Real women share the experience of feeding eggs to their baby for the first time

Planning on introducing egg in your child's diet? These tips will help.

Egg is a lifesaver for a lot of mothers, especially the ones with picky eaters. My daughter isn't a picky eater per se, but she isn't an adventurous one either. She approaches any new food with the apprehension with one would approach a fierce animal. Her usual response to any new food is to either throw it out and make a face as if what is served to her is some sort of punishment. So I was overjoyed when she took to eating eggs, and how! She loves eating egg bhurji and also boiled eggs, sometimes. Given the fact that egg is a powerhouse of so many nutrients, I know a lot of mothers who love to feed eggs to their babies, even if they are purely vegetarian themselves. If you are planning to feed egg to your child, and are looking for tips, here are some real life experiences and tips from real mothers.

Khyati Joshi, mother of 2 children

"I am a pure vegetarian, so I wasn't planning on feeding egg to my first daughter. However, she was born premature and wasn't in best of her health for the longest time. Her immunity is always low, and during winter especially, she catches a cold every second day. That is when I thought of giving her eggs. I started with boiled eggs, as I had no idea of how to cook it as an omelette. Also, since egg is a source of vitamin D, I prefer giving it at least once a day to my daughter. She likes eating boiled eggs with a little salt and pepper."

Archana Shah, mother to a 19 months old

"My husband is a non-vegetarian and was keen on introducing non-vegetarian food to our son as well. However, I wasn't. When my son was about 11 months old, the doctor diagnosed that he was vitamin D deficient. I was worried. I had been giving him his vitamin D supplements. The doctor suggested that I look at natural sources of vitamin D, and egg was one of it. I started giving him soft, scrambled egg, which he loved. Now, egg is one of her favourite foods, and I make a variety too. Cheese omelette is his favourite."

Salma Zayak, mother to 3 children

"As a mother of three, I make a lot of egg for my children. Being non-vegetarians, egg has been a part of our diet, and our children followed it naturally. From the first time I served egg to all three of my children to now, they love egg in all sorts. And I like the fact that my children readily eat egg because I can make eggs in a pinch and be at peace that my children will eat it. The fact that it is nutritious and a powerhouse of so many vitamins is definitely a bonus."

Tips

• Don't feed eggs to a child below 1 year, for the risk of salmonella.
• Make sure the egg is cooked thoroughly, especially when making poached egg or sunny side up.

Image: Shutterstock

Read this in Hindi.