After 6 months of age, most babies are at risk of iron deficiency. Once iron deficiency anemia occurs, it will reduce the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, which will have a great impact on the baby’s whistling, digestive and circulatory system functions, as well as physical development and intelligence. Undoubtedly, iron intake from the diet is the best choice, but what should be given to the baby to eat? How to eat to get iron easily? The right guidance is needed. Why does iron deficiency haunt babies? This is related to the growth and development characteristics of babies and feeding methods. Originally, the amount of iron stored in the body of a normal newborn is enough to supply the hematopoietic needs for 4-6 months after birth, but if the mother does not have enough iron intake during pregnancy, she cannot store enough iron in the baby’s body. Most importantly, with the rapid growth and development of the baby, if the baby’s complementary food is not added in time or improperly, such as too little intake of animal liver and meat, or if the baby suffers from chronic diarrhea and other gastrointestinal diseases, iron deficiency is more likely to occur. Signs of iron deficiency It usually takes a period of time for iron deficiency anemia to accumulate in babies, so usually the mother should pay attention to observe and find the first signs of anemia in time: the baby’s skin is gradually pale or pale yellow, with the lips and oral mucosa being the most obvious, easily feeling tired and weak, inactive, with a reduced appetite, and even not smiling. Whether iron deficiency anemia to check to say! It is recommended that your baby may have a routine blood test at 6 months of age to screen for normal hemoglobin, and if there are any abnormalities, your doctor will recommend further tests. The key to iron deficiency anemia is prevention and timely iron supplementation to the baby’s diet. What to eat for iron from 0 to 3 years old According to the recommended iron intake of the Chinese Nutrition Society, babies from 6 months to 12 months need to consume 10 mg of iron per day, and babies from 1 to 3 years old need to consume 12 mg of iron per day to meet the needs of their body development and thus stay away from the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia. The approximate absorption rate of iron in each food for babies: from high to low: breast milk 50%, meat and liver 10%, vegetables 2%-5%, milk & egg yolk 0.2%-0.5%. For breastfed babies, although breast milk is low in iron, it is most easily absorbed by the baby, so the mother should eat more iron-rich foods during breastfeeding. For babies who drink formula, it is best to have an interval of more than 1 hour between iron supplementation and milk drinking time. Recommended iron supplementation method: iron supplementation + VC iron-containing rice flour + VC-rich puree + meat and liver puree Special attention should be paid to the fact that meat and liver foods, although high in iron, have a low absorption rate, so they must be consumed at the same time with VC, which can increase the absorption rate of iron in babies by more than 10 times. So iron supplementation while eating some fruits containing vitamin C, such as kiwi, strawberries, oranges, etc. These water with acidity is rich in vitamin C, which can promote the absorption and utilization of iron in the baby’s body. Iron supplementation try to take from food! Iron can be divided into heme iron (contained in animal foods such as red meat, animal liver and fish) and non-heme iron (contained in plant foods such as vegetables, soybeans and seaweed). Meat such as beef, lamb, animal liver and blood, and fish are richer in iron. Vegetables such as amaranth, mustard, chard and other dark green vegetables are rich in iron. In addition, such as whole grains and dried fruits are also good choices for iron supplementation. For most babies, iron supplements should not be taken unless directed by a doctor, but rather try to increase iron intake from food. What complementary foods are rich in iron? As your baby gets older, you can add iron-rich supplements to meet your baby’s iron needs by 6 months of age. 1, iron-rich infant rice flour Suitable age: 6 months of age Baby rice flour should be the first food baby complementary food. Rice flour is very important when you first start complementary food addition. Firstly, for babies who have just started complementary foods, rice flour is safer than animal-based iron-containing foods such as red meat and liver and is less likely to attract allergies or indigestion, and secondly, the texture of rice flour is delicate and easily digested by babies. What’s more, the extra iron, vitamins and other trace elements added to baby rice flour are especially suitable for growing babies. 2, animal liver Suitable for age: 7 months or more babies Liver contains high iron and good absorption rate, easy to eat and digest, also not easy to cause allergies, especially suitable for babies to eat. Pork liver has the highest iron content, followed by lamb liver and beef liver, while chicken liver has the lowest iron content. It can be given to babies 1-2 times a week. 3, black fungus Suitable age: 8 months or older babies Each 100 grams of black fungus contains 98 mg of iron, about 5 times higher than the highest iron content in animal food, pig liver. However, black fungus is not suitable for babies with a weak stomach. It can be chopped up and made into a supplement. 4.Animal blood Suitable age: 10 months old and above The advantage of animal blood is that it is rich in nutrients, high in iron and has a high absorption rate, and can be added to complementary foods in small amounts each time. 5, sesame paste Suitable for age: 10 months or older baby Sesame paste is rich in various nutrients, and is a very tasty food for babies. Sesame paste contains 58 mg of iron per 100 grams, and is also rich in calcium, phosphorus, protein and fat. It can be eaten in buns or bread, or mixed with vegetables. 6.Egg yolk Although egg yolk contains high iron, but the absorption rate is the lowest. American doctors recommend eating eggs after one year of age, but of course, considering the habits of Chinese mothers, it is best to eat them after 7 months. Warm tips baby iron supplementation, the stool is light green. The actual black and green stool will be pulled after eating iron supplements, especially iron supplements, which are not digestible and will turn green when they encounter air. The lactoferrin formula does not supplement iron. Although the name of lactoferrin has iron in it, but it is not used to supplement iron. The real identity of lactoferrin is “iron transfer protein”, equivalent to the transport of iron porter, whether it can be supplemented with iron, first of all, there must be sufficient iron to do, if it is really iron deficiency, only supplemented with lactoferrin is not enough, as if the goods are not enough, the transport truck can only run empty.