Iron and the over 6 month old

[kfillmore]

I have been reading that once a BF baby is 6 month her need in for iron goes up. Even my BFing book says give iron fortified baby cereal. Well, what about if she doesn't eat solids for another month or two or very little anyway? What about iron? I have been esp. concerned becasue she is a big 6 month old and has two teeth already so perhaps she ALREADY is low on iron. We just went to Dr. he didn;t say anything but he expects me to start pureed food now. What should I do about baby's iron needs?

[PatioGardener]

Iron stores in baby are all about Mama's iron state during pregnancy, and when the cord was cut during birth. If cord cutting is delayed, baby's iron stores last much longer.

I'm a real believer in meat as a first food if baby is not vegetarian - so that's a great source of iron.

If I were really worried (anemic during pregnancy, preterm birth and/or immediate cord clamping), I'd test baby's iron before supplementing.

[annettemarie]

Moving to the general Breastfeeding forum

[kfillmore]

I was tested as anemic at the 28 week (? when you get the glucose test). I went right on iron suppliments.

[YummyYarnAddict]

The iron stores that a baby accumulates in utereo lasts approximately 6 months. This is influenced by whether or not a baby is born full term and when the cord is cut (if the cord is cut after it is done pulsing, the iron stores tend to be higher). The thing to remember is that the baby takes his/hers first, so the baby's iron stores can be -- but are not necessarily -- reflective of the mother's iron stores. I am significantly anemic as a matter of course, but particularly during pregnancy and neither of my kids have ever been anemic and both have been exclusive breastfed.

A baby doesn't require iron supplementation unless s/he is anemic, so the focus otherwise should be on a healthy diet. Meat is a great first food instead of fruits and vegetables. Ground or cubed or minced chicken or meats (depending on the baby's teething or eating ability) is a great source of iron.

[gen24]

When my baby was 6 months old, I really questioned the recommendation of giving highly processed fortified cereal as a first food. In fact, my baby has never had those kinds of cereal. I did a lot of research into this and to me, what made more sense was to give my baby natural sources of iron as a first food like meat and liver.

[Heba]

Originally Posted by gen24

I did a lot of research into this and to me, what made more sense was to give my baby natural sources of iron as a first food like meat and liver.

Absolutely! I really questioned this when my pediatrician (also an IBCLC) recommended this and told us to stop feeding our son powdered rice as was generally recommended, but having read up a bit it makes absolute sense. Although mainstream advice is slow to change, I think the message is gradually getting through that there is no real reason to give processed cereal and the like.

[Heba]

Originally Posted by kfillmore

What should I do about baby's iron needs?

Lots of lovely information here: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html