Iron Supp, Help!

always give him iron rich foods with a vitamin C food like mango, strawberries or pears. It helps with absorption. Also, avoid all soy products as the phytic acid in them inhibit iron absorption. Have you tried the liquid herbal iron supplement called Floradix? You can get it at Whole Foods.

I agree with many of the other suggestions including cream of wheat and iron rich whole foods. The only other ideas I didn't see list were egg yokes and cooking food in a cast iron skillets. These are remedies my grandmother used for her kids that were low in iron and it seemed to work. Also vitamine C rich foods will help with absorbtion of iron.

E.
This will seem a bit harsh, but if he needs the supplement, then he needs it. I have had to give things to my kids over the years that didn't go down as well either, but yet they needed it also. My solution was to lay them down on the floor, I sat across their legs and tucked their arms under my legs. I put the medicine in with one hand and plugged the nose with the other hand. It forces them to swallow. Again, it seems harsh, but if he needs it he needs it.
I don't think he is that low. Try to offer more red meats, and more fresh veggies that are loaded with iron. Cream of Wheat is loaded with iron and you can sweeten that up with a bit of milk and sugar. Try these remedies first as iron stains the teeth.
Good luck,
Trish

If he drinks homemade smoothies, you can add some fresh spinach to them. It really doesn't have that much taste before it is cooked! If you think the look of it will freak him out, be sure to use some dark berries (I use blackberries) to hide the green color. My friend's son loved it when I made this "special green drink" for him with banana and raspberries. He saw me drinking one and was very interested. I made the first one a little seeter than I usually make them to get him to try it. It turned out green and that is his favorite color so we were in business. If you find another supplement that you want to try, this is a good way to give it to him.

One more thing, anemia is common in people with Celiac disease and in babies of mothers with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance. In turn, mothers who have undiagnosed Celiac disease often have premature babies. You might want to search this online and do a little reading. I'm amazed at the info I found that helped me and my family! Doctors have a very difficult time making this connection but it is getting more attention lately.

Good luck and take care!

hi E.
my son also had a very low iron count. i was opposed to the liquid iron the side effects were terrible>{(constipation teeth staining etc.) i was able to find a natural remedy sold at whole foods(san mateo) called black strap mollasses. it was sticky and and not very sweet, but my son ate it up. i put it into his cereals apple sauce etc. the back of the bottle should tell you dosage per weight
within 6 weeks his iron count went up 5 points.

good luck. hope this info helps

P.

E., I don't have advice on a source for Iron but I do know for a fact that liquid Iron is bad for teeth. Unless the formulation has changed since the 1970's I myself would never give a child liquid Iron.

My brother had to take liquid Iron when he was young and it literally rusted his teeth. The Iron affected his teeth so badly that even years later when his Adult teeth came in he had problems. He is 38 yrs old and lost most of his top teeth before he was 25 due to enamel weakness.

When every dentist found out he had been on liquid Iron as a child they all said it was the worst thing for teeth in the world. If I were in your position I would be find out from a pharmacist if liquid Iron has changed since the 70's.

I don't mean to scare you or any other mom out there, but if my mom had known what would happen she would never have given my brother the liquid Iron. She would have found another source to give my brother.

I hope it works out for you and your son.
W. H in Sacramento,Ca

Cream of Wheat is a fantastic source of iron, it has more iron than Spinache and Kale! It's also great with a few raisins mixed in too, which have iron also. I learned this wonderful fact from a nurse when I was donating blood! It's true, and it does work! Going online is also a wonderful way to find all kinds of sources of iron rich foods. With th e addition of theses foods in his diet, you could probably bypass the whole chewable iron vitamin idea, and just give him whole foods instead! Whole Foods Market has a great website with plenty of resources as well!

I hope this helps your little guy.

A little about me:
I am a happily married stay at home mama to 4 beautiful little boys ages 9,6, and twins that are 4.

what about nettle tea? especially if he just needs a little more, this could help. my friend used it for pregnancy and passed her last test soon after taking strong nettle infusion regularly. i make a blend for my pregnancy that is mixed with other good herbs and peppermint, and my kid loves it. so many other micronutrients too. let me know if you want more specifics on preparation or whatever.

I have found that the easiest way to give a child medicine they don't like is to wait until they are asleep. Then put a nipple in his mouth and put the medicine in the nipple. they will naturally begin to suck when you put the nipple in their mouth and they take the medicine without knowing it. but you have to wait until they are asleep otherwise you'll never be able to get the medicine in the nipple and down them without a huge mess!!!

E.
Have you tried mixing the iron supplement with some grape jelly or a small amount of chocolate pudding? Strong tasting foods can mask the yucky taste of most medications.
A.

