Should I be worried about iron issues?

[Denae524]

My dd had a well baby visit and during it she had an iron test done. Her levels are a teeny bit low. (10.5, should be 11) The ped made a big deal about it and how we needed to get iron into her via baby cereal or vitamins. Now my DD is 8 1/2 months but she just is not into food. She also will not take a bottle or a sippy cup. I tried to get the liquid vitamin into her alone but it was a disaster.

So my question to you is, should I be very worried about her iron levels? Is it important that I get iron rich things into her to bring it up? What can I do to get her to take the vitamin?

Thanks so much!

[Xerxella]

Essentially, no, you shouldn't worry. (At least, I wouldn't.)

First off, how was the blood drawn. Was it a finger prick or a draw from the arm? The finger prick gives notoriously low results.

Secondly, was your child born prematurely or with a low birth weight. These children are more at risk for low iron.

Third, actually, for a 6-12 month old the acceptable levels of iron are 10.5-14. Meaning, your child is within the acceptable levels.

Here's a great website: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

[Denae524]

Thank you for your response. It helped me to chill out a bit. I try not to freak out when it comes to what Drs say but she really did scare me there.