What baby food is high in iron

Iron | Nutrition | CDC

What Does Iron Do?

Iron is a mineral that has many functions. Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen through the body and supports a child’s ability to learn. Having enough iron in the body can help prevent iron deficiencyalert icon and iron deficiency anemia.alert icon

What Happens If My Child Does Not Get Enough Iron?

If your child does not get enough iron, your child may develop anemia.alert icon Anemia is when there are not enough red blood cells in the body or your child’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body is lowered. There are many causes of anemia. In young children, one common cause is not enough iron. Children who do not receive enough iron either from iron-rich foods or supplements are at greater risk for developing anemia.

When Does My Child Need Iron? And How Much?

All children need iron. It is important at all stages of your child’s development. Babies fed only breast milk, only formula, or a mix of breast milk and formula have different needs when it comes to iron.

Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about your child’s iron needs at his or her next check-up.

Preterm babies often need more iron than full-term babies.

In addition, preterm babies may need extra iron beyond what they get from breast milk or infant formula. Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about your child’s iron needs at his or her next check-up.

Breast Milk

Talk with your child’s nurse or doctor about if your child needs iron supplements before 6 months old.
Once your child starts to eat foods, it is important to give foods with iron to meet nutritional needs.

Formula

Your child’s iron needs can be met by standard infant formulas for the first 12 months of life.
Choose a formula that is fortified with iron. Most commercial infant formulas sold in the U.S. contain iron.
Standard iron-fortified infant formulas contain enough iron (12mg/dL) to support your growing child’s needs.
Once your child starts to eat foods, introduce your child to foods that contain iron.

Mix of Breast Milk and Formula

Once your child starts to eat foods, it is important to give foods with iron to meet nutritional needs pdf icon[PDF-30.6MB]external icon.

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Once My Child Starts to Eat Solid Foods, How Can I Make Sure My Child Gets Enough Iron?

When your child is about 6 months old, you can start giving solid foods to your child. Make sure to choose foods that contain iron. Iron found in foods comes in two forms: heme and non-heme iron.

Heme iron is commonly found in animal products and is more easily absorbed by the body. Sources of heme iron include:

Red meat (for example, beef, pork, lamb, goat, or venison)
Seafood (for example, fatty fishexternal icon)
Poultry (for example, chicken or turkey)
Eggs

Your child needs to be screened for anemia.

At around 12 months, your child’s doctor or nurse will likely test to see if your baby has anemia. Anemia can occur among children who do not get enough iron. Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about anemia and iron at your baby’s next check-up.

Non-heme iron can be found in plants and iron-fortified alert icon products. This type of iron is less easily absorbed by the body and will require careful planning to get enough iron for your baby. Sources of non-heme iron include:

Iron-fortified infant cereals
Tofu
Beans and lentils
Dark green leafy vegetables

Pairing non-heme iron sources with foods high in vitamin C can help your baby absorb the iron he or she needs to support development. Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetablesexternal icon include:

Citrus fruits like oranges
Berries
Papaya
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
Broccoli
Cabbage
Dark green leafy vegetables

Making sure your child is getting enough iron is important. Some children may need more iron than others. Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse about iron at your child’s next check-up.

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50 Iron-Rich Foods for Babies, Toddlers & Kids

If it’s time to start introducing solid foods to your growing baby, you may start hearing about iron. You might be wondering: What is iron, why should I care about it, and how can I make sure my baby or toddler gets enough? Let’s take a look.

What Are Iron-Rich Foods?

Iron comes from both plant and animal sources. Some foods that are high in iron include:

Meat, poultry and seafood
Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
Dark leafy greens
Nuts and seed
Dried fruits (dates, raisins, apricots)
Enriched cereals and grain products

Related: Not sure what to feed your baby? Discover the best first foods for babies.

What Is Iron?

Iron is a mineral that plays an essential role in human health.
It helps our red blood cells do their primary job: transport oxygen to cells throughout the body.
Infants’ bodies and brains depend on it for growth and development.

