Baby first food egg yolk

When babies can eat eggs and 4 other baby foods to introduce

Out with the old, in with the new! New parents may be curious about what to feed their babies — and when do it. When can babies eat eggs? Are avocados safe? How much should my baby eat?

White rice cereal is out, peanut butter oatmeal is in. Store-bought baby-food carrots are out, homemade organic kale puree is in. The list goes on and on.

Parents are also wary of packaged baby food after a report suggested some may contain dangerous levels of toxic metals.

But what foods can babies eat without worry? When making your own baby food, what should you serve? How do you know what to feed your 6-month-old?

Best food for babies

Here are my top five recommendations for what to feed your baby, and two foods to avoid.

Avocados

It’s not only trendy to start avocado as a first food; it’s also extremely healthy. Avocados are high in potassium, fiber, and healthy monounsaturated fats, which are good for hearts of all ages. You can puree or fork-mash a bit of avocado and offer your baby a small spoonful. Have the camera ready as you may get a funny face the first few times you offer it! Keep trying. She or he will eventually take to it. Around 8 or 9 months of age, diced pieces of avocado are fun for her to pick up, smash, and self-feed. My 1-year-old son loves pieces of avocado with scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Fish

Many kids and adults dislike fish because they didn’t get used to eating it as an infant. The oils in fatty fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are extremely valuable for brain and eye development, and infants are growing big, fatty brains! Fish is also a great natural source of protein and contains vitamin D—a vitamin that most kids need more of. Salmon is definitely the most important and healthiest fish to feed infants and toddlers. It’s also low in mercury (compared to other fish).

Remember to thoroughly cook all fish. It’s perfectly fine to lightly season it so your whole family can enjoy. Initially, puree then fork-mash for your baby. You can add a little moisture with water, breast milk, or organic chicken or vegetable broth, if needed. At 7 months, my son loved his salmon mixed with pureed sweet potatoes. As your infant begins self-feeding, just break the salmon into tiny pieces and let him self-feed. Be careful to ensure there are no hidden fish bones, as even a tiny bone can be a potentially dangerous choking hazard for an infant.

Nut butter

More and more research is demonstrating the importance of introducing nut products early and frequently to prevent nut allergies in children. One study showed that introducing peanut products as early as 4 to 6 months to high-risk infants dramatically decreased the chance that they would later develop a peanut allergy.

Please note: Parents should talk with their pediatricians about exactly when and how to give peanut products, experts say, especially if babies have eczema, which may put them at higher risk for developing a peanut allergy.

Once cleared, however, nut butters are delicious, healthy, and convenient. Nutrient-wise, they offer vegetarian protein, vitamin E, and healthy monounsaturated fats.

So, how exactly do you introduce peanut products to your 6-month-old? Consult with your pediatrician, first. If you get the go-ahead, peanut butter oatmeal is my favorite way. I like to melt one teaspoon of creamy peanut butter (choose one with only peanuts, no sugar!) into one ounce of baby whole-grain oatmeal, making sure the mixture isn’t too sticky and thick.

Around 8 months, you can start introducing creamy nut butter by itself, in an extremely thin layer, on either your finger or a spoon to lick off. Once your baby is self-feeding, you can spread a very thin layer on thinly sliced whole-grain bread, cut into tiny pieces, and observe as he picks them up and self-feeds. Sticky and fun!

Eggs

Eggs are a perfect single-ingredient food. Easy to prepare, they are a convenient and healthy source of protein, fat, and other nutrients such as biotin and iron, which are important for growth and a healthy body. Eggs are a top source of protein for children and are easy to make and serve. You can give your baby the entire egg (yolk and white), if your pediatrician recommends it.

Around 6 months, puree or mash one hard-boiled or scrambled egg and serve it to your baby. For a more liquid consistency, add breast milk or water. Around 8 months, scrambled egg pieces are a fantastic finger food. I even make a few ahead of time, keep them in the fridge and just reheat in the microwave for a fast and easy breakfast (or anytime) option for all ages.

Green Vegetables

Green veggies have almost every vitamin and mineral you can think of. People who eat green vegetables are linked with lower disease rates and a healthier weight. Calorie for calorie, leaf for leaf, deep dark greens such as kale, Swiss chard and spinach pack more nutrition than any other food.

