Iron

Hi K.,

Both of my children were anemic as young ones (9 months). The main thing I know is that milk actually interferes with the absorbtion of iron so don't give him more than he needs each day. Vitamin C helps to absorb it. You should consult your doctor first about supplements but I gave my kids the enfamil liquid vitamin with iron for quite a while. My son even had straight iron drops (prescription) for a month or two. I always gave them the vitamin with some source of vitamin C (diluted white grape juice or OJ). You can look online for more sources of iron but the main ones would be red meats, chicken, and legumes. You should also get him tested again in a month or two to see if he's improving.

Hi K., sweet potatoes are a great source of iron and so are apricots..Do you have computer access?? If so just put in baby foods that are high in iron, Several sites.You are a young mother and it is so nice to see you say he's your world!!! I am an older mother (almost 40) of a 3 year old..I see so many young mothers who care more about themselves..so GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
W.

If you notice I asked a simular questions regarding my 2 yr old that is also low in iron. My pediatrician said red meat is the best, but make sure he doesn't have any dairy 1 hr before and 1 hr after he eats it. Diary lowers how much of the iron he will absorb. Iron is also high in cereal, brocolli etc. You might want to read some of the responses I got, I sent the request with the last week or week and half.

Make sure you limit his milk (and other dairy foods) to 4 servings/d. Dairy has no iron in it. 1 serving is 4oz or 1/2 cup. Give him as many veggies as he will eat and 2-3 sv of fruit (1/4 cup each serving)daily. Meat, beans, and greens are a great source of iron. Beans are also a great source of fiber that helps him stay regular and avoid constipation. I used to work at WIC as a dietitian. Good luck!

I noticed that you've got some responses about foods with iron. The other thing you could do is get a vitamin supplement...enfamil makes a tri-vi-sol or poly-vi-sol with and without iron for infants. You just give him one dropperful a day either in food/drink or directly in his mouth. Just make sure to get the one with iron. Also, don't give with milk/dairy as it will make the iron harder to absorb. And, if it gets on clothes it will stain, so be careful. :)

The infant cereal is a good source of iron, and when my son, who is also 12 mo old, went from formula to the bottle I made sure to add the cereal to his bottle to give him the extra iron b/c milk is not a good source of it at all. One serving of the cereal is 1/4 cup, which is three formula scoops from what I have measured, and has 45% of the iron he needs, so two bottles w/ cereal in it or just mixing it in w/ some of his thinner baby food would work to give him a good bit of iron. I also make sure to check the baby food that I buy to make sure it has a good amount in it. I've never seen one w/ more than 7 or 8%, but even that little bit is better than baby food w/ no iron in it. Hope this has helped!

hi K.

i am still working on it bout food too and making sure they all 3 have great iron too.. i get concern sometime to make sure they getting enough.. i am doing what i can.. my daughter just turn 12 month yesterday and i am trying to see if she get enough iron. i hope she do .

S.

Hi K.,

Red meats, beans, prunes, raisins ,beets and dark leafy greans are all high in iron. Be sure to give hime something containing Vit C when giving him iron rich foods as this helps him absorb the iron.

HTH

S.

The internet is probably the best source for advise...but for heaven't sake, NOW is the time for YOU to start eating healthy foods...monkey see, monkey do!!! He might already be conditioned to eat only the foods you have been giving him so far, so don't make a really big deal about changing things, just introduce new items casually as you are eating them. Try to introduce new foods when he is hungry! If he sees you eat something new, chances are he'll want a bite of it, too. Make healthy eating interesting and don't try to force him to eat something, as that can present a whole new set of problems!

Take him with you when you shop and hit the fruit, vegetables, and dairy sections; let him help pick out new foods to try. The more colorful selections are usually the most nutritious as well as the most fun. Buy small quantities to minimize waste. If he doesn't like something, just praise him for trying it, laugh it off and go on to something he likes that is healthy. What you don't want to do is turn mealtimes into a fight! Good luck!

Dear K. M.

I am sorry to hear that your son is having difficulties regarding his iron content. It is very, very important that you address this situation right now like you are doing because these are the years in children that really project their health later in years. So, you are a very concerned mother who is doing the right thing by asking when in doubt. It doesn't hurt to get other opinions !!

May I suggest since your son is 12 months old, I highly recommend that you make sure he eats red meat, chicken, and fish. These are very high in iron as well as protein. Also, you mentioned that your son only drinks milk and water. Try to see if you can find milk that is identified as a "high iron source"....the label should tell you that when you are shopping, and if not, ask someone at the grocery store to point you to one that is high in iron. Please do not keep juice from him, especially ORANGE JUICE...it not only contains a great source of vitamin C, but it helps his body to absorb the iron in higher quantities than without having the juice at all. Very important. You can also feed him other fruits and vegatables that contain vitamin C which will help also.

Don't forget that you can find on the grocery shelves a great many different brands of cereal that are high in iron for children. They don't just have to eat them at breakfast time, they are also great little snacks throughout the day.

Hope this helps you and God bless.

T. H.