Why Do Babies Need Iron?

During the last few months of pregnancy, newborns build up a store of iron from the nutrients they get in utero (thanks, Mom!). This store of iron lasts for their first 4-6 months of life. (1)

When that supply of iron is diminishing, it becomes important that babies start getting iron from their own diet. By the time those iron stores from birth are running low, many babies are ready to start eating solid foods, so it’s a great idea to make sure those first bites include the iron that older babies need.

Babies who are born early or have other risks of iron deficiency might have had less of a chance to build up their iron supply during pregnancy, and may need iron earlier on in life. If this is a concern, your pediatrician can help determine if and when iron supplements are necessary.

Related: What you should know about toxic heavy metals in baby food.

Iron-Rich Food Ideas for Babies

Serving iron foods to your baby doesn’t have to be a challenge. Here’s a list of snacks and meals that are high in iron and appropriate for babies who are starting solids.

Ground beef, chicken or turkey crumbles or meatballs/patties
Canned tuna, salmon or pureed sardines mixed with yogurt or mashed avocado
Commercially prepared baby food beef, lamb, pork or turkey
Sweet potato (pureed, mashed or cut into spears)
Mashed or soft cooked beans
Pureed, mashed or whole green peas
Edamame paste spread thin on toast
Enriched pasta with marinara sauce
Soft cooked lentils mixed with mashed potato
Applesauce mixed with crushed pumpkin seeds or pumpkin seed butter
Oatmeal mixed with crushed nuts or smooth nut butter
French toast sticks
Chia seed pudding
Applesauce or oatmeal with ground sesame seeds
Soft mango slices rolled in an iron-rich topping like crushed cereal or infant cereal
Avocado spears rolled in ground pumpkin, sesame or hemp seeds
Oatmeal with pureed pumpkin or sweet potato

Related: Teach your baby to use their pincer grasp with these pincer grasp activities.

Iron-Rich Food Ideas for Toddlers

Congratulations, your baby is now a toddler! From age 1-3, iron remains an essential part of the diet, but the amount they need drops down to about 7 mg per day. Your growing toddler will be ready and able to handle the more advanced textures and tastes of what’s on your plate, but you should stay mindful of choking hazards. Here’s a list of iron foods for toddlers.

Tuna salad on crackers or toast
Hummus dip with pita bread, cucumber and bell pepper spears
Chili with beans
Quesadilla with refried beans with salsa dip
Nut butter and jelly (or sliced berries, pears or banana) sandwich
Sesame noodles
Pumpkin pancakes or muffins with strawberries
Oatmeal with raisins and hulled hemp seeds
Picadillo
Spaghetti with meatballs or meat sauce
Pasta with pesto sauce
Lentil soup
Burritos made with lentil or ground beef filling
Whole grain dry cereal with orange slices
Peanut butter, banana and strawberry smoothie
Smoothies with leafy greens, berries and hemp seeds

Related: Learn even more about what to feed two-year-olds.

Iron-Rich Foods for Older Kids

Got older kids? Here are more ideas for how to serve foods high in iron to kids.

Nut butter on toast with sliced banana and chia seeds
Iron fortified breakfast cereal with fruit
Breakfast smoothie with nut butter, fruit and yogurt
Yogurt parfait with berries, pepitas and granola
Spaghetti and meat sauce
Minestrone soup
Lentil soup or chili
Nut butter and banana roll-ups or sandwiches
Shrimp and veggie stir-fried noodles
Peanut mango chicken wraps
Burrito bowls with meat and/or beans, salsa or diced tomato, olives and cheese
Veggie sticks with hummus
Pumpkin seeds
Roasted chickpeas
Trail mix with Cheerios, nuts and raisins
Orange chocolate date balls
Sesame snaps

How Much Iron Do Babies and Toddlers Need?

