Baby Health

So what kind of foods are good sources of iron for toddlers?

• 35% of babies are iron deficient.
• Toddlers require approximately 10 mg.

Toddlers require approximately 10 mg. of iron each day. If you are still breast feeding, your toddler is getting a very absorbable form of iron as the base of his daily diet .9 mg. per litre of milk consumed (Picciano and Guthrie, 1976; Siimes et al., 1979). Though mothers' milk does not contain large amounts of iron, approximately 50 percent of its iron is absorbed.

Animal foods, like red meat, fish and poultry, are also excellent sources of iron for toddlers because they are most easily absorbed by the body. Sometimes though, getting them to eat these foods can be difficult.

Need some practical suggestions to help increase your toddlers iron levels easily?

1. Mix infant cereals into fruit.

Some toddlers prefer the taste of fruits to infant cereals. No real revelation! So why not try enriching the bland flavour of the cereals with their favourite fruits. Try just a spoonful to start with so as not to overpower the fruit…they’ll catch on quickly otherwise, and if all goes well and the fruit disappears, add a little more to your mix. Trying this with vegetables isn’t a bad idea either.

2. Meatballs

Try little meatballs made with finely ground beef, chicken or fish and iron-fortified cereals are a good idea or use the meat and cereal mix to roll into small sausages that are easy to hold.

3. Vitamin C

When eating iron rich foods, a glass of orange juice can improve the absorption of the iron from these foods. For toddlers, limit their intake to approximately half a glass and ensure that the juice is a 100% juice with no added sugar.