low iron

[LuminosaJane]

I'm looking for some suggestions for feeding my 13mo dd iron-rich foods. She got her levels tested yesterday and is low in iron. We've done baby-led weaning and she eats a variety of foods, but now that she is walking, she is getting "too busy" to eat as much (especially to sit and eat).

So, how do you get nutrient dense foods into your toddlers? Anyone have any recipe suggestions for finger foods? Anyone do the Sears-style nibble tray? What do you put in it and what do you do about mess?

Today I cut up broccoli, mixed it with brown rice, hummus, corn and egg and made a patty for lunch.

Our ped suggested giving her 8 tablespoons of iron-fortified infant cereal a day. We've never given her cereal, and I'm not necessarily opposed to it, but she's used to a)feeding herself and b) more flavor c) getting "full" from a variety of foods (rather than just eating a bowl of mush). Any suggestions here?

[mckennasmomma]

red meat-hamburger/ground beef is easy for LOs
ground turkey
use blackstrap molasses for any sweetening
beans
baked potato with skin on

here is a link that interesting info on absorption inhibitors and enhancers:
http://www.healthcastle.com/iron.shtml

[BeanyMama]

sounds like you're making good iron-y lunch choices! making some cookies or muffins with black-strap molasses and her fortified cereals would be an iron-boost snack.

limiting her dairy will help her body absorb it much better.

[just_lily]

I chose to keep my DD on iron-fortified formula (we couldn't nurse, unfortunately). She is 17mo now, and we are on our last can. She only gets one bottle a day now, but it gave me peace of mind as she is just now starting to eat some meat.

[PAgreenmama]

dried apricots are actually a great source of iron and dd loves them! when she was younger i would boil them for a few minutes to make sure they were soft and then cut them up into bite sized pieces. now i just hand her the dried fruit... she does fine. it's a great healthy snack and it doesn't cause constipation!!

[fancyoats]

our go-to breakfast is oatmeal (high in iron) with raisins (high in iron) and molasses (high in iron) it's like a trifecta of iron-rich goodness!!

[tbone_kneegrabber]

cooking in cast iron pans