Before the age of twelve months, a child's intestinal track is not mature enough to inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum, which is often found in honey. No honey, in any form, should be given to babies younger than one. High nitrate foods and water should be avoided. Nitrates in foods can turn to nitrites under inappropriate storage and handling conditions. Beets, carrots, spinach, collard greens, turnips and squash should not be home prepared and served to baby.
Nitrites can compete with oxygen in the blood, leading to a condition called methemoglobinemia.
This condition can be as serious as to cause asphyxiation in babies. Commercially prepared baby foods do not pose the problem because the produce is purchased from low- nitrate areas and the food is processed into baby food so quickly that the nitrate does not have time to convert to the dangerous nitrite. If you live in a rural area where high nitrogen fertilizers are used, you may wish to use bottled water for the first eight to ten months of your baby's life. Other foods can cause just as serious a hazard, but their consequences build over time, so that the danger in them is harder to identify and avoid. These foods are the ones that are poor nutritional choices that can lead to disease or obesity, perhaps shortening the life of your child, or negatively impacting the quality of their life.