Iron - does your child get enough?

Current adverts and packaging for Follow-On milks often tell parents that toddlers need this product in order to get the Iron levels they require in their diets.

For example, the very common advert from Moo & Gate (with the giggling toddler peeking round a huge beaker of Cow's Milk) presents us with the instant panic-fact:

8 out of 10 toddlers aren't meeting their recommended daily intake of IRON

They also now offer parents with a useful online Iron Calculator Tool - (link here for your information) - it is a simple graphical way of working out what your toddler's normal diet gives him or her in terms of Iron. Great!

It does show the sorts of solid food you might be offering your child after 12 months... it even includes some vegetarian sources such as dark green vegetables, pulses, eggs, dried fruit like apricots.

It includes icons for you to add in the milk your child drinks - but ONLY the fortified milk products which are their own brands.

It does not include anything at all about cow's milk/goat's milk/soya milk, and certainly not breastmilk.

So perhaps after all, this is an advertising gimmick, and not a useful tool as a service for the public.

I assume you have received the information that your child will need to begin to receive iron from the solid foods in his or her diet once they pass 6 months of age.  This is the case whatever form of milk they are given. So, it is not a reason to begin substituting a feed of breastmilk with any commercially prepared milk.  Remember that "Less milk out, means Less milk made".

Breastfeeding your toddler means you don't have to worry about any deficiencies because your milk will fill any gaps in his diet from solids. And it's actually easier for children to get vitamins and minerals from breastmilk than from formula, because those in breastmilk are more readily available - more easily digested. (This is why formula contains Iron at much higher levels than breastmilk - because the Iron isn't in such a perfect, available form.)

Links for more Info

If you want reassurance about the levels of Iron in your Breastfed Toddler's diet, visit some of these pages:

• KellyMom,
• Dr Jack Newman, 
• ABM,
• Look up the studies on infants with anaemia in this Pdf.
• And also the page here on FF about keeping going with breastfeeding (Gosh, still feeding?).

Can you recommend any other sites for us??

If you need reassurance that your diet contains enough diet, or would like to find out how to get more - below is the dietary advice from an NHS information page online. It is also well-known that Iron is better absorbed if your meal also includes a source of Vitamin C. (e.g. orange juice rather than a cup of tea.)

Remember - Mum's need to look after themselves and their children.

Advice on diet for Adults:

Iron-rich foods include:

• dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach),
• iron-fortified bread,
• beans,
• nuts,
• meat,
• apricots,
• prunes, and
• raisins.

To make sure that you have a healthy, well-balanced diet, you should include foods from all the major food groups in your diet. However, those with iron deficiency anaemia should also make sure that they eat plenty of iron-rich foods, such as those listed above.

If you are still struggling to include iron in your diet, you may be referred to a dietician. A dietician will be able to give you more detailed, personalised guidance about how you can change your diet.

P.S. Latest - 

I sent comments on the Moo n Gate Iron Calculator to the company, and received this reassurance.

"Dear Lisa,

Thank you for your email and your thoughts regarding the Big Iron Count Calculator.

We fully support the Department of Health's Infant Feeding Recommendations, and agree that breast milk is the best form of nutrition for infants Those women who decide to continue breastfeeding past 6 months, along with solid food continue to supply their infant with all the benefits that come along with breastfeeding.

The Big Iron Count Calculator has been designed for toddlers who are 12 months and over to highlight common iron-rich foods. Breast milk is not considered to be a common iron-rich food, even taking into account that the bioavailability of iron in breastmilk is around 50%, in addition, iron content will vary from mother to mother depending on her iron status. In addition there is only a small number of mums who are still breastfeeding past 12 months.

The nutritional needs of toddlers are very different to those of younger babies. Iron is very often lacking in the diet of toddlers and therefore this calculator has been designed to help and support parents to help get plenty of iron into their child's diet.

For mothers who continue to breastfeed after 12 months of age, the Big Iron Calculator can offer ideas of iron rich foods to be included in the diet. This includes Growing Up Milk, which could be used to replace any cow's milk used in the diet as a better source of many nutrients including iron and vitamin D.

We do offer help and support to parents that contact our careline on breast feeding and we actively encourage parents to breast feed.

If you require any further help or information then please do not hesitate to contact us. All the best,

Sue

Baby Care Advisor"

I'll leave the final words on iron, babies & Follow-on Milks to the very capable Analytical Armadillo, and see also the December 2010 article on the iron levels of Breastfed babies on Motherwear.

Even more sound advice here on a forum (DBM) advising a mother worried by her doc's insistence she use Iron tablets when breastfeeding a toddler.

"Ferrous sulfate is the iron in pills and is considered toxic by most nutrition experts. {There are many gentler ways of introducing more Iron, such as Spatone, or dietary sources as shown above.}

The Fe (Iron) causes more red cells to grow as a response to an irritant--arsenic used to be given for the same purpose and had the same effect. Furthermore, many people who are "anemic" do not need more red blood cells--often they are hypothyroid.

As to babies--the most important thing all parents need to do is stop allowing premature cord clamping {a few links on this - WHO Library, Dr Fogelson (video or text version)}. This is a major public health crisis and has to stop. My oldest son is 22 and I was given this info then--it is not new. {Indeed, Erasmus Darwin was advising against premature cord-clamping in 1801.}

The risks of chronic disease related to premature clamping is alarming. Babies are meant to have enough iron stored until they are ready for solids, but this is not the case among almost 100% of babies born in hospitals who do no retain the 1/3 of their blood supply left in the placenta."