Seeking Advice to Boost My Toddlers Iron Intake

Feed her greens such as broccoli and spinach. I've never had the doc tell me my kids' iron is low, but I've always tried to feed broccoli at least 2 or 3 times a week. If she's not on solids yet, there is iron-supplemented formula too. Here's a pretty good link for you. http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/preventing_iron_...

My friend, Domenica Catelli, just wrote a cookbook - she's cooked for a lot of celebs. Her website is www.mom-a-licious.com

She has recipes on her website - it's all about fast, fresh and healthy - very family/kid friendly.

Hope this helps.

The answer is SPINACH, they have lots of iron in it.

I always buys spinach and cook it a little, then I add semame oil and salt. My daughter has loved it since she was 2.

Or else you can make it like a both, chopped up tomatoes, spinach, and egg and salt. It is good vitamins too.

You can also chop up the spinach, and melt it with cheese:
a dip.

Good luck,

A.

I would visit an NAET practioner. It stands for Namburipad's Allergy Elmination Treatment. My first born (now 8) had low iron as a baby. When I got pg again, my iron levels were so low (I wanted a homebirth and would not be allowed to have one if it stayed low) and the strong pills I were taking were not having any effect. I went to a friend who does NAET (they use muscle testing - which sounds weird - she asks my body questions and my arm is up... if the answer is yes, my arm looses strength and falls - all questions are asked mentally). Anyway, the answer that came up was that I was both ALLERGIC thus Deficient in iron. I couldn't absorb anything because I was allergic. Cure? Hold a vial of iron for 29 minutes against the skin, get a massage up and down the spine. THEN avoid all iron for 25 hours. I was re-tested 3 days later and my iron levels shot up! I doubt this was a coincidence (i.e., my iron pills finally working).
The benefit is that if you get NAET to clear any allergies while you are pregnant, the unborn child also is "cleared" from that allergy. Unlike my son, my daughter (now 3.5) had HIGH iron levels at 11 months! I was so thrilled.
You can find a practioner by checking the website.
http://www.naet.com/

I have recommended this to my friends online and many have used it for various ailments with great results. (Only one person complained it was a waste of money.) I had a friend whose newborn was allergic to COTTON! But it was cleared with NAET.

My daughter had a wheat allergy and instead of me breastfeeding and avoiding all wheat products for months, I got it cleared and there have been no problems.

My cousin was recently treated for low iron. None of the pills were working either.... let me finish later.... daughter just woke up.

Most doctors have not heard of this, or will think it's too "out there" but Dr. Christine Northrup mentions it favorably in her books.

Hi Mattie,

I don't know the answer to your question, but thought of a couple of things.... Crackers, cereal, breads all have lots of iron, so if she's not eating them on a regular basis, maybe that would help. Also, you could puree spinach and add a little bit to pasta sauce (virtually undetectable) or pureed beets and add them to pancakes (I've seen the recipe, but don't know how it tastes because my son won't eat pancakes... but they're pink!). You can find recipes and tips online I believe at www.thesneakychef.com or buy the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious". Those recipes do take a little more prep work than the typical lunch or breakfast, but are worth it if your child's iron levels are improved because of it!

Good luck and let us know how you do!
M.

It's so important to get the right amount of iron and vitamin C. Being deficient puts you at greater risk for lead poisoning.

Getting the iron through food is the best method. Green leafy vegetables, watermelon, and certain berries will help. We would grind up veggies and add them to different kinds of ground meat and we had no problems getting him to eat his "hamburger".

Checkout www.bluedominoes.com for recipes and the lead resources section that has info on iron and vitamin c.

Shaklee's organic LiquiLea is a liquid multivitamin plus iron. Here's a link: http://www.shaklee.net/healthyfriends/product/20070 Let me know if you'd like to try it for your daughter.

J.

