Iron Supplement for Baby

I have a 10-month-old breastfed baby who was also diagnosed with low iron at her 9 month doctor visit. What I learned is that the baby gets iron from the breastmilk for about 6 months and then it runs out somehow. That I don't understand.

I had been giving her Enfamil PolyViSol every so often for the Vitamin D but was not very diligent. If you read that label , you will find that it does NOT contain iron. You will need to go to the pharmacy and get Ferrous Sulfate Drops (ask the pharmacist). They are over the counter and do not need a prescription. And they cost about $4.00. My baby hates the taste. She gets one dropper with breakfast. We are going in for the follow-up blood test this week.
Get the drops. Once your baby's diet include more iron from meats, etc. you probably won't have to worry about it. Good luck!

The baby Poly something or that Enfamil Tri stuff is what they are talking about.

It was recommended I should give my daughter a vitamin or iron supplement not because she was low iron just because but the brown stuff was so awful I never did. My daughter was a HUGE meat eater at around 1 year and still is so she's never had "low iron" problems at all. Will your son eat meat? That's another solution.

Hi A.,
You might get a second opinion about needing iron. If you're still breastfeeding (several times a day?) and your baby is eating solids, he might be better off with meat and green leafy veggies being added to his diet. Why does just one of your twins need iron? Check with a local La Leche League Leader and also another Nurse Practioner or MD - iron drops are nasty and can cause horrible constipation...
Good luck!
Sue

I agree with Becky W. It is much better for your baby to get iron from breastmilk and the foods he is eating.

If the iron seems dangerously low, you could increase iron and vitamin C rich foods (vitamin C helps the body absorb iron). There are many foods that are high in iron besides meats (like beans, dark green vegetables, seaweed, etc.) Chlorophyll is also really great for iron. You can get it as a liquid and mix it with water or juice. Floradix makes an herbal iron supplement which is much more easily absorbed than the supplements from the pharmacy.

I too was breastfeeding my baby and was told that he needed an iron supplement. The product that you mentioned was the one that we used. Eventually, I switched my son to formula, and then the MD said that we no longer needed to provide a supplement b/c the formula is iron-fortified.

My doctor gave us the same advice for each of our children, now ages 4 and nearly 2. As a baby, my son took the drops twice and no more, and my daughter only once. They are just awful, taste and smell horrible. You have the right stuff; the dosage sounds really high.

If low iron is a problem and your son is starting to eat solids, maybe try to find fortified dry cereals (i.e. cheerios), iron-fortified baby cereal, and other foods (finely chopped up broccoli, meats, cheese - I used to use a food chopper on meats, so they were like fine powder, then feed with a spoon) that can provide that amount of iron without the yucky drops.

It says you're breasfeeding, but maybe for one meal or snack during the day you can use an iron-fortified formula? For other vitamins, you could try soy milk. Both of our kids drink it, and our ped. said they don't need a multi-vitamin.

You might want to check with your dr. again just to be sure you got the right info. Too much iron can be harmful.

Good luck!

Why do they need an iron supplement? If they are breastfed, thier body is able to absorb all the iron they are getting. Giving them more iron will only make thier body flush it out.