How many egg yolks per week?

[Life is Good]

I understand that egg yolks are a wonderful source of iron for little people and my boy just loves his home-made formula custard (yuck! ). My question is how many egg yolks can a 7 month old have per week?

[MantaRay]

Sambo, I'm not sure if there is any limit. Eggs are a funny one, because they are both a source of iron, and a source of acids that inhibit the absorption of iron! The jury is still out about whether they raise iron levels or not. Meat is the very best source of iron for babies, as it is the most readily absorbed by the body. It is also a great source of zinc which is equally important. If you haven't introduced meat yet, you might like to - either with things like bolognaise sauce, or pieces of steak or safe bones to chew/suck on. You can also scrape the meat into a pulp. Mums following BLS often introduce chicken as an early finger food too.

[Life is Good]

MantaRay, that is really interesting - I had no idea. He is on meat and chicken but likes them less than his fruit and vegies - so getting any real volume into him if often a struggle. He loves his custard, so I just thought that it would be a good way to increase his iron intake. He is already on an iron-fortified elemental formula, but I know that their ability to absorb iron via formula is limited. Iron fortified cereals constipate him so we haven't had much success there. I pop lentils in his food when I can but, again, I know that they are nowhere near as effective as animal-derived iron.

Thanks