The best sources for iron can be found in "whole foods" such as beans, dark green leafy vegetables, flaxseed, etc. Our bodies can absorb 100% of the iron from these "natural" sources, unlike a synthetic substitute. Omega 3 Basic is manufactured by a company called Designing Health (www.designinghealth.com) & is flaxseed+ (also contains blackstrap molasses, rice bran, alfalfa, etc.). This product can be found in most health food stores (Whole Foods, Wild Oats, etc.). You can sprinkle a little bit every day into your daughter's cereal or food & it will give her more than just iron. Omega 3's are lacking in our diets & promote brain, heart, joint, intestinal & immune system health. All of us would benefit by taking this on a daily basis. I also use & sell a product called Juice Plus+. It is vine-ripened fruits, veggies & whole grains (17) in a capsule, chewable & gummy. It is the most researched "whole food" nutritional product on the market today & has been published in 12 medical journals, so far. You can look into the product, research & doctors recommending it by going to: www.juiceplus.com/+sc57599. Dr. William Sears (pediatrician, author of over 36 books & health editor for "Parenting" & "Baby Talk" magazine) is a strong advocate of our product with his patients. He has his own website: www.askdrsears.com, which is a great resource you can go to for all kinds of parenting advice & tips. I hope this helps!

S.

The best iron supplement in my opinion is liquid Floradix Iron + herbs. It will really get her blood levels up in a jiffy. You will find it at any good vitamin store or health food store. Will not constipate, all food source, easily assimilated. I've used it for each pregnancy, around my period, and my sis uses it with her little girl since she was 1 for anemia. Good luck!
Also, see if she likes molasses! Figs are also very high in iron.

cook in cast iron skillets, it helps
also, dried apricots are high in iron
A.

Mattie,
Here are some foods rich on iron suitable for a 1 yr old: kelp powder -mix into a smoothie, molasses, millet cereal, almond butter (if no nut allergies in family, but stay away from peanuts until she's 3 or older), raisins (puree them with some other fruits or add to cereal, swiss chard, dandelion greens, lentils, green peas, brown rice, broccoli. Give her a vitamin C food at the same time as it increases absorption. Stay away from soy formula, soy milk and anything soy unless it's fermented, as the phytic acid in un-fermented soy inhibits absorption of iron. You may not be doing soy formula. I don't understand why anyone makes it or would recommend it for any baby as iron is so critical in their development. So - just a note in case you are. This could be why she is deficient.
Good Luck!
D.

Have not had this problem with my children, but I was a naive vegetarian in high school and my early 20's and was constantly anemic until I learned how to increase my iron intake with my food.

More meat (lean red meat), beans and leafy greens. Spinach is especially high in iron. Also, vitamin C intake has to be adequate for iron to even be absorbed. So make sure she is eating plenty of fruits and vegetables rich in C.

Check out www.foodnetwork.com for some recipes. You can search by the ingredient type. And here's one of my family's favorite recipes highlighting spinach:

Spinach & Chicken Risotto

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1- inch pieces
1 cup superfino Arborio rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups fresh spinach washed well and dried with paper towels to remove excess water
1/3 cup fresh mushrooms, washed & sliced (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions:
1.Heat sauté pan with olive oil. Add chicken and sprinkle with seasoning.
2.Sauté chicken on all sides, until no longer pink in center. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
3.Add spinach, mushrooms, rice and liquid to rice cooker bowl and turn to COOK mode.
4.When unit switches to KEEP WARM, stir in chicken and cheese.
5.Replace lid and let rice steam for another 5 minutes on Warm setting.
6.Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

If you don’t have a rice cooker, when the recipe says to add everything to the rice cooker bowl, just put it in a saucepan on the stove and let the liquid come to a boil. Then turn the flame down, cover the pan and let it simmer until the liquid is gone. Then add the last ingredients and cook just until the chicken is warmed back up and the cheese melts.

