What is it?
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in infants. In the human body, iron is present in all cells and has several vital functions for example as a carrier of oxygen to the tissues from the lungs in the form of haemoglobin.
Emphasise to parents how important iron is for babies. Up until the age of three, children have very high iron requirements because they are growing rapidly. If they don’t get enough iron, their health, behaviour and brain development can be affected.
Babies are born with a store of iron which runs out between 4-6 months. This is why introducing iron rich foods is important at weaning.
What causes it?
There are various causes of iron deficiency during infancy. These occur when:
- A baby is over reliant on milk and has few solids, especially if they don’t eat many foods that contain iron
- A baby is moved onto cows’ milk when they are under 12 months of age. Cows’ milk doesn’t contain enough iron for babies under one year old. Cows’ milk is fine to use in cooking after six months of age, when a baby is being weaned, but not as a drink before 12 months.
- A baby only eats few foods that are rich in iron, such as meat and iron-fortified foods. Babies who are given vegetarian or vegan diets are more at risk of having a diet that lacks iron
- In rare cases, iron deficiency can be caused by an underlying medical condition, such as Coeliac disease, which affects the body’s ability to absorb iron
How to prevent it?
Advise parents that the main way of preventing iron deficiency is by including good sources of iron during weaning.
- For babies aged 6 months or older, who are overly-dependent on milk, suggest that parents offer milk after a meal instead of during, as it could fill them up before they finish their food
- Recommend a balanced and varied weaning diet, containing meat, poultry, fish, fruit and vegetables. For babies who don’t eat meat, tell parents to include other iron-rich foods, such as fortified breakfast cereals, lentils and green leafy vegetables
- Recommend a source of vitamin C, such as orange juice be consumed with iron-rich foods because vitamin C will help the body absorb iron from the food
- Advise them not to give young children tea or coffee to drink. This can stop the iron in food from being absorbed
- Explain that follow-on formulas, such as SMA Follow-on Milk are enriched with iron and suitable for babies from 6 months old