Simply steam or boil, and then puree. Peas, green beans, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus are especially easy to steam (or boil) and then puree, fork-mash or cut into tiny pieces. When you introduce green veggies around 6 months of age and continue offering them regularly, your infant will grow into a toddler and older child who loves green veggies and eats them often.

Foods to avoid giving babies

White rice cereal

For years white rice cereal was recommended as the first food for baby. But there’s little protein, no fiber, and no flavor, and it simply primes young palates for a lifetime of eating white carbs. Yes, it has iron and zinc, but we now know that meat is a better early source of iron for babies. I’m recommending tossing the white rice cereal in favor of other whole foods as the first solid food that your baby tastes.

If you do choose to give your baby infant cereal, chose brown over white options: They are more nutritious, and they get your infant used to the taste of whole grains. Try brown rice, oatmeal (with peanut butter or fresh fruit) or quinoa.

Juice

During my residency at UCLA, one of the most common questions I was asked was, “When can I give my baby juice?”

Maybe it was a sign of the times or maybe it was the patient population, but my answer was always, “Never. ” Even diluted juice only gets infants used to the taste of sweet beverages. And 100% fruit juice contains no fiber, so it's not a substitute for fresh whole fruit.

What’s a better beverage for infants to drink (other than breast milk and/or formula)? Water! Start your baby on sips of plain water around 6 months of age. Babies that drink water grow into toddlers and children who drink water. That’s a healthy habit for life!

This story was originally published in 2016 and has been updated.

Egg Yolk, The Perfect First Food for Baby

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When I had my first born, like many new mothers, I was overwhelmed and though I purposefully thought twice about many things, what to feed my son as his first food was not one of them. I was duped into the train of thought that a grain cereal, like rice or oat was the way to go.

By the time my daughter was born I had done my research and when she was ready to start eating solids at nine months, we started with some homemade vegetable purees. Though not a bad first choice, I now know that there is something better, which leads me to my third child, who started on his journey with food this morning. Enter the egg yolk.

Before getting into the whys, let me start by explaining some things. First, breast milk by far contains more nutrients and brain building substances than any solid food, so I don’t recommend starting solids until a baby is fully ready. I also believe that breast milk should be the main source of ‘food’ for a child’s first year of life and that the longer a child is nursed, the better off he or she is as far as receiving the benefits from the wonders of human milk. Second, we all do the best we can with the information that we have, so though I wish I had never given my firstborn ~~junk in a box~~, rice cereal, I do not beat myself up about the choice that I made.

WHY NOT RICE CEREAL?

Any form of grain-based infant cereal should be avoided. “When flour is refined to make cereal, the most nutritious part of the grain is removed, so the flour essentially becomes a form of sugar”(Mercola).

According to Dr. Mercola, the Weston A Price Foundation, and many leading experts in the alternative health fields, “Feeding infants cereal has been associated with an increased risk of type 1 diabetes and may prime your baby’s appetite for a lifetime of processed carbs in the form of white bread, cookies and cakes. A diet based on these types of refined carbs is responsible for many bulging stomachs and fat rolls in thighs and chins, and even worse, high insulin levels that lead to diabetes and suppress two other important hormones — glucagons and growth hormones — that are responsible for burning fat and sugar and promoting muscle development, respectively. Insulin from excess carbohydrates promotes fat, and then wards off your body’s ability to lose that fat. Excess weight and obesity not only lead to heart disease but also a wide variety of other diseases later in life”(Mercola).

In addition, a baby’s digestive system is immature and does not produce a sufficient amount of the enzyme required to break down the carbohydrates of the grains (Nourishing Traditions).

WHY EGG YOLK?

Egg yolks supply essential nutrients important for the development of the brain, as they are rich in choline, good cholesterol and iron.

“Egg yolk supplies cholesterol needed for mental development as well as important sulphur-containing amino acids. Egg yolks from pasture-fed hens or hens raised on flax meal, fish meal or insects are also rich in the omega-3 long-chain fatty acids found in mother’s milk but which may be lacking in cow’s milk. These fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain. Parents who institute the practice of feeding egg yolk to baby will be rewarded with children who speak and take directions at an early age. The white, which contains difficult-to-digest proteins, should not be given before the age of one year. Small amounts of grated, raw organic liver may be added occasionally to the egg yolk after six months. This imitates the practice of African mothers who chew liver before giving it to their infants as their first food. Liver is rich in iron, the one mineral that tends to be low in mother’s milk possibly because iron competes with zinc for absorption” (Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD).