Try feeding her Cream of Wheat, it has tons of iron and its pretty kid friendly

I know it feels like you are labeled a horrible mother because her iron is low. You are not a bad mother at all. It happened to me with my daughter when she was about 18 months. It wasn't low for long. It didn't take long at all to get it up. My daughter already liked veggies (which all green ones are high in iron). It doesn't matter if you do fresh necessarily or not - she will be getting more and getting her levels up. The drops are a Godsend for sure. Within a week my daughters levels were fine and we kept up with the drops until they were gone (one bottle). She never had another problem and she is almost 14 now. Good luck and God Bless You!

Good morning Mattie,

Let's get back to some of the old-time remedies. First, my Grandma gave everyone raisins for snacks several times a week since they are high in iron. Do remember that fresh fruit can cause some loose stool if the person isn't used to lots of fruit in their diet. Second, spinach is also high in iron. Most people don't like it mushy (cooked), but if you wash fresh spinach well to get the sand off, it is great in a salad or as the "lettuce" in a sandwich. For now, since you said your daughter is only a year old, I would get her to eat the Gerber's baby spinach, or if she is well into solid food, try a little fresh steamed spinach. Third, if you are a cook, then you should have time to prepare dishes that can be done in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Contrary to popular belief, the small amount of iron that exudes into the food from the skillet doesn't harm you. My own mother is a living testamony to that fact. She is going on 88 years young. Most of the old "houswives" remedies are skoffed at by the medical profession, but our family has spent relatively little time at the doctor's office for ill health. I tend to feel that some of these less intrusive dietary measures are better for our children than always "popping pills" that may lead to an overdose. Please do remember that iron can be toxic, so a gradual increase may be better for her little body. Good luck!

M.

Molasses is high in iron and delicious. Though I do my best to stay away from sugar, I take it as a supplement.

Both of my sons were low in iron and I just gave them lots and lots of Cheerios. They got tired of the plain Cheerios, so I switched to Honey Nut Cheerios. They love it! Both of their iron levels increased to the normal range. Hope this helps! Good luck!

We do a "green drink" each morning. We put juice, frozen fruit, and a huge handful or two of spinach in the blender. It tastes just like a fruit smoothie - the spinach is NOT noticible, but has a high iron content. My kids love them (they are 3.5 and 2 years old). You might give it a try. Good luck!

If you want to increase her iron absorption, make sure that she drinks orange juice with meals, give her plenty of red meat, cereals (dry without milk), and cream of wheat. All these are naturally high in iron. The vitamin C in the orange juice increased iron absorption and makes it easier for the body to receive it. Drinking milk with meals inhibits iron absorption and makes it so the body cannot absorb the iron. Just changing those few things will help your daughter increase the amount of iron her body absorbs. However, have her blood checked after a few months, because you don't want her to get too much iron. That leads to difficulties also. I forgot to mention that it is the calcium the inhibits iron absorption, so the yogurt, even though the company adds iron to it, also inhibits the body from absorbing the iron as it has calcium in it. Drink your milk products (including nursing) 2 hours before or after your meal with iron in it. Consume vitamin C within the 2 hour timing.

I know this works because I have too much iron in my body and I have to do the opposite.

My son Jacob also had this problem about the same time. I found that Ovaltine as a treat or once a day helped. Of course green vegetables are great and apricot nectar had it when I was trying to get Jacob's iron level up. They seem to like the taste of te apricot and who doesn't like chocolate Ovaltine! Good luck.

B. M.

Molasses is the best sourse of iron, being sweet, is another advantage of it for kids. Try to find organic though.

L. Nerus LAc

Hi Mattie,
I suggest you cook pinto beans and/or lentils, they have a lot of iron. Just boil a little every day and include any of them on her daily diet for a month. These are great food, healthy and it'll help her. To avoid the discomfort of gas for you little, put them on water overnight and then cook them in the morning. Don't worry,she'll be great very soon! Good luck! A.
PS don't buy the canned ones, natural is better.

First off, you don't say if your daughter's iron was checked with a blood test or finger stick. My daughter's iron was "low" with a finger stick but when I saw her pediatrician and did an actual blood test, her iron was fine. The Ped said that the finger sticks are often unreliable in determining iron levels.

