Iron Supplement

Hi E.,
If you have a good cast iron skillet you can easily get iron into his food that he will not taste. Just warm his rice cereal in the skillet.

You have plenty of choice with other snacks that have iron in it. Such as other cereals--oatmeals or cherrios. Also, in the infant aisle in the supermarket you can find meltaway snacks. Spinach has a high iron count. Try using some of the vitamins mixed with a little juice. It will disguise the taste. That's what I do with my son. Goood Luck!

E.,
A 6 mo old is too young for vitamins/supplements unless his pediatrician recommends them for a specific deficiency. As long as he is feeding well, either breast milk (which is always the best choice when possible) or an appropriate formula, he is getting just what he needs!

If he's on formula, there's a great one I used for my kids, now grown, called I-Soyalac. It's soy=based (healthy) and fortified with iron.

I am a licensed naturopathic medical doctor and I would advise against giving an infant supplemental iron. Iron (like some other minerals) is absorbed in the colon and little ones don't have the microflora to properly do that until 18 mo. to 2 years old (and that's under the best of circumstances, i.e. they haven't taken any antibiotics.) The body is very good about regulating iron as long as there is no loss of blood anywhere. To supplement would risk a condition called hemochromotosis (iron overload) which is very dangerous for developing brains and immune systems.

As long as your pediatrician has prescribed it for him try mixing it in the cereal. I have 5 & 6 year old boys and I had the same problem. I used to mix it in and warm it up a little bit and it worked like a charm. Good luck.

If you nurse your baby, usually supplements are not necessary. As a mother of 4, I have never given my children iron supplements. If you feel this is necessary, please consider a herbal form of iron. My children have always eaten healthy and organic. Never any fastfood and very little processed. They take a daily multiple.

are u still nursing? if u are and u are iron supplemented he will be fine.....2 much iron is not good. it will cause constipation
also......... DO NOT!!! I REPEAT,ABSOLUTELY DO NOT give your baby conventionally grown beef liver or any other kind of conventional liver... also even if u decide 2 give liver ( organic egg yolks would be WAY better...also heed donnaFs advide @ the iron cookware a very good and practical way 2 add trace amts. of iron )
consider that the liver is what filters out TOXINS of every type....... so what u would essentially give ur baby are all the toxins from the body of THAT particular animal......why would u do THAT?

Breast fed or formula fed? In my research, I found that, while breastmilk contains less iron than formula, it is much better absorbed by the body. So (contrary to my pediatrician's recommendation) breast fed babies should not, in general, require iron supplements. To maximize your baby's absorption of all essential nutrients from your breastmilk, try to space out feedings so that he eats his cereal not too close to nursing. Presence of other foods in his stomach can inhibit his body's ability to absorb iron and other nutrients. I don't know much about formula fed babies, but I'm sure other mommies do.

Well, E., what are his poops like? If they are hard. dark, and difficult to pass, then he's getting too much iron. The amount of iron for a baby's diet is, of course, a question for the pediatrician. A simple call to the doctor's office about the amount of iron he's already getting from the rice cereal will help solve your concerns. For a natural source, yellow dock drops (a derivitive from a root), which can be purchased at a health food store is a good source of iron. But, again, I would defer to a naturopath or doctor skilled in herbal medicine before giving ANYTHING to an infant.

According to the Weston A Price Foundation's research, you need not give your child iron supplements, unless he is testing low via the ferritin test (serum). It is not true that after 6 months, the child runs out of the supply provided in utero. Check out their web site for more details. Further, I disagree with the use of iron-enriched foods. You can see a short video clip created by Dr. Thomas E Levy,MD, JD, at his web site: www.tomlevymd.com (click on video clips).

Egg yolks and organ meats from clean sources can be used to enrich homemade formulae (see NOURISHING TRADITIONS by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig for details).

i am very reluctant to give any supplements and at one of our ped visits, they said my son's iron was a little low. it was kind of border line so i skipped the iron and just made sure he was getting enough in his diet. after 30 day follow up, it was normal. i also exclusively breastfed until starting solids at six months.

Your son is old enough for egg yolk - check w/ your pediatrician. I would hard boil andegg and take the cooked egg yolk (not the white - that you have to wait until they are a year old for the white) and mix the egg yolk with the rice cereal. Nathan loved this when he was a baby! The egg yolk contains iron.

I give my 2 month old "Mykidz Iron". It was recommended by the pediatrician I saw at UCSF. It smells like banana, and she seems to like it. You can get it online. It is about $20 a bottle. They make one that is just iron, and one that has additional vitamins it in too. My baby needed the extra iron because she was a month premature and the last month of gestation is when they get most of their iron from mom, so she missed out on that. I'm not sure if your 6 month old eating iron fortified cereal needs the extra. I would ask the doctor.

