Home Request Your Free Newsletter Ways to Help 5 Home Safety Threats You Might Overlook Help Your Children Chill Out Help Your Child Live with Asthma Stop Dating Abuse Before It Starts Keep an Eye on Your Child’s Vision Babies and Toddlers Need Iron To Thrive This Dynamic Duo Makes a Winning Team

Babies and Toddlers Need Iron To Thrive A lack of this mineral can lower a child’s IQ in later years. Iron helps fuel growth spurts, too Iron-rich foods may not top your list of what to feed your baby or toddler. Yet this mineral is key to your young child’s growing body and mind, experts say. Iron moves oxygen around your child’s system. Without enough iron, your child may feel tired and listless or have poor motor skills. Your child also needs irofor sharper thinking. Research suggests that childrewho didn’t get enough iroas infants score lower on intelligence tests as teens, says pediatrician Ken Saruwatari, M.D. “The gap widens as children grow to adulthood. There are long-term effects if your child doesn’t get enough iron during the first three years,” says Dr. Saruwatari. Young children may be at greater risk for a lack of iron because they need more iron during growth spurts. Iron is also crucial for toddlers at risk for lead poisoning. That’s because a lack of iron lets a child’s body absorb more lead, he says. To head off iron-related problems in a newborn, women planning a family should make sure to get enough iron in the childbearing years, he adds. If you don’t breast-feed, use iron-fortified formula. Use iron-fortified baby cereals wheyou start your child on solid foods (at 6 months). Infants from birth to 6 months should get 0.27 milligrams of iron a day. Breast-feeding moms should talk to their pediatricians if they take iron supplements during this time. From 7 to 12 months, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is much higher: 11 milligrams a day. For toddlers ages 1 to 3 years, the RDA is 7 milligrams a day. Too much iron is harmful. This isn’t a risk with iron-bearing foods, though. “Children usually don’t have a problem overdosing on food because they’re satisfied before they eat too much,” Dr. Saruwatari says. “Some children with inherited forms of anemia called thalassemia should not take iron supplements so parents should discuss this treatment with their pediatrician.” Ken Saruwatari, M.D. Foods for iron Both animal and plant foods supply iron. Animal sources are easier for the body to absorb. You can raise the iron value of plant foods by mixing in some vitamin C. For instance, make a salad of kidney beans and orange segments. Animal sources Lean braised beef Roasted chicken leg Baked halibut Egg yolks Plant sources Iron-fortified breakfast cereal Iron-fortified instant oatmeal Legumes, including lentils, kidney beans, lima beans, black beans, and pinto beans