Iron supplement?

[Fortune Cooki]

Has anyone ever had a baby who was iron deficient by 12 months due to being exclusively breastfed without supplementing iron? My pediatrician keeps pushing iron supplements for my 6 month old. We won't be starting solids until 7 months and I would hope that at that point she'd receive iron from meat as well.

 

[summer rain]

Nope. In the UK except for prem babies routine iron supplementation is no longer advised for BF babies because deficiency is rare and it's safer to get the iron from breastmilk and diet alone xx

 

[susannah14]

My pediatrician also pushed iron supplements from a very early age. I declined all supplementation (except vitamin D). Starting at 8 months my son began to eat meat and beans.

At 12 months, he got tested for hemoglobin/iron levels, and he was normal!

I declined the iron based on the research that I did. Babies have enough iron to last AT LEAST 6 months, and beyond. By the time their iron stores begin to taper off, as long as the baby is consuming iron-rich foods, then there is no cause for concern.

If your baby is NOT consuming iron-rich foods by 9-12 months (just my estimation), or seems otherwise lethargic, then perhaps you should consider getting her tested, or supplementing.