HOW TO PREPARE THE EGG

What you need:

1 Farm fresh, free range, organic egg. It is super important to make sure that the eggs you use come from healthy chickens on a grass fed diet. See more about this here: Drugs pumped into supermarket chickens.

1 pot of boiling water

optional – 1/2 teaspoon grated, frozen liver (frozen for at least 14 days)

How to cook a soft boiled egg:

Bring the water to a boil, place the egg in the water and set a timer for 4 1/2 minutes (time will vary depending on altitude). When the 4 1/2 minutes are up, take out the egg and run it under cold water so as not to burn your hands when peeling. Peel the egg and separate the egg white from the yolk, which will still be runny. Make sure that there is no white on the yolk. Grate the liver on top if so desired (as recommended by the Weston A. Price Foundation).

Feeding Baby:

The egg yolk is very rich, so do not give the whole yolk to the baby during his/her first time trying it. Start with one baby spoonful and increase by one spoonful each day until the baby works up to eating the whole yolk.

Yes, he likes it!

RECOMMENDED READING*: Nourishing Traditions and The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Childcare

Works Cited

Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD. Nourishing Traditions. Washington D.C. New Trends Publishing. 1999.

Mercola. Get White Rice Out of Baby’s First Foods. December 2010. Web.

Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, PhD. Feeding Babies. December 2001. Web.

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*Author’s Note: I often share products that I love and use with my own family. When applicable, I link it to my affiliate status with Amazon as a way to make a few dollars to help keep this website running. Thank you for purchasing through my links!

Baby yolk - when to introduce complementary foods, what is useful

At the age of 7 months, a new product appears in the baby's diet - an egg, or rather, an egg yolk. It is unique, because in its small volume essential fatty acids (necessary for the development of the nervous system, for the regulation of metabolism), many trace elements (iron, zinc, iodine, potassium, phosphorus, manganese) and vitamins, including such an important and the right vitamin D.

However, for all their value, chicken eggs (especially protein) are one of the leaders in the sad list of foods that cause food allergies. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce them into the diet, but this must be done carefully:

Talk to your pediatrician about the best age for your baby to be introduced to a new complementary food. Usually, the yolk is recommended to be introduced into the diet from 7 months. But, perhaps, having assessed the state of health of the baby, the pediatrician will offer to introduce it a little later.

Do not give protein. It is protein that most often causes allergies, and therefore it is not worth giving whole eggs right away. This also applies to egg dishes (for example, omelettes). They are offered to children after a year or a year and a half (if allergic reactions have previously occurred).

Hard boil. Babies can only be given hard-boiled eggs. This reduces the risk of getting sick with salmonellosis and at the same time slightly reduces the potential allergenicity of the product.

Benefits of egg yolk

Egg yolk is easy to digest, contains many vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy development and rapid growth of the baby. Among them:

vitamin A - to strengthen the immune system, growth of bone tissue and hair, visual acuity;

B vitamins (thiamine - B1 and riboflavin - B2) - for the development of the nervous system, maintaining carbohydrate metabolism and metabolism in general;

vitamin D - for the prevention of rickets and strengthening of bone tissue, as well as for the regulation of metabolic processes;

vitamin E - to prevent anemia, improve tissue regeneration and growth;

vitamin K - to regulate blood clotting, bone formation;

iodine - for the health of the thyroid gland, the full development of the brain and the entire nervous system, the maintenance of immune functions;

polyunsaturated fatty acids - for the functioning of the immune and nervous systems;

Lecithin - to regulate metabolism, brain development, liver cell growth;

iron, phosphorus, potassium - to strengthen the immune system, prevent anemia, rapid growth.

In the first year of life, the child should receive enough nutrients, minerals, vitamins with food. Egg yolks are rich in them, so it is very important that they appear in the baby's diet on time.

