16 Month with Low Iron

I have read that iron deficiency anemia in kids can be caused by drinking too much milk. I also think that if dc is overly sensitive to milk, any amount of milk can contribute to it.

From http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007134.htm
"An iron-poor diet is a common cause of iron deficiency. Drinking too much cow's milk is a common cause of iron deficiency in young children because cow’s milk contains little iron and can get in the way of iron absorption. Cow's milk also can cause problems in the intestine that lead to blood loss and increased risk of anemia."

This is the first time I have ever posted a response. I am a mother of 2. Son, 13 and daughter, 3. I come from a family of 6 chidren. My advice for low iron has been passed down through generations (at least 3 anyway, LOL) of my family. A tablespoon of pure black strap molasses mixed with a cup of milk. It has worked for us. Some doctors may not think there is truth to this method, but it can not hurt in anyway to try this. Molasses wil not hurt you :o) The taste is similar to chocolate milk. It has worked for me personally when I have bordered on anemic, it can't hurt to try. I too, have experienced stomache pain, and also constipation from iron pills. Plus molasses is generally cheaper than iron supplements. Hopefully this is helpful to you. Oh, and as for getting your son to eat more, if he is otherwise healthy don't worry about how much he is eating (or in your case how little) kids will eat when they are hungry. My kids have both had days when it seems they eat non stop and days when they seem to not eat at all. It sounds like you are making healthy food choices and as long as the food is always offered he will eat if he's hungry (repititon!) Congratulations on the decision to breastfeed, it's a personal choice, but having breast fed both of my children I have had to deal with lots of negative attitude from non-breastfeeding people. But from a very wise woman (my grandmother) came this advice; as long as you aren't going to kindergarten at snack time, don't worry about it. My son was 23 mths and my daughter 14 mths when I stopped. Good luck with everything!

hello, I know your frustration about a child not eating. My little girl (13 months) is more of a drinker than a eater so we blend up fruits and making a smoothie. When she had low iron I was given a brochure on what foods to feed her. They say to eat foods with iron and something with vitamin C. A list of food with
iron: beef, lamb, turkey, tuna, pork, veal, chicken, fish, shellfish, tofu, kidney beans, dried beans or peas, eggs, p.b., baked potato w/skin, dries apricots. peaches. and prunes, raisins, green peas, green(collards, kale), broccoli, whole grains, iron fortified cereals, bran muffins, oatmeal, rice, enriched pastas, flour tortillas, pita breads, and wheat germ.
vitamin C: orange juice, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit juice, strawberries, grapefruit, green peppers, raw cabbage, cauliflower, bake potato w/skin, broccoli, tomatoes, and tomato juice.
If you don't have enough iron in your blood you may be more likely to get colds and the flu, feel weak, tired and cranky, have pale or dry skin, be short of breathe, or have loss of appetite. Vitamin c helps your body use iron better.

I would try to see if he would try a smoothie even if it seems nasty you can always use another ingredient other than the ones listed with iron or vitamin c foods.
good luck.

Hi C..
Low iron is not the end of the world. I've been dealing with this all my life as a carrier of Thalassimia Minor. You may want to make sure your son is tested for this, especially if you or your husband are from mediterranean descent (italian, etc.). My body does not process iron so, if I take iron pills, I have digestive problems and headaches...sounds very similar to what your son is going through. My daughter likely has low iron as well, but I would never put her on an iron pill, especially if it caused noticable side effects.
We just eat healthier - lots of steamed leafy greens, etc.. No big deal. Low iron can result in some fatigue and I can't give blood at the blood drives, but it's never really been a problem. Relax and try not to push food on your toddler...you'll likely find that strategy will backfire in a boycott. Sneak in healthy foods where you can, mixed in with sweeter foods. Some weeks he'll do great and others not so good.
This week, my 22 mo. old prefers pretzels and handfuls of parmasean cheese. Last week, she only ate broccoli, carrots and dried fruits (talk about messy diapers!). My husband is a high-end organic chef and it drives him crazy! Keep in mind toddlers over 18 mo. get 80% of their nutrition from snacks (not meals!) so make sure you've got lots of fresh fruit and healthy finger foods on hand. Good luck!

I know its not exactly an organic food, but instant oatmeal is a great way to get a supplement of iron easily without the tummyache. I get cramps from taking the iron pills but have chronic low iron also. I don't care much for the taste of the oatmeal but it beats being sick and/or tired all the time. Regular oatmeal doesn't work, but instant oatmeal is iron fortified.

Will your son eat soup? You can hide alot of great veggies in soup. Anything he won't eat can be pureed into the broth. I start with a boxed broth, either chicken or vegetable (I use Imagine organic), then add whatever leftover veggies I have, beans-usually red. I keep frozen chopped spinach in the freezer to add. You can puree chickpeas (my husband doesn't like them) which will also thicken the broth a little. I add a can of diced tomatoes or puree and my "special" ingredient to counteract the acidity in the tomatoes, some cooking sherry. The alcohol will cook out. You can also add pasta or alphabets (TJoes sometimes sells them), rice. Soup can be anything you want. You can spice it with basil or one of my favorites, sage.

Also, I would advise you to contact your local La Leche League leader about the iron levels. They may have advice on how to keep your iron levels up in order to pass it through to your son. Some doctors don't always know all the benefits of nursing toddlers and they may give you conflicting advice.