From 6 to 12 months old, babies need about 11 mg of iron per day in their diets. That’s a lot of iron! It’s more than young kids need. It’s almost as much as a teenager needs, and teenagers have a lot more room in their tummies to work with!

From age 1-3, iron remains an essential part of the diet, but the amount of iron a toddler needs drops down to about 7 mg per day. (2)

To give you an idea (3):

½ cup of canned black beans contains 2.3 mg iron
1 ounce canned salmon contains .33 mg iron
½ cup of cooked Swiss chard contains 2 mg iron
1 ounce of cooked ground beef contains .83 mg iron
¼ cup fortified infant oat cereal contains 6.8 mg iron
½ cup cooked, mashed sweet potato contains 1.2 mg iron
½ cup of Cheerios cereal contains 1.8 mg iron

Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean that your sweet, little 6-month-old needs to start eating steak every day. But it should help you see that you have to make the most of the small amounts of food your baby eats each day as they start solid foods.

Remember, it’s not important that babies get all of their iron in one sitting, or even that they get exactly 11 mg each and every day. Start small, and offer iron-rich foods at each meal and snack time. By the time your baby gets accustomed to solid foods, they’ll be well on their way to meeting their iron needs.

Related: Is your child a picky eater? Read our expert tips for managing picky eating.

If my older baby or toddler is still nursing or drinking formula for most of their diet, don’t they get everything they need from that?

That depends. All babies need iron. While breast milk continues to provide most of the nutrients your baby needs to grow and thrive, it is not a good source of iron. Also, iron from a nursing mom’s diet does not transfer into her milk. So, breastfed babies will need their first solid foods to be rich in iron to meet their needs.

Most commercial infant formulas are fortified with iron, so babies who use formula for the majority of their diet will depend less on solid foods to meet their iron needs.

Related: Need help feeding your 1-year-old? Read more about what 1-year-olds eat.

Do I need to give my baby vitamin drops?

There are many factors that can increase a baby’s risk of iron deficiency. For these babies, iron supplementation might be a good idea. Talk to your pediatrician if you’re concerned about your child’s iron needs. Iron deficiency is common in infants and children. A quick and easy blood test can screen for iron deficiency at your baby’s next well visit.

Do I need to worry about my child getting too much iron?

Generally speaking, you don’t need to worry about your baby or toddler getting too much iron from foods. Babies who are exclusively breast or formula fed using an iron-fortified infant formula, and begin eating solid foods like vegetables, fruits, meats and beans around 6 months of age do not need to worry about getting too much iron.

Babies who are mostly formula fed with an iron-fortified formula should not take an additional iron supplement (or multivitamin containing iron) unless directed by their doctor. If you use a multivitamin with iron, be sure to keep it out of reach from all children in the house, as these supplements are not treats but are often designed and flavored to be very appealing to kids. Getting too much iron from supplements can be harmful.

Related: Learn what’s normal and what’s not when your toddler isn’t eating much.

Iron hacks for busy parents

Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to meet your baby’s iron needs in the small bites that actually make it into their stomachs! A couple of tips to make it a little easier (4,5,6):

Some types of iron are easier for the body to absorb. Iron from animal products like meat, poultry and fish (called heme iron) is more readily absorbed than iron from plant sources, iron supplements and iron-fortified foods (called non-heme iron).
You can increase absorption of non-heme iron foods by pairing them with foods that are high in vitamin C, like broccoli, tomatoes and strawberries. This is a great tip for babies, kids and adults alike!
Iron-fortified cereals and other grains are an easy way to boost iron intake throughout the day.
Think outside the bowl! Iron-fortified cereals can be used as ingredients in baked goods, casseroles, or other mixed dishes. Check the manufacturer’s websites for recipe ideas.
Boost the iron content of soft foods like mashed avocado, sweet potatoes, or bananas by adding a spoon full of iron-fortified oatmeal. If you’re doing baby-led weaning, cut these items into spears and roll them in cereal. As a bonus, it can make slippery foods easier to hold!
Make the most of WIC cereals! If you’re eligible for WIC, take advantage of the cereals in your food package: they are all iron-fortified.
There is evidence that cooking certain foods in cast-iron cookware can increase its iron content and reduce iron deficiency, so if you are a fan of your cast-iron pan, keep using it!

