Exciting, if you have ended up here you must have a little one starting their solids journey, which has got you thinking about eggs for baby, when can they have them?, are they safe for my baby? How do I cook them?
I'll take you through the current guidelines and evidence to give you the confidence to introduce eggs to your little one.
Introducing eggs to baby
Parents can be worried about introducing eggs to their baby as egg allergy is one of the most common infant food allergies. Global data suggest 0.5-2.5% of young children will have an egg allergy (Tan 2013).
However, the current advice is that the introduction of egg should not be delayed as delaying the introduction has actually been shown to increase the chance of developing food allergy (ASCIA).
The current recommendation is to introduce egg by 12 months, and to continue to give egg regularly (twice a week) to your young child. ASCIA (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) have a great information sheet on this for parents (Introducing Solid Foods- ASCIA resource)
I am based in New Zealand which is why I refer to the ASCIA food allergy guidelines as these are the guidelines used across Australia and New Zealand. However these guidelines are similar to others around the world, which also reccomend not delaying the introduction of egg to your babies diet.
I will link them below so you can read up on your own countries guidelines.
However if f you are ever in doubt check with your health care professional before giving egg to your baby.
How to introduce egg to your baby
Eggs are one of the common allergy foods, the others include: peanut, cow’s milk (dairy), tree nuts (such as cashew or almond paste), soy, sesame, wheat, fish, and other seafood.
Introducing any of the common allergy foods should be done one at a time, this is so that if there is an allergic reaction the problem food can be easily identified.
I will explain this a little further. On your baby's journey to eating solids you might first expose them to egg, you would do this for a few days and if you see no allergic reactions you would move on to add another of the common allergy foods to their diet.
If you did see an allergic reaction you should stop giving your child egg and seek medical advice.
If your baby shows no allergic reaction to the introduction of eg,g continue, to give the egg to your baby regularly, as part of a varied diet. There is some evidence that trying a food once and then not having it in the diet regularly could increase the risk of a food allergy developing.
Introducing the common allergy foods like this makes for a much simpler journey than if you had given your baby a mixed food such as a muffin as one of their first foods, if your baby had an allergic reaction you would not be able to easily determine the problem ingredient, (egg, dairy, wheat are all common ingredients in muffins).
How to prepare egg for your baby
The egg should be well cooked. One of the simplest ways to introduce eggs to baby is to hard boil an egg, peel and then mash the egg with a little breast milk, formula or water. This can be spoon-fed to baby or spread on a finger food baby is safely managing such as toast fingers.
This is of course only one way to prepare eggs, below I've put together a collection of egg recipes that are great for babies and toddlers.
What age can babies have egg?
The current advice from ASCIA and other professional bodies around the world is that babies can be introduced to eggs from an age that they can safely start solids and they should be introduced to eggs before the age of 12 months.
How to introduce egg to your baby?
A simple way to introduce eggs to baby is to hard boil an egg, peel, and then mash the egg with a little milk, breast milk, or formula. This can be spoon-fed to the baby or spread on a finger food baby is safely managing such as toast fingers.
A collection of easy egg recipes suitable for babies and toddlers
Baby Custard
A no added sugar egg custard recipe suitable for babies
Eggy Bread
Eggy bread or baby french toast is an easy-to-eat egg recipe for babies who are baby-led weaning or have started finger foods.
Egg Waffles
These egg waffles are easy to make, and easy for little hands to hold, you can cook them soft or crispy and are suitable for babies managing finger foods.
Well Egg yolks make a wonderful first food for babies. They contain an easily absorbable iron (heme iron) that babies start to require more of around the time solids are introduced. So make some soft or hard boiled eggs, allow to cool, cut the white away and break the yolk apart and allow your baby to eat the yolk.
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.
Ideally peanut-containing products should be introduced to these babies as early as 4 to 6 months. It is strongly advised that these babies have an allergy evaluation or allergy testing prior to trying any peanut-containing product.
To do this, introduce your child to eggs on day one. Then wait four days before adding anything new to their diet. If you notice any allergic reaction or other sensitivity, contact your child's pediatrician. A good first place to start with introducing eggs is with the yolks only.
Cheese can form part of a healthy, balanced diet for babies and young children, and provides calcium, protein and vitamins. Babies can eat pasteurised full-fat cheese from 6 months old. This includes hard cheeses, such as mild cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and cream cheese.
Milk itself is also a good source of vitamin D, as it is added to the milk we buy. You can introduce yogurt and cheese once your baby is six months old, as long as they continue to eat a variety of iron-rich foods. Let your baby enjoy the taste of plain unsweetened yogurt, or add fresh, canned or frozen fruit.
At about eight months, you may want to introduce foods that are slightly coarser than strained pureed foods. They require more chewing than baby foods. You can expand your baby's diet to include soft foods such as yogurt, oatmeal, mashed banana, mashed potatoes, or even thicker or lumpy pureed vegetables.
While butter might not be among the very first foods you debut on the high chair tray — and you'll probably want to serve it on something, rather than as a solo pat — kids should be developmentally ready for it at 6 months old and beyond.
Blend a hard-boiled egg with breast milk, baby formula or water until the consistency is as desired.Serve puree to your baby on a spoon. You could also mash a hard-boiled egg with breast milk, formula or water and serve it mixed into infant cereal or oatmeal and feed to your baby.
It's a good idea to wait until around 6 months before introducing solid foods because: breast milk or first infant formula provide the energy and nutrients your baby needs until they're around 6 months old (with the exception of vitamin D in some cases)
Your baby can eat meat that has been pureed to a very thin, smooth consistency as soon as they start eating solid food, usually around 6 months old. It doesn't matter whether you introduce beef, poultry, or another type of meat first. Some babies don't like meat as much as fruits and vegetables, which tend to be sweet.
Solid foods may be introduced in any order. However, puréed meats, poultry, beans and iron-fortified cereals are recommended as first foods, especially if your baby has been primarily breastfed, since they provide key nutrients. Only one new single-ingredient food should be introduced at a time.
One common question is how old babies need to be to eat eggs. You can introduce eggs to your baby around the same time you introduce solid foods, which is around 6 months old.
If your baby uses a palmer grasp (usually up until about 9 months of age) cut hard-boiled eggs into pieces about the size of a pinky finger (about ½ inch wide, ½ inch deep, and a few inches long). If the baby is using a pincer grasp, (usually develops at around 9 months) cut hard-boiled eggs into chickpea-sized bites.
Babies can have eggs from around 6 months. If the eggs are hens' eggs and they have a red lion stamped on them, or you see a red lion with the words "British Lion Quality" on the box, it's fine for your baby to have them raw (for example, in homemade mayonnaise) or lightly cooked.
Eating a small amount of egg a few times a week can help maintain an infant's tolerance to eggs and actually help prevent allergy. Here is my baby's first time eating egg at 6 months of age: You can see him exploring, squishing, touching and eating a tiny bit. That's okay and totally part of the learning process.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
