If your baby is breastfed, the iron in your milk meets your baby’s needs completely for the first 6 months. Iron in breast milk is highly bio-available and stable, meaning it is easy for babies to absorb and does not change throughout the duration of lactation. It does not change based on the mother’s iron stores, diet, or supplement use. Babies’ iron needs are based on their weight, so as they grow, they eventually need a source of iron from food in addition to the iron available in breast milk. Between 6 and 9 months, most babies’ iron needs start to exceed what is available in breast milk, but as nature would have it, that is also the time when most babies start eating solid foods. Many commercial baby foods are fortified with iron (especially infant cereals), but overall, it is the variety of foods that babies eat that help them get enough iron, NOT any particular food.

If your baby is formula fed, there is more than enough iron to meet your baby’s needs through the first year of life. Your baby still needs to learn to eat a wide variety of healthy foods for overall good nutrition.

Around 12 months of age, most babies start drinking “toddler milk” (whole cow’s milk or cow’s milk alternative like soy milk or coconut milk). Always put your toddler’s milk in a CUP, NOT in a bottle! It is important for older baby’s dental and ear health to drink all fluids from a cup (to prevent baby bottle tooth decay and ear infections). Unlike formula or breast milk, toddler milk (such as cow’s milk or soy milk) is NOT a good source of iron. Babies who drink TOO MUCH milk (more than 24 oz in a day) are at higher risk of iron-deficiency anemia, because they get filled up by milk and have less appetite for a variety of solid foods (which provide iron and other essential nutrients). Watch how much your baby drinks (ask your daycare provider for a report if your baby is in daycare) so you can keep it to about 16 – 20 oz per day at a maximum. Teach your baby from a young age to drink water for thirst between regular meals and snacks – this will really help your child grow up with healthy food habits throughout their childhood.

If your baby’s hemoglobin levels are low (the most common test for iron-deficiency), then your doctor may put your baby on iron drops for a month, and then re-test. Usually this is all that is needed, and then you can stop the iron supplement. In the meantime, it can also be helpful to offer your baby iron-rich foods more often, and continue to offer a healthy variety of food for overall good nutrition and growth.

Here is a list of iron-rich foods for babies and toddlers (modify food texture to match your child’s chewing ability):

• liver or liver spread or paté (no more than twice a week, due to very high Vitamin A)
• red meat (beef, pork, game meat)
• dark poultry meat (chicken or turkey thighs)
• beans (black beans, kidney beans, re-fried beans)
• enriched baby foods (infant cereals)
• dark green vegetables (spinach, broccoli)
• dried fruit (prunes, plums, raisins, apricots… puréed for young children!)

Please contact us and talk to our Registered Dietitian if you have any questions.

DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.