Related: Create your toddler’s eating schedule in 5 steps.

If you need help getting your toddler to eat foods with iron, download our free picky eating guide.

The iron rule: the benefits of mashed meat

Why iron is so important

Surprisingly, there is very little iron in the human body: an adult has only 4-6 g of it! However, the role of this element is difficult to overestimate. At the same time, most of us only know that iron is necessary for the synthesis of hemoglobin, which, in turn, helps to provide all human organs and tissues with oxygen. But other than that, iron:

is involved in the work of the brain, and neuropsychic development of a child directly depends on iron ;
is necessary for the functioning of the immune system and is intensively consumed in any infectious disease;
is needed for muscle contraction.

Where iron comes from: baby food

The only source of iron for an adult is his diet. But nature took care of babies separately: even in the womb, the baby receives a certain supply of iron, which is enough for him for the first 4-6 months of life. There is little iron in breast milk and, even if this iron is perfectly absorbed, it would be very difficult for the baby without additional reserves. nine0005

By 5 - 6 months of life, this natural supply of iron in the baby will be exhausted. At this moment, mothers should connect additional forces - the right complementary foods.

Small amounts of iron are found in vegetables and fruits, as well as in some cereals. Moreover, many manufacturers additionally enrich their products with iron. But the difficulty is that iron from these products of plant origin, or, as it is also called, non-heme iron, is poorly absorbed: for example, from vegetables and fruits, the baby will receive only 2 - 3% of the iron that these foods are rich in! nine0005

That is why meat purees are of particular importance in the nutrition of a child. Meat is a source of animal protein and easily digestible heme iron. So, from beef, up to 23% of the iron contained in it is absorbed. Therefore, doctors recommend starting to introduce meat purees into the baby's diet immediately after the child is six months old!

How to introduce meat complementary foods?

The introduction of meat into the diet of crumbs is recommended to start with beef, rabbit, veal or poultry - chickens or turkeys. Later, lean pork and lamb are added to the baby's menu. nine0010
From 8 months, offal can also be introduced into the baby's diet - tongue, liver and heart, which are also known for their high iron content.
Purees that combine meat and vegetables can also be included in the baby's menu. Such purees are called meat and vegetable purees. As nutrition experts note, if you combine meat with vegetables and cereals, then both iron from meat and iron from vegetables are better absorbed! This is facilitated by vitamin C and organic acids contained in vegetables.

Which meat supplement to choose?

For the first meat complementary foods, leading pediatricians in Russia recommend the use of commercially produced complementary foods. Among the advantages of commercially produced complementary foods are:

High quality and safety of raw materials
Guaranteed composition of meat puree for macro and micronutrients,
Free of colorants, flavors and preservatives,
Optimal consistency (degree of grinding), which is suitable for a six-month-old baby, since it creates a minimum burden on the child's gastrointestinal tract and which cannot be achieved at home

What should be the consistency of the meat puree?

Depending on the age of the baby, the mother can choose for him industrial-scale meat complementary foods of a suitable consistency. So, for crumbs at 6-7 months of life, a homogenized puree with a particle size of 0.3 mm in the bulk of the product is suitable. For babies older than 8 months, pureed meat complementary foods are suitable, the particle size of which can reach 1. 5 mm. The same children who are already 9 years oldmonths, it is possible to offer a coarsely ground product with a particle size of up to 3 mm.