BUT before we saw the Ped for her "low iron", I tried to feed her more foods with higher iron content. A few posts below me gave you great advice on iron rich foods (like broccoli etc) but in packaged snacks like applesauce, peaches, yogurt, I checked labels and found that some have a higher iron content than others.
Also my daughter loves to snack on cheerios. The new Whole Grain cheerios have 100% iron in them (the regular have 45%) and I started buying those for her instead of the regular cheerios to snack on.

Hi,
I myself have to take iron. I am anemic from having a blood transfusion two years ago. I actually have a prescription for liquid Iron that i just put in with a glass of OJ every morning. I was told that OJ helps absorp it better. My husband also makes fresh juices with spinach, and kale. Green leafy vegies are very high in iron. As well as red meat. I also take a multi vitamin. You can also google foods righ in iron, I found many websites with recipes as well as great suggestions. Hope that that this helps. Good luck to you.

Teff, from the healthfood store, is a whole grain with tons of iron. Make it like cream of wheat, but cooked longer.

Iron is a tough one as some foods high in iron are difficult to digest and not exactly toddler friendly. My daughter has not had a problem with iron levels, but I give her a teaspoon of black strap molasses in her milk, or chocolate milk as it tastes better to her that way. I myself take a TBLS in milk at night. It is extremely high in iron and much easier for the body to digest this way. You can find it in most heath food stores but it has to be black strap. It is a very natural source of iron and a very complete one if you are able to get her to acquire the taste, I am lucky, my daughter likes it and is just used to it and I personally love the taste of molasses and milk. Good luck:)

Hi Mattie,First of all, you don't want to start medicating your little girl, increase foods that are fortified with iron, raisens are very hi in iron, also you can give her iron fortified pedi a sure, it's for kids that don't eat right, and lets face it most kids don't. Low normal, the word normal would be enough to keep me from medicating my child, we aare an all natural cure family, we don't use medications, their just not good for you, they fix one this and mess up something else. Hope this helps. J. L

My toddlers loved raisins. They're high in iron (& other nutrients) and fun to eat.

Hi Mattie:
A lot of lentils and beans, (soups or puree with cheese). They are great source of natural iron.

Good luck

M.

ok, here's what i've always done and i love it. i make omlettes, twice baked potatoes, chicken pillows, pasta, just about anything and i cut up (spinich, greens, sometimes peppers of all colors, tomatoe, whatever crazy veggies the kids don't like into tiny pieces and fill it up. if they're really picky i tell them it's seasoning. they know now that i do that and even ask me to so they get their vitamins, etc. but don't have to taste it. just research a bunch of iron rich veggies and tuck them in EVERYTHING!!! : )
even can mix stuff with mayo and spread it on a sandwich, they'll never know ; )

Hello my son was very anemic for a while...the Dr told us that whenever we gave him an iron rich food (red meat, iron fortified cereal, etc....) to make sure we paired it w/vitamin c to help absorb the iron!! I never knew that. So for example she said if we were feeding tacos, to put a lot of tomatoes on there....or spaghetti w/ground beef the spaghetti sauce has vitamin C. Cereal or eggs for breakfast has iron, but make sure you serve it with orange juice. Things like that, we made sure we stuck to that and in a couple of months his blood counts were great!!

top ten iron rich foods

· clams, cooked, 3 oz (23.8 mg)
· tofu, 1/2 cup firm (13.2 mg)
· raisin bran, ready-to-eat, 3/4 cup (4.5 mg)
· sirloin steak, cooked, 3 oz (2.9 mg)
· shrimp, cooked, 3 oz (2.6 mg)
· black beans, boiled, 1/2 cup (1.8 mg)
· chickpeas, canned, 1/2 cup (1.6 mg)
· turkey breast, 3 oz (0.9 mg)
· bread, whole wheat, 1 slice (0.9 mg)
· chicken breast, skinless, 1/2 breast (0.9 mg)