Hello, have you tried blackstrap molasses? If you make sure to get "blackstrap" and not just regular molasses, it naturally has a high iron content as well as some other minerals. And (in our opinion) it is sweet and tasty too! Keep it in the fridge so the nutrients stay fresher. We mix it into our breakfast oatmeal for extra iron. This is the only source of iron I ever used for my babies. Good luck!

Iron can be found naturally in many foods without giving suppliments. My first baby was slightly anemic. The doctor prescribed 'Ferinsol' a liquid for her to take. I gave it to her sometimes but would have to give her prunes for constipation. I wanted to use natural foods so started asking friends,neighbors and doctors for ideas.
If you are not a vegetarian you can cook up some liver, (regular beef would also work although liver is higher in iron). I usually wash it well, soak it in a little milk with fresh garlic for anywhere from 5 minutes to overnight. Cook this, then grind it in a blender or clean coffee grinder. These little grinders are great. One can usually buy one for about $8.00, and they handle smaller amounts of food. They can grind any kind of good food you prepare for the family so the baby can learn to eat different foods.I never had a problem with any picky eaters.
I feel commercial baby food is over rated. People fed their children regular foods, ground, for centuries past-back to the begining of mankind. It is only recently we are made to feel we are neglectful if we don't buy these expensive products. Not so, home made foods are always better. Just watch the salt and sugar content. Baby's don't need alot of salt or sugar generally.
You can start serving this liver with baby's other foods but I find a hungry baby usually likes it. Experiment. Research foods to find their iron content. You may also want to try ground flaxseed which has iron and omega 3's and other essentials. Start out with small amounts to see how your baby tolerates it. It is great for keeping constipation away.
I feel sorry for baby's whose poo comes out in little balls. That is a definite indication the baby is constipated and needs more water and/or more laxitive types of foods.
If you are vegetarian it is a little more complicated because of the nuts and alergy issue. Once again, find out which vegetables have more iron content, brocolli is one.
I ground up sunflower seeds with raisins and gave that as a suppliment to other healthy foods. Later when my child was going to kindergarten and on, I put little baggies of mixed sunflower seeds, raw almonds, raisins and other dried fruit in her pockets so she could just reach in and eat a bit often.
Good Luck

Hi,

You shouldn't need to give your son an iron supplement. The iron fortified cereals are great(most baby cereals are iron fortified). The ped. should do a blood test at his nine months to test for iron. If they don't, I would ask for one. We found out that my daughter was anemic at nine months and had to give her a supplement until her 15 month check up. I think the reason why she was anemic was because I was giving her too much formula(she weaned herself at 7 months). The iron makes the teeth a bid yellow but it is very easy for the dentist to clean it off so it isn't any big deal.

I'd be careful with the iron supplements unless your pediatrician has told you your baby needs it. Too much iron can cause horrible constipation issues. I'd ask your doc and go from there.

Hi E..
The iron in cereal, formula, and other foods is enough for your baby unless his pediatrician has told you that he needs a supplement. If babies overdose on iron, it is poisonous and can be fatal. Ask his doc if you think he should be tested for iron deficiency if you believe it's low.

I gave my son his iron vitamins in his juice when he was old enough for a sippy cup. Are you breast feeding? Because if you are as far as I know they don't need the extra vitamins yet. Even if you are doing formula you can do formula with iron. I also have a 9 month old baby girl. My peds doctor has not given me the vitamins yet. But try adding them to something he eats my son never seemed to notice!

Hi E.,

Lots of great advice here, all right on. Are you supplementing because your ped. told you too? If so, ask why. Unless your son in anemic it will only cause harm. Look for hard poops or even difficulty/stressing to have a BM as a very simple precautionary. Iron poisoning is very serious.

please do not give your baby anything with iron until you check with your pediatrician. Iron is not something to "add" in unless your doctor tells you to. It can easily build up in a baby/child with devastating consequences. L.

Hi E.
Your baby really should not need any kind of supplements. Too much iron or any vitamin could be bad for your baby. You should really talk to you doctor, they will have all the info you need.
Good luck!

Around 6-8 months most docs do a blood test to check iron levels. Unless that comes back low or your son seem anemic (weak, tired, pale) you shouldn't worry.

You can mix a flavored fruit with his food for better flavor. Maybe try something else for breakfast, they have cereal with banana and other flavors. Its been a long time for me.

Whether your son NEEDS the iron or not is up to you and your pediatrician, but all vitamins(with or without iron) taste the same...terrible. I found that putting the vitamins in a bottle w/juice, formula, or breastmilk help. You might give this a try. It helped with both my boys.

If he is eating the iron fortified cereal, whether he is brest fed or not, he is probably getting plenty of iron. Most formulas are iron fortified as well, if that's his case. You should not give an iron supplement unless your child is anemic and your Dr has recommended that you do. As far as the vitamins go, I always had luck putting it in a little juice or bottle of formula/breast milk. Good Luck!