Iron products for children

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are the main nutrients that are the building blocks and source of energy for all living things. But no less significant biological role belongs to minerals. Despite their insignificant presence in the human body, they take part in numerous reactions and metabolic processes, therefore they are absolutely necessary for normal life in any of the periods of life. Minerals are part of enzymes, hormones and other biologically active molecules that, like conductors, direct and regulate metabolic processes. 81 chemical elements have been found in the human body, and the stability of their regular intake is a prerequisite for health. Minerals are not synthesized on their own, they come from outside and are absorbed with food and water. Their sufficient amount is especially important during periods of active growth and development, which determines the importance of a rational and balanced diet for pregnant women and children, because a deficiency of even one of the elements can adversely affect health. nine0005

Content: Hide

Lack of iron
manifestations of iron deficiency anemia
Causes of deficiency
Prevention minerals can be divided into trace elements (for example, zinc, iodine, fluorine, copper, selenium, manganese) - these are scattered minerals, their presence in the body is minimal, as well as macronutrients (for example, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chlorine and sulfur) — their concentration is several times higher than that of the previous group. “The spool is small, but expensive,” this proverb reflects the fact that, despite the minimum concentrations in the body, the biological role of minerals is very high. One of the most important minerals is iron. This is a trace element, on average, in an adult, its content is about 4 grams. And in terms of a kilogram of weight, the largest amount of iron in the tissues is observed in the neonatal period, when the baby is born with the stock of the element acquired from the mother during intrauterine development. The main part of iron is found in the blood in the structure of hemoglobin. This protein binds with oxygen to transport it to every cell of the body, providing tissue respiration, and hence the operation of all organs and systems. Then, having given up oxygen, hemoglobin combines with carbon dioxide and transports it for subsequent release by the lungs from the human body. It is hemoglobin that colors blood red. In addition to blood cells, iron is found in the bone marrow, liver, muscles, and spleen. This mineral is part of enzymes that accelerate DNA synthesis during cell division. nine0005
IMPORTANT! The effective operation of these structures is especially necessary during periods of growth and maturation of organs. Iron is also a structural component of about 50% of the enzymes involved in energy metabolism, as well as in the reactions of neutralizing foreign substances in the liver. Without it, the normal functioning of brain cells is impossible.

Iron deficiency

Unfortunately, insufficient intake of minerals is a common phenomenon in the modern world among both adults and children. Iron deficiency disrupts the work of all body cells, especially if their functioning requires intensive metabolism and oxygen supply. The changes concern the main organs and systems, manifested by a decrease in the activity of all processes and the ability to withstand the negative impact of external factors. A late and already pronounced manifestation of iron deficiency is the development of anemia, in the common people - anemia. In this condition, the amount of hemoglobin decreases, and the formation of altered erythrocytes (red blood cells) also occurs - they become pale and reduced in size. In humans, the total iron content in the blood serum decreases. nine0005

Manifestations of iron deficiency anemia

Symptoms of this disease are varied and not always specific. In infancy, manifestations may be blurred, and the main signs of iron deficiency will be insufficient growth or a delay in the formation of motor skills, deviations in neuropsychic development. In older children, iron deficiency can be manifested by problems in assimilation of information and learning, low concentration of attention and behavioral anomalies. nine0005
IMPORTANT! With a significant lack of iron, changes in the skin and mucous membranes are often observed: pallor and dryness, the appearance of cracks on the arms, legs and around the mouth, layering and increased fragility of nails, dull hair. Babies often develop painful sores in the oral cavity and changes in the tongue - manifestations of stomatitis.

