Q: I give my 9 month old child one egg everyday in half boiled form -yellow part is liquid and white part is solid. I mash it and give it to him. Is this all right? How many solid meals should a child have at this stage? Is giving a small slice of raw butter to the child ok?

A:Well its usually not advisable to give half boiled egg because we all know that boiling is a sure way of killing most of the germs. I would suggest that you boil it completely, mash it and then give it to him. I also realize it may be difficult for a 9 month old to use white portion of a full boiled egg, and therefore we usually suggest it to be given at 1 year of age. You could add butter or yogurt for making it soft and less dry. For a 9 month old child - you should be able to give 3-4 meals a day with 2-3 times of milk. Meals could be cereals such as khichari, dalia, sooji ka halwa/kheer, saboodana, mashed banana/mashed potato etc. You could definitely use malai and butter to taste. In fact that will increase the calories and is advisable.