Newborn

Weaning and egg: useful tips and easy recipes

The egg is a fundamental food in the feeding of the child . It contains, like many other foods, important nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats) but what makes the egg a superior food is the quality and concentration of some of them.
In fact, the egg contains more iron than chicken, more zinc than fish and liver, more calcium than fish, liver, chicken and beef.

There are many clichés around the egg and for this reason its consumption is often limited, but it should be said instead that the egg has many advantages especially for a growing child. For example, rich in vitamins A, D, group B vitamins and folic acid, very important for the nervous system of the child and also for pregnant women.

When to introduce the egg

Pediatricians recommend introducing the egg in two stages. We start with the yolk, which can be given around 9 months, to then introduce the albumen around 12 months. However, if the child has already shown allergies, it is good to hear from the allergist who will evaluate when to introduce this food into the children’s diet.

However, according to recent studies, the late introduction of the egg into the child’s diet would not seem necessary, because it would not exclude the onset of allergies. Indeed, it is stated that to protect children from these problems, an early introduction of foods containing allergens would be useful.

However, being a very delicate topic, I invite you, if interested, to inform yourself on the subject not only on the internet ( an interesting read here ) but above all from your pediatrician.

How to introduce the egg

The egg is usually introduced gradually and must certainly be cooked.  At the beginning we proceed with tastings and small quantities. A quarter of a cooked yolk is added to simple dishes such as baby food, vegetable puree or soup for lunch. If the child tolerates it well, the next time another quarter is added and so on until all the yolk is added. The same is done with white. If the egg has been well tolerated, from then on the egg can be given two or three times a week or as advised by the pediatrician.

While introducing the egg for the first time (as in all cases in which a food that can cause allergic problems is introduced) it is advisable not to add any other new food . This is important because if the child had reactions, the culprit would be immediately identifiable.

At the beginning the child, eating the cooked egg mixed with the baby food , will not notice that he is tasting a new food. Then as he grows, he will begin to enjoy this new food in its various preparations: hard-boiled, scrambled, soft-boiled, poached, in omelettes and, after 2 years, also fried.

It is recommended to have the egg at lunch and not at dinner because, although its digestibility is on average good (it varies according to the type of cooking), it could be a bit heavy for the child.

Egg safety and condition

In addition to being nutritious, the egg is a very delicate food and for this reason it should be given to the child only if it is safe. When buying eggs, for example, it is advisable to discard eggs that are not well preserved, those that are not labeled and those that do not have a stamped shell, because this prevents us from knowing their origin. Avoid buying dirty or broken eggs and once you get home, keep them in the refrigerator in the place reserved for them. If you have doubts about its freshness, you can immerse the egg in water: if it sinks it is fresh, if it floats it is not.

Weaning and egg: tips and recipes

The egg is an extremely versatile food. It can be prepared in many ways and you will certainly find your own personal way to cook it and your children to eat it with gusto. But enough with the chatter and let’s move on to some useful information on how to cook eggs and some simple recipes suitable for weaning and beyond.

Boiled egg

Crushed, crumbled, blended, hard-boiled eggs are the perfect way to introduce eggs into baby weaning. But how do you cook a hard-boiled egg really well? When should you put it in the water? For how many minutes? Here you can find →   all about cooking boiled egg.


Small pasta with crumbled hard-boiled egg

Once you have learned how to make hard-boiled eggs well, prepare your usual baby food, soup or pasta, mash the boiled egg yolk well and mix it together. Season and serve as usual.


Stracciatella-type soup

Another way to prepare the egg is to cook it directly in the broth or in the vegetable puree together with the pasta. At the beginning, only the yolk is added (this is done halfway through cooking), then when it’s time to add the white too, you can prepare a good stracciatella by cooking the white and beaten yolk with a little Parmesan.
Recipe here→ pasta-in-broth-with-egg


Soft-boiled egg

The soft-boiled egg is perhaps the lightest way to cook it and many pediatricians recommend this type of cooking. But it’s not always easy to get perfect soft-boiled cooking. Here are some suggestions for → preparing soft-boiled eggs


First steamed omelette

Among the first courses with egg that can be prepared for children, there is also the omelette. But since in the early days it’s better to avoid fried foods, here’s a good and delicate steamed omelette.
Recipe → steamed omelette


Vegetable omelettes

When you then go on to cook real omelettes, here’s how you can prepare omelettes with vegetables.
Recipe→ Omelette with vegetables


If after introducing the egg you realize that your child has had some reactions and you have to eliminate the egg in the diet (perhaps even temporarily), I recommend this reading → How to replace eggs  in recipes for children

Recommendation.  What is written about the egg and its introduction into the child’s diet  is valid as general information  and not in the specific case. I remind you that it is always advisable  to consult the pediatrician  and follow his prescriptions regarding the introduction of foods and any foods that could pose an allergy risk for the child.

 

Dr Kathryn Barlow

Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.

Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.

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