Other typical symptoms of this micronutrient deficiency are muscle weakness, irritability and sleep disturbances. The child quickly gets tired, does not cope well with the usual load for his age. People with iron deficiency anemia often have altered taste and appetite, and may also develop a desire to eat inedible items such as chalk and lime. nine0005

Causes of deficiency

In young children and pregnant women, the main factor in iron deficiency in the body is its low intake from food. Indeed, due to intensive growth and development, first intrauterine, and then independent, the need for this trace element is very high. That is, in these groups, iron deficiency is always associated with its negative balance - insufficient intake compared to the need for daily expenditure. This leads first to depletion from the depot, and then to the depletion of the mineral reserves in the body. Why is this happening? In the modern life of an urban person, refined foods are often used in nutrition, and food is depleted in vitamins and minerals. nine0005
IMPORTANT! Iron deficiency during pregnancy and then during breastfeeding is transmitted to the infant from the mother and can have an adverse and even sometimes irreversible effect on his health. Therefore, it is extremely important that the nutrition of a pregnant and lactating woman is complete, containing all the necessary nutrients in sufficient quantities and enriched with useful substances.

It is impossible to neglect the recommendations for taking vitamin-mineral complexes during pregnancy and lactation, since very often it is not possible to make a woman's diet sufficient and balanced. On the contrary, babies in their first year of life get everything they need from food, without the use of special preparations for the prevention of deficient conditions. In the first half of the year, the main role in the nutrition of the child belongs to breast milk, the main source of essential substances, vitamins and minerals, including iron. However, by the sixth month of life, exclusively natural feeding can only satisfy the child's needs for iron by 6-7%. At the same time, the nutrition of the mother at this age does not significantly affect the supply of this trace element to the baby. The main task is not to delay and start the introduction of complementary foods on time to meet the high demand for this element in the second half of life. nine0005
Deficiency prevention

What foods are rich in this micronutrient, and what complementary foods for children can be sources of iron? The leader in the amount of iron in the composition is food of animal origin, its highest content is in meat, fish and eggs. Different types of meat products differ in the presence of minerals and vitamins.

IMPORTANT! Thus, the highest content of iron is found in red meat - veal and beef, and there is also a lot of it in the liver of animals. In addition, they contain iron in an easily digestible heme form, which increases the absorption of this element in the intestine. nine0005
Modern industrial technologies for the production of baby food allow the production of products with a very high degree of grinding - a homogeneous consistency. Therefore, meat complementary foods can be safely included in the diet of babies from 6 months old, and this is one of the fundamental innovations in the nutrition of children in the first year of life. Previously, meat complementary foods were introduced only to children older than 7 months.

Other sources

Are there iron-rich foods among plant foods? Yes, this trace element is present in legumes, nuts and seeds, grains, and some types of greens (parsley, thyme, lettuce). But compared to meat products, the content of iron in them, as well as the degree of its absorption in the intestines, is lower. Among the foods of plant origin, buckwheat should be singled out, which is used in whole grain form and is several times superior to other crops in terms of iron content. nine0005
IMPORTANT! Therefore, at the age of 4-5 months, when deciding on the start of the introduction and choice of complementary foods, preference should be given to porridge, especially in babies at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia and poorly gaining weight. In addition, in cases of late start of the introduction of complementary foods, this is also a good choice as a start.

And buckwheat at this age should be singled out as a priority among cereals due to the high content of vegetable protein and rich mineral and vitamin composition. Another important feature that must be taken into account when compiling a menu for babies is the fact that when meat puree is combined with grains, the degree of absorption of non-heme iron from a vegetable source increases and its biological value increases. Therefore, in children older than 6 months, cereal complementary foods are included in the diet not only in the form of milk porridge, but also as a component of meat and vegetable dishes, in which meat is balanced with dairy-free porridge. nine0005
Fortified foods

Despite the high nutritional value and varied vitamin and mineral composition of natural products recommended in baby food, the content of micronutrients in the finished meal does not always satisfy the high need for these substances at an early age.

IMPORTANT! The way out of this situation is the use in the nutrition of babies of products that are additionally enriched with biologically active substances that are vital during periods of active growth and development. An example of such specialized products is the line of instant cereals Bebi Premium. Their composition is developed in accordance with the age characteristics of babies of the first year of life, enriched with the most necessary vitamins and minerals for normal physical and mental development in the recommended amount and ratio.
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