What is it?
Iron deficiency means that you don’t have enough iron in your body. Iron is needed to make red blood cells that help carry oxygen around the body. If you are iron deficient, your blood can’t carry enough oxygen round the body to meet its needs, making you feel tired and lethargic
Iron is very important for babies. Up until the age of three, children have very high iron requirements because they are growing rapidly. If they don’t get enough iron, their health, behaviour and brain development can be affected.
Babies are born with a store of iron which runs out between 4-6 months. This is why introducing iron rich foods is important at weaning.
What causes it?
There are various causes of iron deficiency during infancy. These include:
- Your baby is over reliant on milk and only has few solids, especially if they don’t eat many foods that contain iron
- Your baby is moved onto cows’ milk when they are under 12 months of age. Cows’ milk doesn’t contain enough iron for babies under 1 year old. Cows’ milk is fine to use in cooking after 6 months of age, when you are weaning your baby but not as a drink
- Your baby only eats a few foods that are rich in iron, such as meat and fortified foods. Babies who are given vegetarian or vegan diets are more at risk of having a diet that lacks iron.
- In rare cases, iron deficiency can be caused by an underlying medical condition, such as Coeliac disease, which affects the body’s ability to absorb iron.
How is it prevented?
The main way of preventing iron deficiency is by including good sources of iron during weaning.
- Breastfed babies may need a supplement if they are severely lacking in iron. For example, a formula feed enriched with iron to be given in addition to breast milk
- Formula fed babies should be given a formula that contains iron
- For babies who are overly-dependant on milk, it’s best to offer milk after a meal instead of during, as it could fill them up before they finish their food
- Aim to give your baby a balanced and varied weaning diet, containing meat, poultry, fish, fruit and vegetables. For babies who don’t eat meat, ensure you include other iron-rich foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals, lentils and green leafy vegetables
- Include a source of vitamin C, such as orange juice, with iron-rich foods because it will help the body absorb iron from the food
- Don’t give young children tea and coffee to drink. This can stop the iron in food from being absorbed
- Follow on formulas such as SMA Follow On Milk are enriched with iron and suitable for babies from 6 months old.
Click here to read about SMA Follow On Milk
