Iron - how does your baby get it?

[poppy]

Ok - horribly confused now!!!

I am giving Tristan one weaned meal a day at the moment. Usually pureed fruit or vegetables (i.e. carrot, sweet potato, pear).

My MIL has mentioned that I should be giving him baby cereal or still be giving him baby rice so that he can get iron.

Now, I know that after the baby reaches six months their iron levels that they are born with starts to run out - but if I don't give cereal or baby rice, does that mean that he will become iron deficient?

The thing is, how much food am I supposed to give him in one weaned meal? You are supposed to only introduce one meal a day for a while - and if I am going to give him all this fruit, veg and cereal - plus milk feeds - he is going to be eating one gargantuan meal.

Sorry for the long post but I am feeling completely muddled and a bit like a failure now (all my pureeing efforts going to waste).

 

[Vickie]

It is true that iron stores start to run low after six months, which is why they recommend weaning than. But I agree that there is absolutely no way you are going to be able to give him cereal plus fruit, veg etc....not in the early stages. How much is he eating right now at his one meal? With Hannah early on she had cereal plus a fruit/veg for her one meal but it was only 1/3 of a jar of fruit/veg and a few tsps of cereal. As you get further into weaning and get him onto more meals a day he'll start taking more and more.

You aren't a failure and shouldn't feel that way! I'm sure he's still getting iron from your milk and is just fine Sometimes MIL just don't know when to keep quiet

 

[poppy]

Good advice Vickie - I will probably follow what you are doing.

xxx

 

[Mervs Mum]

I'm making it up as I go along! In the morning Hebe has 4 grain porrige (made with 2 level tbsp plus about 2oz BM) with a teaspoon of pureed fruit. For 'tea' she has 100-120g of pureed veg and either 40g ish of fruit or 60g of Petit Filous (sp). She's dropped 2 feeds now in favour of the solids.
I think you should tell your MIL (nicely) that you'll ask her if you need her opinion. I'm sure he's doing wonderful Paula x

 

[mommyof3co]

You can do what she suggested. Try not to worry too much, he isn't going to suddenly become iron deficiant. Hayden was exclusively breastfed until 6mo and from 6-9mo he seriously had MAYBE 20 bites of food total lol ,he hated solids and it took ntil then to get him on one meal a day. He has never had low iron, not even slightly low. It's something that happens over a longer period of time Even then he barely had cereals or anything....he does eat alot of ground beef now which is probably his main source of iron

 

[Vickie]

Worked well for us because she still got her cereal (which we knew she liked) but it also allowed us to slowly introduce new foods to her

 

[mommyof3co]

Oh and Hayden sometimeshad a hard time with fruits being too sweet, or too loose so when he did have cereal...he hated it plain...but when he did have it I would take a bit of fruit and mix it straight into the diff cereals to thicken it...so he did getcereal that way

 

[alio]

it's in my formula. xxx

 

[poppy]

it's in my formula. xxx

Yeah, that's a real positive thing about formula. However, I am not using formula, so I suppose I will have to do what Vickie is doing and mix feed the cereal and fruit/veg.

xxx

 

[cupcake]

i give iron drops by mouth, 4 drops a day as the baby clinic instructed for BF babies

 

[thelilbump]

i just make sure we rotate foods. when we were on 1 meal a day somedays it be fruit others i'd give veg. Broccoli is a good source of iron, we give it mixed with sweet potato and carrot x

 

[ani]

Foods rich in iron you can give your baby:

pureed apricots
molasses
lentils
cereals
beans
green veg
soya

(Avoid cereals very high in fibre, as these may inhibit iron digestion.)

Give source of iron together with a source of vitamin C (fruit, veg) to maximize absorption.

 

[ani]

Sorry, didn't really look at your LO's age. I'd hold off the lentils and beans till at least around 7-8 months.

 

[Chel]

I hadn't even thought about it at all... but I just mix pureed fruit in with his rice cereal anyway.... I thought thats what your 'supposed' to do....

 

[Soontobe]

I hadn't even thought about it at all... but I just mix pureed fruit in with his rice cereal anyway.... I thought thats what your 'supposed' to do....

This is what i plan on doing..

 

[charlie07]

But which foods to give which have iron? Gabbi is on formula, cereal, just started trying her on one puree of chicken casserole, but other than that, it's just veg, the usual carrot, potato, sweetcorn, brocolli, fruits of apple, plum and banana. Will she get iron from any of these?

 

[thelilbump]

But which foods to give which have iron? Gabbi is on formula, cereal, just started trying her on one puree of chicken casserole, but other than that, it's just veg, the usual carrot, potato, sweetcorn, brocolli, fruits of apple, plum and banana. Will she get iron from any of these?

Brocolli is full of it. Any leafy green vegetables are full of it x

 

[1st_baby]

Just posted the same thing in another thread hope it helps you

Iron rich foods: all meats (chicken, fish, beef, pork, goat, deer, lamb, ), beans, eggs, iron fortified cereal, dark green veggies (spinach, broccoli), prune juice

Offering a vitamin-C food with the iron food helps increase absorption (split pea soup w/ham, tomato based chili w/beans, dry cereal w/berries).