Seeking Advice on Toddler's Iron Deficiency Anemia

My daughter is 3 and is also anemic, as am I. I shop online at a wellness company that has great vitamins for kids. We have seen a dramatic improvement in Hannah's iron levels. The vitamins are not expensive either. Hannah wouldn't take the polyvisol, which is probably what your dr has recommended. It tastes horrible. The vitamins she takes not are chewables that she loves! I would love to share the information with you! They not only have vitamins but alot of other things that would make your home healthier:) Email me directly if you would like to chat. My email address is ____@____.com! Talk to you soon:)

Try foods that are high in iron like beans/lentils, pumpkin seeds (every meal needs a little fat, mix in avocado), broccoli, kale (greens), black strap molasses, apricots, raisins, dates. Vitamin C helps with absorption. Milk (dairy) may actually hinder absorption of iron (www.notmilk.com). Iron supplements tend to cause constipation (if baby is getting iron from diet he eventually won't need supplements). So, I would go the iron rich food way, because of the fiber included. Meat is not alway the answer, because it really needs to be liver (who likes that). Not only that but the liver is the filter, and it can be full of toxins. I hope this helps. C
www.mybiopro.com/claudia13 (learn how to protect your child from cell phone radiaation).

food high in iron include chicken, beef, and spinach...a good well rounded diet should include enough iron for your son. If he is low, perhaps his body does not produce enough normally (some people are that way) and the iron drops your pediatrician recommended should do the trick. As long as you follow the directions for giving them to your child, make sure you brush his teeth thoroughly after giving him the drops, things should be just fine.

When your child is old enough he can take pills instead. I have always produced plenty of Iron myself, but the pregnancy with twins that I had caused me to become anemic for the duration of the pregnancy. I suspected right away because I craved spinach. As I was placed on a high protein diet during the pregnancy to increase the babies birth weight, my iron needs lessened. I was placed on iron pills until that happened.

In the meantime...you can google anemia and any websites that pop up should have a link to a diet high in iron or recipes with a high iron content...

Good Luck... ;-)

Hello,
There are a few food that you can give him to boost his iron. One is raisins, but make sure you brush his teeth. Another is a chocolate that I found and fell in love with! Yes, its a healthy dark chocolate and it is considered a functional food! My son loves it and takes it daily as do I. One square has the same amount of anti oxidants as 1/2 cup of spinach and it has been proven to help heart problems. Plus, it is great for the teeth and prevents cavities. There is so much more information about this healthy chocolate. You can go to www.mydrchocolate.com to find out more. If you are interested in trying it or want more information let me know at ____@____.com luck! www.cocoaraven.com

Meat! My brother faced this as a baby and the doctor told my mom to make sure he was eating meat.

R., I'm so sorry to hear about the rough time your toddler is going through. No mother likes to feel lost and worried and agonize over their child's uncertain medical issues. You are not alone sweetie.

1st, I noted from a previous post of yours, that your toddler was on long-term antibiotics for reflux. Has he had other gastro issues, such as constipation, diarrhea, foul-smelling stools, bloating, gas? Was he a colicky baby

2nd, how long ago was the heart murmur detected? Had an EKG or sonogram of his heart?

3rd, is he reaching his milestones?

My youngest was born w/ a heart murmur (atrial septal defect) & developed anemia at age 3, totally unrelated I'm told & TRULY believe, as she has OTHER health issues as well. Shockingly & despite my best efforts to provide her the best medical care & early intervention, it took 2 YEARS for 4 specialists to determine the cause of her anemia!!! THUS MY #1 REASON TO REPLY TO YOUR REQUEST. No mother OR child should have to go through this.

Yes, for many children, ferrous sulfate drops, bioavailable children's multivitamins and iron-rich foods are the simple solution. However, given the long-term reflux, heart murmur and anemia, I believe your toddler's situation merits immediate attention, as physical and mental development are CRITICAL from ages 3-5 - most importantly brain development, which can't be recovered or reversed if there is a great loss of iron (don't know how low your child's is).