Have you tried dulse? You can find it in a health food store and it may not taste so bad. Try Apple Foods in Redwood City for alternatives - they are always helpful and can give you some healthy alternatives.
A. Papangellin

Hi there
I would go to your local health food store and find a good supplement high in Iron, there are tonics you can make up and I know there are other good ways to get iron with out having to give him straight iron, good luck!

Cream of Wheat is high in iron and is one thing they tell you to eat at the blood bank to raise your iron. Perhaps you could put a small amount of the liquid iron in something he likes instead of straight.

i don't know how you feel about flavors, but i saw that walgreens can add flavors to children's medicines for a couple bucks.

Have you checkd into chewable iron supplements for kids? is he on a chewable vitamin that has iron in it? Also, one of the foods that ou can try with him is liverwurst - it is very high in iron and fat but at that age, the fat is not a problem. My kids loved it.
Good luck.

My son had iron staining on his teeth. He's 7 now, but he spent loads of time at the dentist. And all from using a regular daily kids vitamin with iron in it. Please be very careful with iron. Maybe try "ensure" or another supplement food?

OH! And one other thing-iron needs B vitamins to be absorbed, there are actually different kinds of iron deficiency based on B vitamin deficiency. Since B vites are completely safe, I always start there! Emergen-C is a great Iron free supplement, full of B vites.

Ugghhh! I feel your pain! We had to do that too. Too bad the little ones can't just take Flintstones or something that tastes better. The worst part was all the stains the iron supp left on my clothes from my daughter spitting it out!! Good luck!

hi, there is agreat all natural iron "supplement" called Floradix. You can get it in liquid form at the healthfood store or online. The taste isn't great but it's not bad either. You can also feed your son iron rich foods. Good luck!

Hi E.,
You have to be careful not to give your baby too much iron.

I put my granddaughter on whole food supplements when she was 2 days old. The jade greenzymes is barley grass. I used to sprinkle it in her bottle. Her mother pumped her breast so I could put the nutrients in her bottle. When she got older I made it into a paste, now she is 7 and she can drink them down. The barley is natures most perfect food with protein, enzymes, iron and other nutrients.

You may check it out on the web site. www.nikken.com/ninamarie
If you have any questions feel free to email me at ____@____.com

Have a great evening.

N. Marie

Hi E., if you would like to talk to nutritional consaltant on the phone for free about your baby problem,call me. My name is A..916 944 46 75.

http://www.creamofwheat.com/creamofwheat/cowIron.asp

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

E.-
1- Make sure what his diet is, make alot of iron rich foods as well as foods that help support absorption of iron.
2- Talk to your peds about other supplements. You can look for over the counter.
3. As long as these are in line, it should go away on its on eventually. You would not believe how many young ones have it, my son definitely wasnt premmie, and his most definitely had it, for the first 1.5 years.
Hope it helps.

My son (not a preemie) was anemic when he was little, too. Sounds like you've done a really good job & can stop w/ the liquid iron. I think there are chewable & gummi bear-type vitamins out there which probably have iron. However, I don't remember at what age toddlers can start taking chewables & gummies without it being a choking hazard. Seems like you're doing great just giving your son iron-rich foods. Raisins are supposed to be a good source, but try to get organic, since they're otherwise pretty high in pesticide residues. You could plump the raisins w/ hot water 1st & blend them up with cereal or in a smoothie, too. All the best with this!

Use a cast iron skillet to cook any food that needs to be cooked. Some iron from the cookware gets absorbed into the food, increasing the overall iron content. There was a child nutritionist on the Today Show earlier this week (or last week) who recommended doing this, and I have heard this advice from other sources as well. My son was born at 29 weeks, one day, and I definitely remember those iron supplements and the stains left my his spitting them up/out. We finally just stopped using them and made sure our son's diet had enough iron in it (either through iron fortified foods or foods naturally rich in iron), and our now five year-old is just fine. Here's a link to list of iron rich foods for kids: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/nutrition/a/06_iron_foods.htm
You should probably let the pediatrician know before you decide to stop giving the drops if that's the path you choose.

We gave the iron supplement to our baby girl and it turned her teeth an ugly gray color that lasted for quite a while after we stopped. Now reading another post that it's potentially damaging to the enamel (more than just aesthetic), I would definitely try and find a way to supplement with food. Fortified baby cereals and cream of wheat, raisins, spinach, etc.

try looking into ways to help his iron levels with diet. there are certain food combinations that help children absorb iron more effecitively... for example, vitamin C helps your system absorb the iron. so a good meal would be spaghetti and meat sauce. there is iron in the red meat and vitamin C in the tomato sauce. you can find all sorts of other good food combos like that. my son was border line anemic at one of his appointments (not a preemie) and i told them i'd prefer to manage it with diet instead of supplements. after reading about the diet thing, at our one month follow up, his iron level was perfect in the normal range.