I breastfeed and my pediatrician insists they need vitamins...Others say they dont. I tried that poly-vi-sol with my others and they hated it too. My older kiddos use Natures Plus brand vitamins called Animal Parade. They are made with whole food concentrates with no sugars and fillers. I started my baby on their Baby Plex vitamin. Its a liquid multivitamin liquid drop. Smells like oranges. Its also sugar free. For infants and toddlers. There is NO iron in it. My pediatrician recommends the Vitamin D for breastfed babies. BUT vitamin D is also absorbed from the sun. I buy mine at the Vitamin Store off of Elk Grove Blvd I think its Stockton Blvd I turn on and its in that small complex by Tuesday Mornings store.

first off, your pediatrician should be able to tell you if your son is low in iron. I wouldn't worry too much at this age. My daughter didn't even take to food until 9 months. There's a juice like supplement called floradix(I think its the name). I used is while i was pregnant. High in iron-sort of like prune juice. You could probably mix it in stuff.
Good luck. I wouldn't worry too much about it-especially if he's still breast feeding.

Hi.. You shouldn't need to give the supplement. Most docs will do a test for iron around 10-12 months and if he needs it then they will give him a prescription then. My twins didn't need it but my youngest had to go on iron for about 4 months until they retested her and she was fine. K. W

I had to give iron to my first and second child. My kids didn't eat as much solids as most babies of beginning eaters, so the doctor suggested I give them iron supplements. I believe they also had blood tests to see whether or not they needed it. I gave it to them by putting the dose into watered down apple juice. It worked better that way. I don't know of anything else that they can take.

I had a premature baby boy and he was given special iron drops that smelled and tasted awful. I told the doctor and they recommended this iron supplement called Icar. It is about $30 dollars but so worth it. I went to every pharmacy and could not find it or they did not know what it was. Finally walgreens new what it was and ordered it. It took about a week to get. My little boy takes it with no problems.

I would not supplement unless your pediatrician said it was needed, or your son was not eating anything with iron, (breastmilk, formula, or fortified rice cereal). Is he taking any of those others? Too much iron will constipate him, and he will be in a lot of pain. Be sure too that when you start giving anything iron fortified, that he get fluids. If it seems he is not "going" regularly or easily, when or if he is starting solids, you can give him a little pureed applesauce,or prunes.

I did not give vitamins to any of my children until they were around 2 or 3 which is when they go through that "picky eating stage".

unless your dr recommends iron supplementation, your baby should be fine, especially with fortified cereal in his diet, if he is breast fed, you pass on vitamins through you ad formula is also fortified. I would not worry unless your Dr. says he has a deficiency. I am a registered dietitian and supplementation in infants is not usually recommended

At 6 months old I am assuming you are either still breastfeeding and or formual feeding. Those 2 alone are enough to sustain a healthy diet for your infant. You do not need to add any suppliments at this point.
The rice cereal is great, you're doing fine. Trust your mommy instincts.

Hi E.,
We had to give our son liquid iron supplement for several months because he was a preemie. However, he generally spat it up. We had to mix it with breast milk in a bottle at a certain point to get him to take it. I don't remember what the name of the supplement was, but it smelled and apparently tasted bad, and it stained his clothes when he spat up -- that's all I remember. We stopped giving it to him before we were supposed to because he hated it so much and he was growing and developing well. We gave it to him for at least six months, but I don't remember the exact time line. I know they recommended the extra iron for our preemie, but I don't know if they do for term babies. You should ask your son's pediatrician. The only substitute we used was red meat (at a consistency he could handle) once he was ready for semi-solid food.

I would check with his MD. If you are giving him formula, or breast feeding, he is probably getting everything he needs. My son (now grown and the father of my granddaughter) was diagnosed with an iron deficiency when he was about a year old, and his doctor said it might have been from feeding him a formula with iron added when I weaned him. (my ex husband insisted!) Apparently too much iron is just as bad, or worse, than not enough.

Check with your physician, but what I learned was that as long as the infant is getting the iron enriched cereal or iron enriched formula that should be adequate. It's a concern for infants receiving mostly breastmilk.

Hi. My little man has been on prescription liquid vitamins since he was 3 months old. You should discuss with your prediatrician, only he can know if your child needs them or not.

Hi E.,

I have 3 children 13,5,3 and when we used the drops we always added it to their bottles. If you are nursing and your son is on cereal as you stated, you can try to mix it up with the cereal as well. I don't blame the little ones for sticking their noses up at the iron, IT STINKS!! But yes, it is important that they get it. Even if you have to give half the dose with one feeding and the other half in another feeding, you will at least know that he's getting it. It doesn't last forever, as they get older and are on more solid foods they will get their iron content in the form of their food.

I hope this helps!

M.

My son needed it when he was under 6 months old. I can't recall when he stopped taking it, but his pediatrician told me at a certain time that he no longer needed it. So your ped should be able to tell you when enough's enough.

Ya, I would'nt give an iron supplement unless my peditrician recommended it. Not to scare you, but iron overdose in children under 6 yrs. of age is one of the highest deaths in children. If your not sure about something, talk to your peditrician first. There great about answering any questions you have:)