Iron is an essential element necessary for formation of red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout your body. Iron-deficiency anemia occurs when your child doesn't get enough iron from his diet. Iron deficiency is more common at some ages than others. Ask your child's doctor whether your child needs iron supplements and how much to give at different ages. Excessive iron can be toxic in children.
Infancy
Full-term newborns up to 4 to 6 months do not need iron supplements. Newborns have all the iron stores they need for the first few months of life when they're born, unless they're born prematurely. Premature infants, who don't have time to accumulate adequate iron stores before birth, may require iron supplements. Bottle-fed newborns should drink iron-fortified formulas, which will supply their dietary iron needs. Although breast milk contains less iron than cow's milk, it's better absorbed. Breast-fed infants should have iron-fortified cereal and infant meats when they start solid foods. Your pediatrician may also suggest iron supplements; 11 mg per day is the recommended daily dose between ages 7 and 12 months.
Toddlers
Children between the ages of 1 and 3 years may need iron supplements, depending on their dietary habits. Toddlers often turn into finicky eaters who don't eat enough iron-enriched foods. Toddlers also often drink large quantities of milk, which can irritate the stomach lining and cause small but chronic amounts of blood loss, according to KidsHealth. Iron-fortified cereals and other foods can help fill in the iron gap at this age, but your child's pediatrician may also suggest an iron-fortified vitamin. Limiting your child's milk intake to 24 oz. per day keeps him from filling up on milk and leaves room for other foods. The daily recommended iron intake for children between ages of 1 and 3 is 7 mg.
School-Aged Children
Because children don't grow as rapidly after age 4 until they hit adolescence, most don't need iron supplements. Children in this age group also eat more meat in the form of food such as hamburgers and hot dogs, which contain iron. If your child eats poorly or has symptoms of iron-deficiency such as fatigue, pallor, shortness of breath, dizziness or a rapid heartbeat, ask your doctor to check her hemoglobin levels with a simple finger-stick blood test. Children age 4 to 8 need 10 mg of iron daily, while children age 9 to 13 need 8 mg.
Adolescents
As your adolescent enters another rapid growth period, she may become anemic. Girls are more likely to become anemic for two reasons: They lose blood each month during menstruation, and they eat less meat. Teen girls need more iron per day than males of the same age. Girls from age 14 to 18 need 15 mg per day, while boys of the same age need 11 mg.
Member Comments