Introducing your baby to eggs
With high protein content and numerous essential vitamins, eggs are a reasonable way to improve your baby's diet. Rich in choline, which is another important nutrient that plays an active role in brain development, eggs are indeed fundamental to a child's growth.
And yet, what was once a safe option now comes with its own risk. The recent years have seen more and more people being prone to egg allergy. This is when the body considers the egg proteins as foreign bodies and starts attacking them with chemicals. It is these chemicals that cause an allergic reaction, which can range from just a mild rash to more fatal conditions such as anaphylaxis where the body goes into shock. While chances of children outgrowing the condition by the time they are 16 is quite high, being allergic to eggs during childhood means that they will lose out on important nutrition during their prime development years.
WHEN TO INTRODUCE YOUR BABY TO EGGS
Introducing eggs early to your baby's diet can actually help lower their chances of developing an egg allergy. While starting between six months to one year is ideal, eggs should be added as soon as your child starts eating solid food. Start small, possibly with the egg yolk since the egg whites contain the proteins that might result in egg allergy. Make sure you ask a doctor beforehand, specifically if your family has a history of egg allergy. Instead of giving whole eggs at one go, first add a little and monitor them for any side effects. If you see any, immediately consult a doctor.
HOW TO INTRODUCE IT?
A basic method to do this is by mashing a hard-cooked whole egg and mixing it with breast milk, infant formula or water. Your baby's immune system is still developing and thus is much weaker than yours. So, it is necessary to always ensure that the eggs are properly cooked to avoid food-borne diseases.
Alternatively, there are always a few more flavoursome egg food ideas that you can try out, especially if your baby is fussy with food. You can use vegetables such as peas and carrots which are full of vitamins and minerals, or fruits such as bananas. Peel and dice these, and boil them until they are very tender. Then mash them and let cool, whisking the egg into the mixture. Cook the mixture thoroughly over a pan with medium heat until the eggs are scrambled. Then let the mixture cool before feeding it to your baby.
By Adiba Mahbub Proma
Photo: LS Archive
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