, but the most rewarding path for your child is the one that requires the most effort.

- Cooking nutritious homemade meals always beats fast food.
- Choosing not to put on cartoons, even when tired after a whole day.
- Thoughtfully considering your choice of their toys.
- Teaching them early instead of waiting for them to magically learn by themselves.

And, most importantly, giving your full attention when taking care of your baby, (rather than half-watching them while browsing social media on your phone), provides them the attention they need.

If there was ever a video to promote home-schooling, it’s this one.

A few years ago there was a viral video, where a man talked to jars of rice; he told one he loved it, ignored one, and told one he hated it. You can see the results on the video. I haven't done this myself (maybe a fun experiment to do with the kids?) But I definitely know that vibrations that come with our words and intentions affect us and change us on a molecular level. Imagine the rice as people, as our children, and all our words affecting them to their physical core. https://youtu.be/zvShgttIq7I?si=0dkWwRBrxnZTCSNO

Recommended amount of time to spend on homeschooling per day. A lot less time is required with focused learning at home than in a public school classroom.

A Yakutsk child in a winter coat.

Some parents in the pre-war 20th century put their babies in "window cribs" that hung out the window to give them fresh air.

The child and toddler attention spectrum: any attention is considered a reward by the psyche. Understanding this can resolve a lot of your child's behavioural issues and can also prevent attachment disorders (aka daddy issues) in their older years.

Who's in the wrong here?