Hello Mamas!
I am looking for some help on getting my 15 month old daughter to take her liquid iron supplement. They were prescribed by her dr at her recent well baby checkup. She has low iron levels and also a vitamin D deficiency. The drops are flavored, but they smell and I assume taste very bad. She took the drops yesterday with no problem, but almost immediately started gagging. Today I had to fight with her to even get the dropper in her mouth. The directions say that the drops can be mixed with food and or water or juice....but there is the problem. She won't drink anything but water from a sippy cup (as she is still nursing) and she won't eat any 'soft' foods like applesauce or yogurt that I could mix the drops with. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can possibly mix the drops with in order to get her to take them. Also, the drops cannot be mixed with anything dairy. Thanks in advance for your help and advice!
hi N. i am a stay at home mom of 3...11 weeks, 3yrs and 6...will she take a bottle? at walmart they sell this small bottle by nuby that you can put cereal in..i would make the cereal add fruit like mixed berry and the iron and she could do it herself...just a thought the bottle is small she might think its fun...good luck!!
J.
Hi N., my daughter was the same way. It's amazing how far a child can spit out vitamins. I put the iron in with her orange juice and she drank it like a champ. Have you tried pumping out some breast milk and mixing it with that? If she is really particular you may not be able to give her the whole dose at one time but a drop or two in with different things that she will eat will get it into her system. If she will eat mixed vegetables (for example) put a small amount of the vitamins in that. You will have to be creative in how you sneak it in. But it will be well worth the effort. Good luck.
My kids have always loved popcicles and I have mixed supplements and the like into %100 juice popcicles over the years. Just get some of those popcicles molds or even an ice cube tray and use regular %100 juice with the drops.
if she is deficient I am willing to bet you are too. you should increase your iron and she will get some from you too. SAme with the vitamin D. YOu can buy vitamin D in liquid form and there is no taste and its teeny drops you can drop onto anything, as for the iron I cant help you there. I would increase your intake of it and give her iron rich foods and then have her retested
Have you thought about boosting your levels if you are still nursing? It is quite common for breastfed babies to have a vitamin d deficiency. They recommend that infants get 400iu per day. Expecting and breastfeeding moms need 5000-6000iu per day. What kind of drops are you using? Carlson's liquid drops are clear and tasteless. I posted an article from my family health column about Vitamin D and your family:
http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...
Also, you can purchase a cast iron skillet and start cooking her foods in the skillet. The iron will be absorped into the foods and you can find one for $20 at Bed, Bath, Beyond. They are heavy! Vitamin C is needed to help iron absorp in her body. Will she eat citrus fruits and foods high in vit. C? ChildLife Liquid Vitamin C or Hyland's Vitamin C tablets which dissolve instantly are two good, quality brand supplements for kids. Both can be purchased at Whole Foods.
You can also mix the drops in her mashed potatoes, any type of foods. I always taste what I give my daughter...if I don't like it, then I'm sure she won't. :)
Good luck, DM me if you want more info.
J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Health Educator
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert
National Pregnancy Health Examiner
Speaking on Infant and Toddler Nutrition on
Wed. Jan. 6 at 7pm
Giggles Baby Boutique
2116 N. Halsted
When my daughter did this I asked her Dr about trying chewable vitamins. They said I could try but make sure it was the right dose. I checked and the dose for 2-3 year olds of chewables is the exact same as the liquid vitamins. So I switched to chewables. You can crush them up if you want and they taste much better than the liquid. I agree though that you should try supplimenting yourself if you are still BFing. Good luck.
Hi N. Try giving your daughter Pedisure. It has plenty of nutrition value. check with her peditrican first to see what he/she says.
Would she eat pop sickles?
If so you could mix it with juice and freeze them and then give them to her like that.
We did not have to do the iron supplements, but another med that was foul. Also cause a gag refex. Anyway, Dr suggested a small amount of chocolate syrup and it worked like a charm. Good Luck!