My child went through & suffered 2 years of anemia, physical & developmental loss, and TOO MANY needle sticks and invasive procedures to count while all along I kept saying, "I THINK SHE HAS FOOD ALLERGIES." After 2 yrs. of feeding her red meat & ferrous sulfate on her spec's advice, she was FINALLY tested for food allergies. She's ALLERGIC to BEEF, EGGS & COW'S MILK - CAUSE OF ANEMIA!!!

Although she was "neg" for wheat, I have found that a gluten-free diet works BEST for her. My recommendation is that you have your child tested for food allergies (RAST) ASAP.

I have amassed quite a personal library on food allergies, as well as numerous books in the health field, and I could make a recommendation, as I have been in the health, wellness & nutrition industry for 17 years. If you'd like more info about my child's condition or an update or just need someone to talk with, please feel free to send me an email. Take care R. & God Bless you and yours. ~~ M.

I grew up being anemic, and my daughter also was anemic, I have had a better time keeping hers up but not before having to go through the drops, it can stain but it does do away, I put her drops in a "small" bit of orange juice. It is very important to give them vitamin C with the iron as it helps to absorb the iron a multi vitamin at the time of the drops works well. My daughter never had the heart issues, but I at 36 STILL have issues. I know my iron is low when I get an irregular heart beat, it feels like it skips several beats. Once I get my iron back up, it goes away.
With the added iron he may get dark green very hard BM's this is normal, you can give him a cup of apple juice, axtra water, or another natural food stool softener to help combat this.
Good Luck, and it generally does not last forever, I have been able to keep my daughters at the normal range by diet and a multi vitamin since she was 5 years old. you can google "high iron foods" and you will get tons of suggeestions for foods that are naturally high in iron. and also foods that are firtified with iron. But remember the vitamin C.
God's Peace.

My son was anemic around that age. We used the drops in juice for approx 1 year. He grew out of it. I've been anemic since my first preg and still battle it. I've never heard of the heart murmur thing. Good luck!

Hi R.,
My 2 year old daughter is also iron deficient. She is on an iron supplement, but I've also been adding Black Strap Molasses to her oatmeal. This is very high iron, which you probably noticed after doing a search. Another thought is to puree dark leafy greens into spagetti sauce, meatloaf etc...
I've never heard of the heart murmur as related to iron deficiency.
Hope that helps, even if just a little!

My three year old has been on iron drops for anemia for over a year now. His teeth look normal, with no staining. I don't know if it is because we brush his teeth religiously twice a day, or if the iron just isn't affecting his teeth. We give his to him in juice or water at dinner time, so maybe eating at the same time helps to keep it from staying on his teeth for too long. For us, it has been a very small detail of the day, so I would suspect that it will be for you too. As for the heart murmur, I can't answer that. He was tested for anemia as a part of a toddler nutrition program. Anyway, good luck! I hope this helps.

B.

Hi R.,
Wow, what an issue. There are some good foods out there that are high in iron contant- not those that most young kids would eat but you may be able to get your child to eat them. Green beens- and if you can get him to eat them raw as a snack that would be better. Beets are another source of high iron- cooked are better- or pickled as well- and then there is always the broccili and brussel sprouts- the later of course are the best to eat and the worst to taste ....experience with a couple of my kids taught me this...then check around your house for cleaning items that contain chemicals- get rid of those and replace with more eco friendly products- the chemicals in some products act as poison and destroy the body's natural ability to produce what it needs. research is out there to prove this- or I can send you to a link that will give you the information.but you would have to PM me for that. I amsure the drops will help but I would also flood his body with foods that are high in iron- check the labels and subsitute a lot of these with his snacks and with regular meals if possible.
Good luck and blessings

well i did not hear you mention you have you child on a multi vitamin I know of a really good one if you wanna know and be sure to give your baby vitamin c or OJ ( which has a lot of sugar) to absorbe the iron or vitamins they take

best of luck
shonda
____@____.com hope to hear from you soon