Egg yolks at 4 mo.

[dee12h]

I was reading a book my nutritionist copied for me, and it recommended egg yolks as a first food, starting at 4 mo! (It didn't even recommend starting meats, fruits, veggies til 10mo.) It said it's REALLY good for their brains. You could even powder it & add to a bottle. It also said to add a little sea salt, bc salt is also really good for their brains. It said avoiding salt for babies is a myth. Don't use the egg whites bc that's the part that's hard to digest & could cause allergies until age 1. Then it also recommended bananas starting at 6 mo bc they have the necessary digestive enzyme in them to help them digest them. Thought that was interesting. I'm going to try it when he gets over his cold.

I forgot to say it should be boiled 1st! of course.

[Idahomom]

just checked my "super baby food" book and it says egg yolks at 7mo....just goes to show there's no "right" way or program.

[dee12h]

He also really recommended that book. I guess the point is they are healthy.

[Khalam's Mama]

I must say I was horrified reading your post as it is just so different from what is reccommended by the uk health professionals. Egg whites are the main allergen but some babies are allergic to the yolk too and in uk it is recommended no egg until 7months and no white until one if any atopic disease such as asthma or eczema(sp?) or allergies. Under 4months the gut is still open so food particles can pass to the blood and the baby can make antibodies in response to this and then be allergic to that food which is why in the uk it recommended not to start solids until after 6months now. With eggs being one of the commonest allergens and starting at 4months I imagine it might be more likely to cause allergies.
Not sure about the bananas not heard anything specific about age to start them. We started at 6months but they can cause constipation so only in small infrequent amounts.
And the salt! At such a young age the kidneys just can't cope and it is not like when we eat too much salt over time it can have effects, in babies a over dose can be fatal so I would be very careful with that one.
Did you try it? How did it go?

[dee12h]

That's why I posted it. Bc it's not what people have always heard. Here's another source.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/eggsbabyfoodrecipes.html

It says 8 mo at first, but then later it says recommendations have been changed. The egg whites are the only part that are allergenic. The article above says it's extremely rare for anyone to be allergic to the yolk. The original source I read doesn't even recommend anything else (except bananas) until 10 mo, so I would say it's on the safe side! I don't think you have to start it at 4 mo, of course; I waited til almost 6. I just think it's interesting at how healthy these are. That's all I was sharing. Hope you weren't too horrified.

[~ Vik ~]

FWIW, I just wanted to add that when my ds had his allergy testing done, he reacted strongly to the white and mildly to the yolk. I asked the allergist about it and he didn't seem surprised, so I guess that he's seen it before. Egg white is by far the more common allergen though.

Ultimately anything is a potential allergen, though obviously somethings are riskier than others (peanuts vs asparagus, for example). The goal when introducing solids is really to minimize risk - exclusive breastfeeding until 6mo whenever possible (WHO recommendation), introducing new foods one at a time using 3 day rule, introducing commonly allergenic foods later, etc. It's hard also because different countries have different guidelines regarding the introduction of solids. Ultimately every mom has to make the best decisions they can for their baby, using all the knowledge they have I would definitely recommend that any parent who is unsure should consult their doctor, especially if there is a history of allergies.

Hope that doesn't sound too preachy Just speaking as a mom of a lo with multiple food allergies. No medical training, just a mom who has BTDT

[First Time Mom]

I have to say I agree with the others on holding off with the eggs. However, from what I've read and from conversations with our ped., the latest recommendation is to hold off solids until 6 months (instead of the previous 4) and that proteins CAN be given as a first food (if you wait until the 6 months). I guess proteins can include egg yolk.

Having 2 los, it's been my experience that while they may be "ready" for solids at 6 months, they have such tender systems and anything much more than the typical fruits/veggies/cereals can potentially be hard on their systems to digest initially. Remember, for 6 months they have had nothing but a liquid diet!

The one area I feel strongly about is the salt- los need 1g of salt and they get this naturally occuring in breast milk, or even just naturally occuring in foods. Any additional salt under the age of 12 months can potentially cause kidney damage. I remember reading about a baby that was given adult food pureed at 3 months and died due to the salt in the food (for the life of me, I can't remember where I read this otherwise I'd attach it here). Really, they don't need any added extra salt after 12 months either as the little amount the body requires the body gets without us adding it.

[Intransit]

I was at the Doc today for DD's 6 month needles..and she mentioned no eggs, along with no honey or peanut butter at this age.....I don't think the baby is missing anything not having eggs at this young age...in my opinion, anyways

[*Ali*]

I remember reading about a baby that was given adult food pureed at 3 months and died due to the salt in the food (for the life of me, I can't remember where I read this otherwise I'd attach it here).

I just found this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/404667.stm
But if you do a search for baby salt there are several stories about babies dying from salt ODs.
It always amazes me that supposed professionals come out with such ridiculous statements when they really don't know what they are talking about. Very dangerous.

