Iron And Your Child
So your child is low in iron, but what does this really mean? It means that your child is not eating enough foods with iron in them to keep his or her blood healthy. It usually takes months of eating a diet low in iron before it shows up as a low iron level in the blood.
Why Does a Child Get Low in Iron?
Sometimes it is because they are picky eaters. Sometimes they get too much junk food. Other kids don’t like to eat meat or just want to drink instead of eating. Some do not get healthy foods at regular meals. Other children are on the bottle too long.
What Can You Do?
- You can talk with the nurse or dietitian about any kind of feeding problem your child is having.
- You can take a look at how your child is eating to see what needs to be changed.
- Should your child be off the bottle?
- How about junk food?
- Are snacks too close to meals?
- You can make sure your child is getting regular meals that include some foods high in iron.
Foods that are High in Iron
Most healthy foods have small amounts of iron that add up. So eating foods from all the food groups is important. Some foods are especially high in iron.
Foods Highest in Iron:
- Pork
- Beef
- Beans
Other Foods with a Good Amount of Iron:
- Cooked dry beans and pork and beans
- Black-eyed peas and other dried or fresh peas
- Cereals
- Dry infant cereal
- Egg
- Mustard and turnip greens and spinach
- Molasses
- Prunes and prune juice
- Raisins
- Broccoli
It takes time for a low iron level to come up, but when it does your child will feel better and so will you.
This page last updated on 3/09/07.