Food
Serving Size
Iron Content (mg)

Cereal, ready to eat, fortified
1 cup
1 to 16

Clams, canned
1/4 cup
11.2

Beef liver, fried
3 oz
5.3

Braunschweiger
2 oz
5.3

Molasses, blackstrap
1 tablespoon
5.0

Baked Beans
1 cup
5.0

Oysters, cooked
1 oz
3.8

Baked potato, with skin
1
2.8

Soup, lentil and ham
1 cup
2.6

Burrito, bean
1
2.5

Soup, beef noodle
1 cup
2.4

Rice, white, enriched
1 cup
2.3

Poptart, fortified
1
2.2

Ground beef, lean
3 oz
1.8

Apricots, dried halves
10
1.7

Spinach, frozen
1/2 cup (fresh=1 cup)
1.5

Bread, whole wheat
1 slice
1.2

Broccoli, fresh cooked
1/2 cup
0.7

Egg
1
0.7

Also:

Vitamin C enhances iron absorption from plant sources -- drink orange juice with iron-rich foods.

Tea with meals can act as an iron blocker.

Other iron blockers include carbonates, oxalates, and phosphates. Foods that contain these iron blockers include, cranberries, rhubarb, spinach, and soda

I got this off of a website meant specifically for people with iron deficiency. I know you're baby can't eat all of these things, but there are some that I'm sure she can. Plus, it's always nice to know this for future reference.

Cream of Wheat sells an Iron fortified instant cereal you might want to try and other child-friendly foods high in iron are raisins and sour cherries. good luck.

My daughter had the same issue and her pediatrician recommended Enfamil PolyViSol with Iron multivitamin. They smell pretty strong and the only way to get her to take them is to hide them in yogurt so I figured I'd try to hide a few other things in there while I was at it. I know you probably think I'm crazy, but it makes me feel better to give this to her since she boycotts most veggies and rarely will drink milk now. The yogurt/banana/applesauce combo is so sweet that it masks the taste of the vitamins and other stuff.

1 Yobaby yogurt (I usually try to get the one with cereal added b/c it has DHA)
1/2 mashed banana
1/2 container organic, unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. wheat germ (I call it sprinkles)
1 tbsp. pureed broccoli or kale/peas and/or sweet potatoes or carrots
1 squirt Enfamil PolyViSol with Iron multivitamin supplement drops
1/2 teas. Children's DHA Omega-3 suppplement (strawberry flavored Nordic Naturals brand - from Whole Foods)

Mix all together and I usually give her a few Kashi crackers or honey whole wheat pretzels to dip in it b/c I feel sorry for her being so good natured about eating this crazy green speckled concoction.

I've also read that it's good to give your child vitamin c when they're having something with iron in it b/c it helps with the absorption of iron. Foods that have a lot of iron include meat, poultry, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ, lentils, quinoa, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, cashews, chickpeas, tofu, etc. There's a good book called "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron that gives a lot more detail.

Hope this helps!
L.

My second son needed iron. I gave them both Poly Vi-flor with iron. These foods are rich in iron. Oatmeal and cream of wheat would be where to start first. Then Canalope is good source of iron. Broccoli is good too. I would also give him liverwurst. You can buy it at any grocery store. Just spread it on a ritz cracker. Its very good.
Stay away from processed foods. Fast Food restaurants do not give any real nutrition to there foods.
I would also reccommend to Google foods high in Iron.
Good Luck. It will all be fine.
N.

well, my son has to take iron too.he is 6. i dont really like the idea of giving it to him. so i try to give him lots of green vegies and meat. thats what my doctor suggested. i dont know if that helped much, but thats all i got. :)

Hi Mattie,

I am a Nana for a 3 year old grandson and a 15 month old granddaughter. They like to eat Cheerios and Kix, as well as Yogurt. The doctor told my daughter that the iron is on the high side because of eatting cereal. So try them, leave a small bowl out for them to munch on during the day time.
It did work for my kids.

