Iron Supplements. Does my baby need it or not? If so, when and how much? We all wonder when is the right time to give our babies iron supplements.
Iron plays an important role in your baby’s growth and development. So it’s not uncommon to ask these types of questions especially for a caring mother.
Step one. Start your baby on the right path — make sure you’re eating well, getting enough nutrients, because in your last trimester of your pregnancy, your baby will get enough iron from you to last him or her their first four months of life. So if your child is full-term, you don’t have to worry about iron supplements for at least the first 4 months.
If you’re baby is a little too eager to see the world (premature baby), then he will have less iron reserves stored from you. The more premature your baby is, the sooner you will have to get him started on iron supplements.
Step two. Usually at around the 4-6 month mark is when solid foods are introduced, and at around that same time the iron reserves from the mother will also start to run out. It’s important to keep your baby’s iron level-requirement up. You can do so by feeding him iron rich foods, so he won’t need iron supplementation.
But if your baby is still breastfeeding, and is not eating solid foods yet at 4 months, then the recommendations are to supplement 1 mg/kg/ of liquid iron a day. At 6 to 12 months, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends 11 mg of iron per day and toddlers up to 3 years old, 7 mg per day. You can see these recommendations by visiting:
http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/early/2010/10/05/aapnews.20101005-1.full?rss=1
Breastfeeding is extremely essential for your baby, and the longer you breastfeed the better, but if you are planning to introduce cow’s milk, which contains more iron, do not do so before the 12 months.
Step three, always check with your Doctor. Iron levels should be checked to make sure your baby is not iron deficient or has excessive levels.
Follow these three simple steps and you will have yourself an “IronBaby”!