When and how to introduce the yolk into complementary foods

According to the National Program for Optimizing the Feeding of Infants in the First Year of Life in the Russian Federation, the yolk appears in the baby's diet at seven months, but sometimes it is introduced at a later age. It depends on how the introduction of complementary foods goes in general, how the child reacts to new products. For example, if he is prone to food allergies, he may need more time to adapt to a new diet.

By the time the egg yolk appears in the diet, the baby should already be familiar with vegetable and fruit purees, dairy-free cereals. At 6–7 months, meat is also introduced and sometimes cereals from previously unfamiliar cereals or milk (usually by six months the child is already familiar with several types of cereals). In order not to provoke a food allergy and control the reaction to complementary foods, it is important to introduce new foods one at a time.

There are several rules that are important to follow when introducing yolk into the diet:

For the first few times, give your baby a new food in the morning so that reactions can be assessed throughout the day.

The yolk should be given starting with a small amount - just a few crumbs. If there are no negative reactions, in 3-4 days you can bring the volume up to ¼.

Powdered product can be added to porridge or vegetable puree for a more familiar taste.

· The yolk can only be given hard-boiled. You don't need to use salt or sugar. It is enough to boil the egg, remove the yolk and knead it well to a puree-like consistency.

· Only fresh chicken or quail eggs can be used for feeding up to a year.

· If there are signs of allergy or intolerance (skin rash, itching, restless behavior, changes in stool), temporarily remove the product from the menu and consult a pediatrician.

If your baby doesn't like the taste, don't force him to eat. Try suggesting something new in a couple of days. It may take several attempts before the child tries the new product.

How many eggs can be given to a child

At first, the baby will eat only a few grains of the yolk. If everything goes well, you can gradually increase the portion, bringing it to half the yolk closer to the year (at the age of 8-12 months). The product can be given 2-3 times a week.

The diet of children older than 1 year includes not only the yolk of the egg, but also its protein part. Children are recommended to give 2-3 eggs per week, hard-boiled, added to casseroles, cheesecakes and other dishes, in the form of an omelette.

Which egg is better - chicken or quail

Quail eggs differ from chicken eggs in composition. They contain more magnesium and iron, as well as vitamin A, group B, PP. In particular, the content of vitamin B4 (choline) in a quail egg is twice as high. This element is necessary for cell growth, regulation of carbohydrate metabolism and absorption of fats.

It is best if the baby eats both types of eggs: chicken and quail. Such complementary foods have several rules:

Hen and quail eggs are introduced alternately at least 2 weeks apart.

· If there is no allergy, you can alternate chicken and quail eggs, giving them 2-3 times a week.

If you are allergic to a chicken egg, you can try to introduce quail eggs into your diet under the supervision of a doctor - perhaps there will be no allergic reaction to it.

When giving quail eggs to a child, their features are taken into account:

They are smaller in size, but despite this, their yolk is also introduced into the diet gradually - from a few grains to half.

· It is important to check that the eggs are accurately hard-boiled (usually only 2-3 minutes is sufficient).

When buying, please check the shelf life. The fresher the eggs, the better.

When egg yolk is included in the children's menu, it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner - for example, mixed with Heinz cereals, vegetable or meat purees.

Baby yolk - how and when to introduce complementary foods

Contents

1 Benefits of egg yolk
2 When to introduce egg yolk into the diet
3 How to introduce egg yolk into complementary foods
4 How to choose an egg

After six months, more and more new foods are added to the child's diet. The yolk for the baby is very important, as it contains the necessary trace elements that contribute to its growth and development. You need to introduce the egg gradually, adhering to certain rules. Before giving your child new foods, including egg yolk, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician. The doctor will be able to adjust the diet of the baby, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body and the tendency to allergic reactions.

Benefits of egg yolk

Most of the useful vitamins and microelements are concentrated in the yolk. At the same time, it is absorbed much easier than protein, which can be given to a child only after 1 year.