J.

Green leafy vegetables!!! Kids love cheese with everything-try giving her melted cheese on brocolly, melted cheese with spinach it's really good but does not look good-kids really like it when they actually taste it! Also try juicing-broc. w/green apples and call it iguana juice! Company Shakley (?) puts out an iron supplement which helped me with one of my kids who had low iron and she also liked the stuff- most kids do not -I know I don't!!! But it is GREAT for when kids are low iron you just have to be careful not to give more than 1 tsp. at a time because it will cause them to throw it up- it is strong stuff!! Good luck......
J. from Alta Loma

Black strap molasses would be a great iron source.

We had the same problem with my daughter at the age of 6 months. My daughter was strictly breast-fed and her iron test came back slightly low. Our Pedi recommended that she also use the Ferinsol drops daily. However the first time I gave it to her she instantly threw up! I thought it couldn't be that bad so I put a drop in my mouth and I couldn't believe how BAD it was! There was no way I was going to make my little girl take that every day. We decided to enrich her diet with a lot of iron rich foods. There was no problem the next time we had the test. Do a google about finding a list of iron rich foods!

Shredded wheat! our pediatrician recommended that for our daughter. I hope your little one can take it, if not, maybe crush it in rice cereal or something.. It worked for us. even the coated one is ok

Black beans. My son loves them. Then again, he's been eating black beans since his 7th month. Anyway, Iron and fiber with this one. You can pair it with white rice for a simple and tasty meal. I usually do veggies too. You can get canned. I make them from scratch with a pressure cooker but canned works just as well. Something that is quite tasty is black beans and beats. Yeah, I know it doesn't sound that good but mix it up with the rice. Yummy!

Mattie,

Have her start drinking orange juice or eating an orange around the time you give the iron. Avoid dairy products around the time you give her the iron or iron rich foods. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, dairy prevents it from absorbing. You could also switch to using cast iron pans. That adds iron to everything you cook.

:-)T.

I have the same issue...my miracle cure...Malt O Meal...she loves it...sometimes we eat it twice a day.....I add a little of everything on top like blueberries, walnuts, chopped bananas, etc....I add just a little honey for sweetness....and I give her a chewable multi vitamin w/iron about every 3 days ...any more than that and she gets constipated....hope that helps...

my daughter is 3 and isn't terribly interested in food

Egg Yolk! My daughter had low iron level before she was 1 year old (I can't remember exactly when), and the doctor said she would be on supplements if she tested low at the next check up. I gave my daughter egg yolk a few times a week (since she wasn't allowed to have egg whites yet), and her level was fine at the next check up. At this young age, they can have more egg yolk than an adult. I hope it helps!

Hello Mattie

My toddler had the same problem and BLUEBERRIES were one thing I gave him, he loved them and they helped- they are full of iron.

T.

There are natural sources, try adding some molasses to her foods, raisins, prunes, dark leafy greens...just google foods with iron, she'll absorb it better and it won't be hard on her system. The synthetic iron is risky and all you are going to find in a supplement.

Hi, Mattie, I've had the same low/normal iron levels my whole life. Apparently my iron levels are not low enough to be of medical concern, but I have been a low energy person my entire life, despite an extremely healthy diet and daily exercise. I only resort to iron supplements when absolutely necessary. As you know, besides stomach upsets and constipation, iron can be dangerous when taken in too large doses. I have tried to supplement my diet with dried prunes and apricots, cream of wheat (40 % of daily recommended iron intake), and maybe steak twice a month. I also discovered that Kellogs Frosted Mini Wheats have 90% iron daily values and this is a great kid friendly food. All dark leafy greens contain iron as well as all dried beans and peas. Once your daughter hits her menses, her iron levels may drop even lower at this time of the month - something to watch for ... Best wishes, S..

