Does my baby need iron supplements?

The main symptoms are insufficient skin rosiness, pale face and lips, not lively enough. These children especially like to eat strange things, such as bark, sand, newspapers, raw rice and raw flour.

 Iron deficiency will affect the early intellectual development of infants, especially children’s attention and short-term memory. People with severe iron deficiency will be irritable and their IQ level will decrease.

It is difficult to see the symptoms of iron deficiency in the baby from the appearance. Therefore, it is recommended to all mothers that if the child has the above abnormal mental performance, he should go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination.

What are the causes of iron deficiency in babies

1. Babies are born with iron stored in their bodies. Because they grow rapidly, infants and toddlers need to absorb a lot of iron each day. Iron deficiency anemia most commonly affects babies 9 through 24 months old.
2. The iron content in breast milk and cow milk is relatively low. If feeding with milk alone and not adding supplementary foods containing more iron in time, iron deficiency anemia is prone to occur.
3. The faster the growth and development of children, the greater the iron requirement, and the more prone to iron deficiency. 
4. Iron deficiency anemia can also result from long-term diarrhea, intestinal malabsorption which can cause iron absorption disorders.

How to prevent infant iron deficiency anemia

1. Provide them foods with added iron, such as iron-fortified baby cereal, pureed meats and pureed beans. For older children, good sources of iron include red meat, chicken and spinach.
2. Check whether you have the cause of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia. If so, actively treat it to prevent the loss of iron in the body, thereby reducing the chance of iron deficiency anemia.
3. Women in pregnancy and lactation should pay more attention to iron supplementation and effective treatment is needed for pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia  to reduce the risk of neonatal iron deficiency anemia.

What is good for baby iron supplement

Iron supplementation for babies can prevent and treat iron deficiency  anemia by improving the child’s diet and increasing iron-rich foods. Here are some common iron supplement foods suitable for babies.

1. Animal liver is rich in various nutrients and can be processed into various forms of children’s food, such as liver puree, which is convenient for infants.
2. Although the iron content in lean meat is not too high, the utilization rate of iron is similar to that of animal liver.
3. Each 100 grams of egg yolk contains 7 milligrams of iron and are also rich in other nutrients.
4. Each 100 grams of soybeans and soybean powder contains 11 mg of iron.
5. Each 100 grams of sesame paste contains 58 mg of iron, and it is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, protein and fat.
6. Fungus and mushrooms are rich in iron. Aquatic products such as kelp and seaweed are also good foods for preventing and treating iron deficiency anemia in children.