Hope this helps.

Good for you for "extended" breastfeeding!! More and more studies confirm what all we bfing mamas always knew - it's just as good for them the second year as the first:)
Are you still taking some sort of vitamin like the prenatal you took? My son's iron was low and the pediatrician let me wait 6 weeks to improve my iron intake before checking again and starting a supplement. I ate more spinach and was diligent about taking my multivitamin and his count came up!
Good Luck:)

You've already had all these great responses! Another thing to consider is that iron levels can change day to day, week to week. He might have been having a "low iron" day anyway when it was checked. Having it rechecked in a few weeks might be worth it.

What was his iron? After my daughter was born, my iron/hemoglobin went from a 7 to an 11 in just 5 weeks, with no transfusion or iron suppliments (the suppliments were terrible!). And 11 seems to be my "normal" level. I think most doctors say 12 is the "cut off". Anyway, I eat the same diet as my husband and his "normal" reading is usually up around 17. So I do think everyone is different, and what may be normal for some is different than what's normal for others.

It's is rare for a breastfed baby to have low iron. His level should rise on it's own. I've also heard that too many dairy products can lower iron levels.

Good luck!

Check out this link on iron foods. It is suggested to increase vitamin C as well to increase absorption.

http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/PatientEd/Materials/PDF...

There are low-cost dried fruits by Fit & Healthy at Aldi's. I am not sure where else this brand is carried. They are about $1.25 per package. They have dried apricots, peaches, blueberries, mixed fruits, etc.

-S.

Since his iron levels are low now give him what he likes best until the doctor sees him again. You can eat iron rich foods so your breasmilk will be fortified with iron. Check with your doctor first, of course. Things like tofu, bran cereal, steak, black beans, chickpeas or hummus, turkey and chicken breast, whole wheat bread, baked potato, lentils, white rice, oatmeal. You can also try any of these foods with your baby. You can offer your baby bran flakes, which have a lot of iron. Almost al babies like dry cereal.

First, Iron will cause stomach pain and constipation. Please make sure he is not eating anything with calcium in it within an hour or so of taking it. Otherwise the body will not absorb the iron. It is very particular.

Have you thought about making your own dried fruit. If you get a dehydrater, it's not very hard and saves lots of money. Some other options is to put a little bit of green (preferably like spinach) in things or making casseroles with that in it to get him the extra iron.

Hope this helps. I have severe anemia and do not remember to always take my iron, so I make sure my diet has lots of green vegetables and when possible spinach (whether fresh or cooked).

Good luck, we have our son on liquid iron supplement only 2x's a day. So you may be able to check with the doctor on it being okay.

T.

My daughter's gastroenterologist also misinformed us about iron supplements... they do indeed irritate the GI system! They had our daughter on ferrous sulfate, and it was only making her colitis worse. Fortunately, I learned of a very gentle form of iron called ferrochel. It's iron chelated to an amino acid and there have been lots of studies published about it on www.pubmed.com. I'm surprised more doctors don't know about it. (I guess they don't get any kickbacks for prescribing it) You can get an OTC product called Carlson's chew iron. It's a grape flavored chewable tablet with 27 mg of elemental iron. I'd recommend that for your little one.

Also, take iron with vitamin C rich foods, and like the other moms said, avoid taking it with calcium.

Hi C., My family and I are drinking Mona Vie. It is 19 wild superfruits from around the world put together by world class docs, biochemists, etc. and a first class company. It's absolutely incredible and is safe for even babes. It would probably run you around $36 a month, if that, because babies don't need as much. Check it out at www.brighart.com or www.monavie.com. Call or email me at ###-###-####, ###-###-####, ____@____.com this helps. God Bless! N. Lurry

Natually Healthy Babies & Children by ROMM and THE ENCYCLOPEDIA of Natural Health & Healing for Children by Weber. You'll want to HAVE THESE ON HAD FOR LOTS OF RESOURCES. A couple of others that are on the "MUST HAVE LIST" for mom's is WHAT ARE WE FEEDING OUR KIDS by Jacobson and FEED ME I'M YOURS.

If the iron drops aren't working you just need to get him eating high iron foods. Leafy, green vegetables and lean, red meat are 2 good sources. Spinach, in particular is a great source of vegetable iron. If your son is picky, try The Sneaky Chef by Missy Lapine. She even sneaks spinach into cookies and brownies.

First off, it doesn't matter what your iron levels are. Iron is one thing that is not passed through breastmilk, or at least not in any decent levels. For the first 6 months after birth, babies live off the iron they have stored in their bodies from before birth. Those iron stores are depleted around 6 months old. That is one reason why doctors say to introduce iron-fortified cereal at around 6 months.

Now... as for baby. The iron supplements are good for him but they can irritate the stomach if there's not enough food in there. Just keep offering a variety of foods. It seems as though you are. As for the "enough" of anything, just remember a toddler's serving size. Just a few teaspoons is a serving size at that age. So if he eats 3 green beans he's gotten a good serving of veggies in. Now really liking veggies is pretty common at that age, just keep putting on his plate and eventually he'll start to eat them. Try to serve the iron rich foods like red meat and iron-fortified breads and cereals.