Toddlers iron intake
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@Jae 👾 ah fair enough, I unfortunately don’t have a cast iron pan, yeah that’s a good point too.
@Nicola they're a really good investment, if you take care of them properly they'll last you a long time. You can also get an iron fish to use in soups ect
@Jae 👾 yeah I might consider getting a pan or a fish.
I’m not managing this. We just found out ours is iron deficient 😔
@Rebecca aw don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s more common than you think. Can I ask did your little one show any signs that they were iron deficient?
@Nicola it’s such a struggle. Yeah his sleep is horrendous which was the main symptom. He also has restless legs, is very irritable and a poor appetite. I suspected he might be iron deficient from around 8 months and only just been able to get blood tests done now which have confirmed it!
@Rebecca an right mine sleeps fine, but used to have restless legs, he’s been irritable lately and has a poor appetite. I have only had him on a supplement since he’s been a year.
My son has had really dark stools, and someone told me it could be from low iron. He just had his check-up with the Dr, and I forgot to ask her. I just remembered when I saw this post! Anyone else hear of dark (poop) mean low iron in their diet?
What about some iron fortified cereals at breakfast? Even dry ones to snack on here and there. Just add it to when they are snacking on fruit and such
@Susie ah I thought darker stools meant they are getting enough iron in them, but could be wrong.
@Jadie I offer him weetabix a few times a week, but he’s not had much of an appetite so that’s why am worried his iron levels are a bit low. I will give him some cheerios for a snack.
have you tested your little one to see if they are iron deficient before supplementing? iron overload can be harmful to toddlers. black stools can be a sign of too much iron. many things can impact kid’s appetite… for instance when my daughter is teething, her appetite plummets
@Anne no but I got told it’s recommended to give them a supplement. He’s stools aren’t black usually, he’s definitely not teething.
@Nicola have you noticed an improvement since starting the supplements?
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@Nicola oh gotcha. our pediatrician in the US said not to supplement unless they were found to be deficient. if it works for your family then great! one thing i do focus on is pairing vitamin c rich foods with foods with iron rich foods to increase absorption
@Rebecca a bit but I still feel like he hasn’t got much energy sometimes and that’s why am not sure if he is iron deficient.
@Nicola could be worth getting him tested!
@Rebecca problem is if I tell my partner about it he will go nuts in a way, only way I can think on how to do it is if I take him to the Drs and say that the Dr said he’s needs his iron levels checking but not sure if he would believe me.
@Nicola yeah where I’m from, they encourage giving cereals like cheerios first thing in the morning to help with weaning because they are iron fortified. It’s tough though if he doesn’t have much of an appetite.
@Nicola why is that? I think that would be a good way to do it if you have to, but I'm sorry you're having to think of things like this!
First of all I want to congratulate you for cooking those lovely home made meals and for caring about his nutrition. Just a few considerations: picky eating can be rooted in gut imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. Iron isn’t the only nutrient that is potentially at play, zinc is also big when it comes to appetite regulation as is stomach acid. When children refuse meat it’s usually a sign that their stomach acid is too low and they’re having a hard time breaking down the protein. The body needs zinc to make stomach acid. And it needs stomach acid to absorb zinc and iron so the two go hand in hand. Try focusing on optimising stomach acid production by utilising a quality mineral supplement something like this one for example. Then continue to offer a varied diet that includes iron rich foods. Eating in a calm relaxed state can also promote stomach acid production. All the best ! https://naturedoc.shop/product/metabolics-multiple-mineral-liquigr
For iron specifically we cook almost everything in our cast iron pan. We try to not worry too much about micros nutrients. If they get protein, fat and carbs we're good.