more iron for 1 yo?

[inky leeuhhh]

we were at the ped today, and she wants us to try giving dd more iron. she suggested a supplement, but wouldn't it be better to try and get it in through her food sources? she is still bf'd quite often (at least 5 x per day). . she does eat eggs, whole fat plain yogurt, bone broth with veggies (including leafy greens) pureed or just smashed together. also many types of beans and lentils and the like. i try to cook on our cast iron as well. what else can i give her to help her iron intake? since she is still bf'd so much, should i increase my own iron intake? or does it not pass well into breastmilk? and how do you all feed your toddlers meat? i'll admit ive been afraid to try it because she had a bad choking incident a couple months back (involved a penny, not even a piece of food). does it puree well, or is it ok to give shredded? dd is 13 months old. thanks everyone!

[cristeen]

At 13 months, I'd probably either go with something shredded that she can pick up herself, or something finely chopped (ever see those Chinese chefs with the double cleaver action?).

And I'd definitely go with meat over supplement if it's not an urgent problem.

[tanyalynn]

In moms who aren't deficient, iron in breastmilk stays pretty stable, and I'd say, if you _were_ that deficient that you could make a big difference by supplementing yourself, then your LO would be deficient enough to benefit from a separate supplement.

Was this based on any specific concerns, either about your dd's diet or her development, anything concerning about her health? Lacking any specific concern, I'd probably ignore it. Our pedi asks about calcium sources as a routine issue, totally ignoring all the other minerals out there that people are typically more deficient in (and ignoring vitamin D, sad to say). My experience with our family doctors is that they aren't the ones to ask for nutrition advice as a general rule.

[inky leeuhhh]

nope theres no specific concern. honestly, the whole rest of the appt went so well i wonder if she wasnt just looking for something to say, yanno? i think trying some chopped meats may be a good idea anyway, if only to try something new.