You didn't say how old you baby is, but if he can eat solid foods, make sure he gets more red meat and beans. My 3yo daughter was a little low last time we went in to the doctor because she is not big on red meat. She loves beans though, so I made sure we had beans with almost every meal and she was back to normal.

E.:
BE CAREFUL!!!
Iron is a heavy metal and has to be used with extreme caution.
Iron leads the list of poison killers of children under six, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
One thinks that only chemicals in the home can poison a child, but seldom we think about over the counter killers.
If your baby is not really anemic, why give iron????
Iron can damage your child's brain (can cause Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in adults - can you imagine what it can do to a child?)
If he is already eating solids, find foods that can provide this metal. Toxicity from heavy metals is a HUGE problem among our children today.
If you have doubts, search the internet with: "iron dangers".
Very often, many pediatricians are the ones who hurt our babies badly, and many times, permanently.

One of the moms suggested: Floridix (does she mean Floradix? - because floridix sounds like an addition of fluoride, and fluoride is very toxic as well - be very careful not to give fluoride to your baby -ever! -see my profile).

Blessings

L.

This was the case with my son (3 yrs old), also. My pediatrician simply suggested that we add more spinich, red meat and watermelon to his diet. We aren't much red meat eaters, but I adjusted our diets to help my son. He is such a picky eater, so this can be a challenge for me anyway. However, I have been doing it for almost 2 years, and my son shows no signs of being anemic. I think being boarder line anemic can be hereditery because in my case, I was always boarder line myself as a child. With my second son, now 1, from 4 months old I have fed him iron rich foods. When he was tested, he was in the normal levels. So, I think it really can be controlled with diet.
Your sons behavior will be the key indicator of whether you should be concerned or not. Boarder line is a low normal, not actually anemic.

I dont have any ideas as far as other iron-rich foods but I suggest you talk to your ped & tell him how yucky it is, that your son doens't like it, that it's bad for his teeth & see if you can get some alternate ideas. Good luck!

Hi E.,

Black beans (aka turtle beans) cooked in a cast iron pot are a great way to ingest iron. The beans are packed with iron, fiber and folic acid; when cooked in an iron pot, the beans receive an xtra charge of iron. Plus beans are a good type of baby food because they can be mashed and given to the baby soft. Actually, anything cooked in an iron pot will provide a good dose of iron (ie. soups, oatmeal, stews, pasta, etc), iron pans are also good for preparing eggs or any other quick and simple food. My daughter was slightly anemic for awhile, she wasn't a preemie just low in iron for some reason, but after a regular diet of home-cooked meals using my iron pots and pans, she's tested normal.

Hope this is useful to you.

Have you heard of floradix? an herbal/food liquid iron supplement good for pregnant and nursing mama's it may also be good for kids. I've used it for both of my pregnancies pre and post and it worked great. It would be worth looking into. I think it is only sold in health food stores. It is a bit pricey but well worth it and tastes like thick fruit juice. good luck.

Hi E.,
I have a few questions for you. First, how did they test him for the anemia this last time? Was it a finger prick test? They are not always accurate, so I wouldn't worry if he is that close to normal. The test that most accurately assesses iron levels is serum ferretin, so if you are worried I would have that tested.

When my clients have this issue, I always ask the parents if the children show signs of anemia at all, if they are developing normally, etc. If they are, I do not get too concerned. Anemia makes you tired.

Was your child breast fed? Some of the numbers for anemia were set based on levels of babies getting iron-enriched formula, which yields higher numbers but not always better outcomes, so that is a possible issue here as well.

I think the iron-rich foods are the best way, with meat being probably the most absorbable source. You could also consider a less-bad tasting supplement. I would be happy to help you identify one, if it is deemed appropriate. As other moms on this site have mentioned, too much iron is as dangerous as not enough, so we always want to be cautious about supplementing iron.

Let me know if you have any further questions that I can help you with.

Best,
E. Bender, NC, CHN
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

Another person who posted suggested using Floridix. This, or another iron supplement that contains herbs would be best. The body often does not assimilate iron on it's own, so you wind up giving the supplement without any effect. If the supplement contains herbs, though, the body recognizes it as a food and will absorb much more of it. I was extremely anemic when I was pregnant. My doctor prescribed an iron supplement (straight iron), and my count went DOWN -- because it wasn't being absorbed. As soon as I switched to an iron/herb combination that all changed. So, pick your supplements wisely and then give them with food for maximum absorption.

Hi E.,
I just wanted to agree with one of the other moms. Cooking with cast iron is a great way to get iron into your son's food. My mom and dad gave us a great cast iron skillet when we married 35 years ago and of all the cookware I had as gifts, it is my very favorite. You have to season it before you use it, but it is great. If you make something with tomato sauce in it, the iron will be boosted even higher because of the acid in the tomatoes. Pineapple Upside Down cake is fabulous in a cast iron skillet as well.
Blessings,
D.