[SylvieA]

We did baby led weaning, DD wouldn't take anything from the spoon, so we gave up. So everything we were having DD could have and Dr agreed with it due to no family history of allergies, but to still stay away from peanut butter and salt. With that said, she wasn't ready so she wasn't interested in our food either. She started taking things from us about 7-8months, but wasn't really eating, and whatever she swallowed, it showed up in her diaper. Only around 9-10 months, she started to really eat, but in very small quantities. So breastfeeding was enough for her until about 9months.
I really loved baby led weaning. So stress free and she ate independently from the start and with a spoon and fork by 18m. I wish I would of gone that way with DS to.

I'm really surprised he said 4mo and egg yolks. Kind of rich for such a young tummy.

[~*~Louisa~*~]

Alyssa reacted equally to whites and yolk through my milk

[Jessleigh]

Just chiming in re the egg yolk.

 I have been doing the weston A price diet myself (all whole traditional foods). The recommendation for the yolk is that i MUST come from a chicken that grazer on pasture. You know a good yolk when it's orange (not yellow). The egg is boiled for 3 mins so that the enzymes are still intact and able to be digested. the whites are discarded.

A baby's gut is actually better equipped to supply enzymes for digestion of fats and proteins rather than carbohydrates (they only have one carbohydrate enzyme which is lactase to digest lactose).
If the yolk comes from a properly raised chicken (roaming the grass, eating bugs) it will contain loads of good cholesterol and omega 3 long fatty acid chains that are also in mother's milk. It's great for brain development.  It also contains a high level of choline, another critical nutrient for brain development.

Also, the salt must be pure, unrefined sea salt or celtic salt (only use a tiny pinch). It's full of a variety of trace mineral. Salt is necessary to activate the formation of glial cells in the brain, cells that make connections and help us think faster.

Plain white table salt is of no use and can be dangerous because it's lacking in minerals.

The suggestions of many pediatricians to introduce rice cereal, in my opinion, is far more dangerous than egg yolk. A baby's digestion is not equipped to handle cereals before the age of one. Many say hold off until age two.

There have been various studies done on the feeding of pasture egg yokes. One study published in the June 2002 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the nutritional effects of feeding weaning infants 6-12 months of age regular egg yolks, enriched egg yolks, and an otherwise normal diet. The researchers found that both breastfed and formula-fed infants who consumed the egg yolks had improved iron levels when compared with the infants who did not.

http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/nourishing-a-growing-baby

So, although many doctors give varying degrees of advice, i guess everyone has to do their own research and find out what they agree with and what they're comfortable with. I've been studying nutrition for a long time and have seen the benefits of eating the traditional, organic, whole, from the farm foods our great grandparents grew up on. I am healthier than ever and i got pregnant quickly after 3 months of changing my diet. and my pregnancy and delivery were both super easy!

The Weston A. Price foundation is a good place to start if anyone's interested. Or Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions."

But that's just one mama's opinion! Like i said, everyone has to find what they're comfortable with and what they believe is best for them and their family.

[*Ali*]

Ha! Funny this thread keeps getting resurrected, it's like 2yo

Interesting what you're saying Jessleigh but I'm not sure many (if any) babies have died from rice cereal whereas I'm sure a good number have died or become seriously ill from a salt OD or salmonella or suffered an allergic reaction from eggs. I guess that's what fuels the caution over introducing them when LO is still so vulnerable.

[Jessleigh]

Ha! Funny this thread keeps getting resurrected, it's like 2yo

I know i thought that was funny...but i came across this and was shocked that someone had posted about feeding egg yolk without giving the specifications on how to prepare it, etc... and I'm passionate about nutrition so i thought i'd chime in.

Regarding possible allergic reaction or salmonella from egg:
This is why the egg must come from a reliable source (pasture raised) and prepared properly. And the salt must be unrefined pure sea salt and only a pinch given.

The baby who died in the article mentioned was fed adult cereal and mashed potatoes and gravy which had a high amount of refined sodium. Nine grams is a lot of salt.  And i don't think you can assume from one baby dying from a Salt OD that "many" have died from it. In fact the article states, "The British Nutrition Foundation said it was extremely rare for a baby to die from salt overdose."

O, I feel like I'm arguing now...I'm sorry. Well I guess it doesn't really matter. Either way, we're all just doing what we think is best. I totally agree that being cautious is a good thing when it comes to our little ones!

And yes, i understand that egg allergy is one of the highest childhood allergies.
But i also believe that allergies happen because our food is processed and/or not raised properly. So if you don't have access to fresh pasture-raised chicken eggs, steer clear from feeding eggs to your LO's too early!

[*Ali*]

It's not one baby who dies from salt OD, as I said in my pp (2yrs ago) if you do a google search it is easy to find several accounts of babies dying from Salt OD. And that doesn't even include any babies who have kidney failure or the like from salt OD who don't die and hence don't get reported on. The "many" actually referred to not just deaths from salt OD but also salmonella and allergic reactions to eggs.

And I have since found out that the ready brek the judge mentions in that story actually has no salt in it and he was mistaken to include that.

I think everyone's reaction to the salt was in response to the OP's nutritionist claiming that too much salt being bad for babies is a myth.