Feeding Hutcheson: Egg Yolk for Baby

As some of you know I gave birth to our third child at home last November (his birth story is here).  In what literally feels like the blink of an eye he is now 7 months old.  I don't know if it is part of being born at home, I'd like to think that maybe it is, but he is the calmest, happiest little guy.  Last month he had his first taste of something other than breastmilk.  I had decided I would introduce his first "solid" at 6 months but I'll admit I approached this milestone with some trepidation.  There is a lot of conflicting information out there about what first foods are the best and what order to introduce them in.  I wanted to make the right decision about what his first food should be.  I wanted something pure and natural.  I wanted it to be nutritious, something that would support his growing brain and body much as my milk has.  I knew that breastmilk would still be the bulk of his diet, but I wanted his one non-breastmilk meal of the day to be full of awesomeness. :)  Inspiration came in the form of a passage from the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon:

"A wise supplement for all babies-whether breast or bottle fed-is an egg yolk per day, beginning at four months.  Egg yolk supplies cholesterol needed for mental development as well as important sulpher-containing amino acids.  Egg yolks from pasture-fed hens or hens raised on flax meal, fish meal or insects are also rich in the omega-3 long-chain fatty acids found in mother's milk but which may be lacking in cow's milk.  These fatty acids are essential for the development of the brain.  Parents who institute the practice of feeding egg yolk to baby will be rewarded with children who speak and take directions at an early age."

Brilliant!  I have three beautiful free-ranging, insect-eating hens right in my backyard!  So we decided on soft-boiled egg yolk for Hutch's first food.  It just made perfect sense, it's organic, it's an animal protein, it's easy to digest, it's chalk full of beneficial enzymes, it's what baby chick's eat!  Now I know a lot of folks are really uptight about fully cooking things like eggs, but if you fully cook the yolk instead of soft-boiling you destroy the enzymes in the yolk, so that's something to keep in mind.

How to do it:

Boil 1 organic egg in water for 3 and a half minutes
Remove, peel and pour YOLK ONLY into a bowl
Sprinkle with a pinch of natural sea salt (helps with brain development)

After the first few weeks Hutcheson suddenly decided he wasn't a fan of the flavor of the yolk so I started adding a bit of mashed, organic or un-gassed banana to his egg yolk.  Banana is very easy on a baby's immature digestive system and Hutch loves the flavor.

Here are a few pictures from our first food experience!