Mattie-

You can buy over the counter vitamins with extra iron, I believe. It would at least be one extra way for her to get some iron. Good luck.

S.

My son also tested low on iron at 12 months. We gave him a pediatric supplement, but also we were advised by our pediatrician's office as to what foods are high in iron, like dandelion greens, iron, cooked collard greens, beans (especially lima), prunes, raisins, wheat germ, mustard greens, mushrooms, spinach, and peas. Walnuts are very high in iron, though you obviously wouldn't want to give your daughter whole nuts--just as walnut milk or maybe butter. Pecans and almonds are high in iron, too.

Green vegis such as spinach and broccoli are high in iron and are a great additive to the liquid iron. My son had low iron once upon a time and I found that he really likes spinach and broccoli so each time I cooked it in different ways so it wouldn't become boring.

That also happened to my daughter. Her doctor gave us a list of foods she can eat that are rich in iron. One thing my baby liked was Yobaby yogurt with iron. we also started feeding her more chicken and beef (shredded). If your baby is okay with fish, try salmon. We also gave her avocados (which she loves!). Hope this helps :)

Hi: To build blood try this old remendy: You buy large bones and real good hamburger, really good liver,really good roast with bones. You might want to get organic liver. You take these meat products add vegtables and perhaps greens swiss chard, spianch any greens have alot of iron. Then cook this down. Throw (ouch) away the meats after everything is cooked out of it. Then you have this really strong broth. Freeze it in ice cubes, It will make alot try to give your child this broth every two or three hours what ever you can get them to drink. You can add a little salt. This has really worked on people blood count who is really low to almost double in a week. This works and it is something in your grocery store, it is just a little expensive to make.

So much good advice. I like all of the suggestions for natural remedies... Leafy greens, kids like them even when limp and mushy. Raisins for snacks and I have always cooked all my meals in cast iron. You get just the right amount of iron and you don't have to worry about whether your child will take the liquids. I loved the idea of "Green Eggs". You can serve this and read "Green Eggs & Ham" at the same time. As she gets older you could say you're cooking a goumet meal of Eggs Florentine!

Is your baby breastfed? This is VERY common in breast fed babies (iron is checked at the 12 month or the 15 mon doc visit depending on the doc) Unless your child is symptomatic (i.e. lethargic, very pale, tires really easily) I would do nothing...most cases rectify themselves as the child eats more varied table food...

I would suggest stopping the iron supplement and increasing her intake of dark leafy greens

-L.

We solved that problem easily with Cream of Wheat and/or Malt o'Meal. Check out the nutrition information on the box! Amazing!

Best wishes,

M.

Watermelon, it is rich in iron and it is the source that hits your blood stream the fastest. M.

Was the iron test just the finger prick test or an actual blood draw? My daughter had one that came back low (got me very concerned, and was giving her fergensol etc too) but I pushed to retest her after only 3 weeks rather than the typical 3 months. The 1st test was the finger prick test, done by not her normal pediatrican. The 2nd was a blood draw. The draw revealed completely normal levels of iron -- or in other words, if I continued giving her iron supplements, she'd be getting too much! I asked her doc about it and the response was that the finger test can be very unreliable, especially if the nurse performing it isn't very skill and squeezes too much - that apparently gets too much fluid from the surrounding tissue and diffuses the blood and results in a false low reading.

Obviously, if she had a good reliable test and is low, then yes you want to feed her high iron foods. Also be cautious with regards to cows milk. Cows milk actually removes iron from us during digestion, so too much can deplete iron.

Mattie,

My daughter had levels that were on the low end of normal and I was told to use the polyvisol with iron. Spinach is good and you can try making a puree with the spinach and adding it to brownies or things like that to disguise it. My kids refuse to eat spinach or brocoli unless I hide it.

My middle daughter had the same condition and I just gave her more iron rich foods which worked fine. liver, beans, spinach, iron fortified cereal, black strap molasses is also really good I mixed in her her hot cereal instead of sugar). She has since out grown the anemia but I still make sure the whole family eats lots of iron rich foods.

