Until the age of six months, breast milk is the ideal food for the baby. It is more than enough to satisfy the child’s needs in food and water. It contains a complete set of vitamins and mineral elements needed by a growing body. And only from 6 months, on the recommendation of WHO, complementary foods are introduced into the baby's diet: vegetables, cereals, meat, dairy products and yolk. And then parents have a lot of questions regarding what age to add an egg to the menu, which is better to choose (chicken or quail), how often it should be done, etc. In this article we will talk about how to give a child a yolk and how It is useful for baby. In addition, we answer all the questions identified above.
What is useful egg yolk for a child?
This product is a valuable source of fats and fat-soluble vitamins and it must be present in the diet of children who are already 6 months old. But why exactly the egg yolk?
The fact is that protein is a strong allergen, therefore, it can cause harm to the child. At the same time, the composition of the egg yolk includes much more nutrients, vitamins (A, D, PP, E, Group B), minerals (iodine, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron), amino acids. With its regular use, it is possible to establish a metabolism, improve vision and stabilize the nervous system.
Egg yolk contains the substance lecithin, which prevents the occurrence of liver diseases, as well as carotenoids, which are responsible for visual acuity. With the breakdown of lecithins in the small intestine, an organic compound is formed, choline, which protects cells from destruction. The absence of this element in the body leads to the deposition of fat in the liver, kidney damage and bleeding.
Unlike protein, the yolk is very rarely allergic. Most often, it manifests itself in the form of redness on the skin and digestive disorders. In this case, the product should be excluded for some time from the diet of the child.
How many months can a yolk be given to a child?
Today, with the introduction of complementary foods, pediatricians are guided by the recommendations and guidelines developed by the World Health Organization. When the baby is 6 months old, the family doctor should advise the mother how much to give the yolk to the child, and how to do it correctly so as not to cause disruptions in the digestive system.
According to modern standards, egg yolk should be introduced into the diet from 7 months. If the baby is completely breastfed and has a tendency to allergic reactions, then it is recommended that acquaintance with this product be completely postponed until 8-9 months.
Do not rush with complementary foods and enter the yolk on the menu before six months of age. But some grandmothers may insist that the baby try this product as early as 4 months, as it was 20-30 years ago. In fact, the yolk contains 23% of fats, which can further negatively affect the work of the liver in adulthood.
Which eggs are better for feeding?
It is believed that quail eggs have a more useful qualitative composition compared to chicken and less likely to cause allergic reactions in the child. Such a yolk contains more essential amino acids. Otherwise, both chicken and quail eggs are equally useful. They contain an equally high amount of fat, so you should enter them with caution.
The important point is that giving the child a yolk, like any other product, should be given in small doses. Exceeding them can have unpleasant consequences for the baby.
How to cook chicken and quail eggs?
Food preparation is an important step in the first feeding. You need to know how to cook after boiling eggs soft-boiled and hard-boiled and in what form to give them to the child, so as not to harm.
For starters, both chicken and quail eggs must be washed thoroughly with soda before cooking. Then they should be lowered into a pot with cold water, add a pinch of salt and put on medium heat. Boil eggs 10 minutes after boiling. After that, they are transferred to cold water. Such a manipulation will subsequently allow them to quickly clear their shells.
As for how to cook quail eggs for a child, then this can be done even faster. It is enough to cook them only 5 minutes after boiling, then cool and remove the shell. For feeding, only fresh products should be used. Cook eggs for the baby immediately before feeding.
How to give a baby yolk for the first time?
Acquaintance of crumbs with eggs occurs after he tried vegetables (a source of fiber) and cereals (a source of carbohydrates). But this does not mean that the baby can immediately be given a whole yolk. Feeding should be introduced gradually, starting with the minimum doses.
The boiled egg is cut in half, and then the yolk is removed. It is important to try not to capture even the smallest part of the protein. For the first feeding, it is enough to give the baby a quarter of a teaspoon of yolk. Most children refuse to taste the yolk in its purest form. That is why it is recommended to mix it with breast milk or vegetable puree with which the child is already familiar. Gradually, the amount of yolk eaten is increased to the norm by age. This product should be given to the child every other day, and with a tendency to constipation - no more than twice a week.
Norms for children of the first year of life
The first lure always starts with small doses. As for the question of how to give the child a yolk, literally one crumb the size of a match head will be enough to get acquainted with the new product. Further, the egg should be offered to the child, taking into account his age and type of feeding (breast and artificial).
For children who use the mixture instead of breast milk, complementary foods are introduced 1-2 months earlier. For example, the acquaintance of crumbs, which is on artificial feeding, with the yolk begins at 7 months, and infants - at 9 months. The first month will be enough to give ¼ part in a day, gradually increasing the rate to ½ or half of the yolk.
Quail eggs can be used for the first feeding instead of chicken. To begin with, a child will have ½ yolk for a month. Gradually, by the year of the child, the norm should be brought to the whole egg. One-year-olds are given both yolk and protein at the same time.
Can I give my child raw eggs?
For the first feeding, only fresh, carefully processed soda and hard-boiled eggs are suitable for the baby. The use of raw egg yolks is strictly prohibited. They are not only poorly absorbed by the fragile children's body, but also carry the risk of contracting a dangerous disease - salmonellosis. The risk of catching quail eggs is much lower, but they cannot be eaten raw for up to a year. If the parents want to give the child a raw yolk, then it is better to do this when the baby is 3 years old. In this case, the eggs should be thoroughly washed and processed before eating.
Egg Yolk Recipes
Few children like the taste of egg yolk. Therefore, it is better to introduce this product as complementary foods as part of other dishes (vegetable, fruit puree, cereal, etc.). The yolks should be well cooked for at least 10 minutes. Therefore, to begin with, you need to study the question of how much after boiling, cook soft-boiled and hard-boiled eggs.
So, for cooking carrot puree you will need: 100 g carrots, breast or cow milk (25 ml), 3 g butter, ½ quail egg. First you need to peel the carrots, cut into circles and cook until cooked. It will take 10-15 minutes. Transfer the warm carrots to a glass, add butter, milk, yolk, and then thoroughly beat all the ingredients with a blender. Such a dish can be offered to the baby only after he gets acquainted with carrot puree separately.
To prepare a vegetable soup with yolk, you need to cook a young zucchini (70 g) and 30 g of carrots. Add 75 ml or more breast milk or a mixture to the vegetables and ¼ part of the yolk of the chicken egg. Grind the soup to a smooth consistency and offer the baby for lunch.