Infants around 9 to 12 months or so are often noted to have a characteristic golden yellow skin tone which can be misinterpreted by lay advisors (Aunt Sally, shopping mall consultants, etc.) as indicating jaundice. No, it is just a buildup of karotene from all the yellow veggies baby is eating. Babies really like carrots and squash - they are sweet. Karotenemia is easy to distinguish from jaundice. Baby's schlerae (the whites of the eyes) are perfectly clear white in karotenemia; patients with jaundice are noted to be yellow first in the schlerae, last in the skin.