My pediatrician gave me a list of foods to try and then scheduled a recheck of her iron count after 6 weeks, it had come up but was still a little low so we did the same thing for another 6 weeks and it was fine.

Good luck,

A.

Go to www.askdrsears.com you'll find a very extensive list of iron rich foods!

Yo-Baby (organic yogurt made with whole milk) has some yogurt with cereal and fruit mixed in. It has 45% DRI of iron. I feed it to my 14 month old almost every day and she loves it. Also, baby cereals have a lot of iron if your baby is allergic to milk or something. Good luck! :)

Hi mattie,

I am very anemic myself. Iron supplements are very damaging to the intestines, I can not tolerate them well at all. They make me VERY queasy. I just recently discovered dessicated liver powder. I bought tablets at whole foods. I am digesting them very well and am already feeling better. After all, animal iron is the most easily digested and liver is the most iron rich part.

L.

My doctor told me I was anemic when I was pregnant with my son but the iron pills made me throw up. After 6 months of morning sickness I wasn't about to put up with that again! I was told that Chlorophyll supplements will help the body to produce more iron naturally which sounded better to me anyway. I took those instead and as far as I know everything was fine...and I felt better too! They come in a gel form so for a toddler you could puncture it and squirt the juice on whatever she eats...

Black strap molasses!!! Full of iron , calcium, copper and potassium. I take it because I am a vegaterian and my kids also take it. I sneak it into thier food. You can make cookies with it or bread. Mix it into a shake or take it plain. Try it.

I puree spinach and beat it into scrambled eggs. My daughter is so used to green eggs that one day when I was out of spinach and made regular scrambled eggs, she almost didn't eat them. I even eat the green eggs myself - they are pretty good.

There is something called "Poly-Vitamin" drops, WITH iron. It is a prescription from the Pediatrician. Both my children took this, and my son still takes it.

Has your Pediatrician suggested anything for your daughter? Perhaps look online for recipes? Here is a link:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&a...

I would check to see if your child is/should be taking the Poly-Vitamin drops.

Good luck and take care,
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

Here is an article from the askdrsears web site...I hope this helps

K.

If you can give her organic spinach in some form like blended in the blender with some fruit juice, that is a high source of iron. There are other natural sources you can google and find by putting in "sources of natural iron in foods". Those medical prescriptions are sometimes not natural and have undesirable side effects.

Best to you.
C

Hi Mattie,
I'm not sure if you've heard of a fruit juice called Monavie, but it is loaded with 19 different fruits from all over the world. The daily serving would cover 8% of the daily required amount of iron, but also give her all she needs in the way of fruit requirements each day. Dark green and leafy veggies are a high source of iron as well as baked potatoes. Best of luck to you!
S.

My 18 month old son was anemic at his check up. Oatmeal is a great source of iron. I cook the oats in soy milk (which is also high in iron), sprinkle in a little cinnamon, add a little honey and some raisins (raisins are also high in iron). The result is a delicious meal that is very high in iron and the whole family loves it. I usually make enough to save as leftovers and reheat later. My son also loves to snack on raisins, so I let him as much as possible. Cheerios are also high in iron and he likes to snack on those, too. I tried mixing a little soy milk with his regular milk, but he noticed it and wouldn't drink much at all - you could try that with your daughter, though. I also gave him chicken, which I have been told is a good source of iron. Two months later, we had him re-checked and his iron level is perfectly normal!

Dear Mattie,

I have struggled with low iron all my life so I have some tips to share with you. Blackstrap molasses 1tsp added to milk tastes good and contains iron and b bitamins. B 12 and b complex are essential in red blood cell production. Raisins are also a good choice for kids. Most of all i recommend that you go to your nearest Henry's store, whole foods (that type of store ) and buy or order the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing. This book is a Godsend for families and describes vitamins, herbs and foods for all health conditions. Good luck and God bless!