The beneficial properties of the yolk are due to the fact that it contains:

Vitamin A. It has a positive effect on vision, strengthens the immune system, and also helps to strengthen bone tissue and hair growth.
B vitamins (including B4 choline and B3 niacin). Strengthen the nervous system, normalize metabolism and normalize the amount of sugar in the blood.
Vitamin D. Rarely found in foods. It is usually synthesized by the skin under the influence of sunlight. Promotes the formation of the skeleton, prevents the development of rickets. Especially necessary in the winter season, when there is not enough sunlight.
Vitamin E. Helps to improve tissue regeneration due to increased blood clotting, useful for the prevention of anemia.
Vitamin K. Has a positive effect on blood clotting, is involved in the formation and restoration of bone tissue.
Lecithin. It is necessary for the transport of nutrients and vitamins to human organs; liver and brain cells are formed from it.

The product also contains large amounts of iodine, phosphorus, potassium and iron. As you know, these substances are important for strengthening the immune system, nervous and circulatory systems, as well as for the formation of the skeleton.

All this is necessary for the rapidly growing body of the baby in the first years of his life. Therefore, undoubtedly, the baby needs egg yolk for development.

When to introduce

Despite its beneficial properties, the product is an allergen and may cause reactions. Also, the yolk for babies is a very high-calorie food, which is hard to digest by a fragile body. There are WHO standards for when to start giving it to a healthy baby so as not to harm:

when breastfeeding - after 8 months;
with artificial - after 7 months.

Do not experiment and give the yolk to the baby earlier.

Important! The older generation, who raised children in other conditions and according to other principles, may advise starting complementary foods with this product from 3-4 months. But at this age, the baby's stomach does not yet have enzymes that can digest heavy food. In this way, you can cause serious disorders in the digestive system of the baby.

If you introduce the baby yolk into the diet a little later, this will not be a mistake. The best age for the first complementary foods is 8-9 months. It’s also not worth delaying too much, because the digestive system must “learn” to digest such foods, especially since the benefits of egg yolk are very great.

How to introduce the yolk into complementary foods

Before you start introducing the yolk into complementary foods, you need to introduce the child to lighter foods - cereals and vegetables. Given the possibility of allergic reactions in an 8-month-old child, it is necessary to start giving it gradually:

1st day - just a few grains.
Day 2 - Approximately 1/16 of the yolk.
Further increase the portion every day by 2 times to one half of the product.

Until 1 year of age, the maximum daily amount should not exceed 1/2 yolk. It is important to constantly monitor the reaction of the child to the product. If a rash or indigestion occurs, you must stop giving complementary foods. You can resume attempts in a couple of months, adhering to the same scheme.

An egg for a 7-month-old baby must be hard-boiled. Cooking time 10-13 minutes. This is enough to kill dangerous bacteria while preserving vitamins.

Egg yolk is ground and added to porridge, puree, breast milk or formula for better absorption. You can not start giving several unfamiliar products at once, otherwise it will be impossible to determine the nature of a likely allergic reaction. If the child has accepted the product well, in the future you can try it without adding it to other dishes.

Egg yolk, like meat, is best consumed in the morning - for breakfast or lunch. It is important to know how many times a week to give the yolk - 1-2 times will be enough. No need to overload the child's digestive system.

Often the baby refuses to eat the yolk, then you can delay the introduction or add a small amount to the dishes, so that the taste of the product is not too noticeable.

Important! In no case should you force the baby to eat what he does not like. This can cause a persistent aversion to the product.

How to choose an egg

It is believed that quail eggs are less likely to cause allergies. Therefore, you can use them as complementary foods instead of chicken. However, with the correct introduction of the yolk into the diet, chicken should not cause problems. If 8-9-month-old baby has an allergic reaction, you need to wait a couple of weeks and try a quail egg, also starting with a few grains.

Eggs for a baby should not be old, stale. It is advisable to use homemade and fresh to be sure of their quality. If they are bought in a store, you can check the freshness as follows: dip the egg into water and see how it behaves:

if the egg immediately drowned and lay on the bottom of the container, then it is fresh - no older than 1 week;
if it has surfaced, it should not be eaten even by adults, as this indicates that it has deteriorated;
if it did not drown completely and stood upright, then it should not be given to the baby because of the long shelf life.

Before you boil an egg for a baby, wash it thoroughly. When separating the yolk from the protein, you need to make sure that the protein particles do not get into the baby's food. Protein is a very heavy product for children under one year old.

Egg yolk, quail or chicken, is a very important part of a child's diet for successful development and growth.