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2 Best Iron supplements for Baby in 2022

Iron supplements are also called iron salts or iron pills. There are some reasons that may make you to go for iron supplements for baby and these liquid iron drops for babies are often necessary until your baby reaches to 6 months old.

Basically,  today in this post we are going to recommend some iron supplements for toddlers and baby. So, Keep reading the whole article and choose the best.

Recommended: Check out the list of Iron Rich foods for babies.

Recommended: You can spend few times if you think that your baby need Vitamins.

Does my baby need an iron supplement?

Perhaps your baby does not need to take any supplemental liquid iron drops until he/she reaches to 4 months old. But, after that some phenomenon can make a situation to take iron supplements depending on the formula fed or breastfed or the solid food intake.

It is vital for your baby to get sufficient amount of iron to prevent iron deficiency problems such as, anemia, underdeveloped nervous system etc. Moreover, iron deficiency can also results in long-term serious health problems as well. However, healthy and well developed children receive adequate amount of iron from their mother in the last trimester of pregnancy that last almost up to 4 months of life.

On the other hand, the scenario is different if your baby born prematurely. Because, premature babies have less of an iron store as it occurs during the last trimester of the pregnancy. So, in that case, your baby may need supplemental iron drops.

Generally, when your baby reaches to 4 to 6 months old, the storage of iron starts to become over. As soon as your baby begins to eat solid foods, you can offer him/her with foods that are fortified with iron to full-fill the requirement of iron.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests an iron supplement of 11 milligrams per day, if your baby is not eating solid foods at his/her 4 months of age and breastfed only. Because, breast milk contain a little amount of iron unlike the other iron fortified formula and the reserved iron cannot meet up the requirements any more. But, when your baby starts to eat iron rich solid foods, iron supplements are no longer necessary.

However, the diagnosis is also very important. Because low levels of iron also occur temporarily due to the recent illness, lead poisoning also results in anemia.

Which babies require iron supplements and are more at risk of iron deficiency anemia?

• Premature child birth is one of the main reasons behind the risk of iron efficiency anemia. A premature child has not the reserve of iron that he/she will require later in life.
• In addition to that, the babies who are less than 3000 grams or 6.5 pounds when the take birth, are more likely to have a reduced iron storage in themselves. So, they require extra care along with iron supplement.
• If the mother has diabetes or poorly controlled diabetes, then it also enhance the risk of iron deficiency in the baby.
• In addition to that, if the mother suffers with anemia during pregnancy, the baby may take birth with iron deficiency.
• Also, babies who are fed with cow’s milk in place of iron fortified foods or formula or breast milk during the first 12 months of life, are more likely to have iron deficiency. Although cow’s milk has almost the similar amount of iron as human milk, but cow’s milk cannot get well absorbed by the body. So, before introducing cow’s milk to your baby, it is better to wait until your baby is 9 to 12 months old.

However, it has been shown that the infant who are exclusively breastfed for 6 to 9 months of age, have a normal and healthy hemoglobin values and sufficient iron stores. We have a detailed post on iron supplements for pregnancy.

Iron supplements as a protective measure

When your baby is fed with breast milk, there can be attack of some other bacteria such as Salmonella, E.coli, Bacteroides, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, etc. that may hamper the iron intake by your baby. The irons in breast milk gets bind to the proteins of milk which makes it available exclusively for the baby and prevent those harm causing bacteria. However, breast milk contains 2 types of specialized protein which are lactoferrin and transferrin, and they lift and bind iron from the baby’s intestinal tract.

Besides these, by attaching with these irons, these proteins halt the harmful bacteria as they deprive the bacteria from getting iron for their development and growth, and these proteins also make the iron exclusively available for the baby.

On the other hand, the iron absorption capacity of your baby can be reduced if you introduce your baby with iron fortified foods or iron supplements for babies. You do not need to be worried as long as your baby is feeding with breast milk, because the proteins in breast milk will ensure the availability of iron to your baby as well as they will prevent the bacterial attack.

Several guidelines of introducing iron-supplements for baby

Partial breastfed babies require 1mg/kg/day of a liquid iron drops or iron syrup until he/she starts eating solid iron rich foods.

The babies who are in an infant formula, require an iron fortified formula that contains around 4 to 12mg of iron through the whole 12 months of life. You can check the information about calcium supplement in Pregnancy.

Some negative impacts of iron supplements

The harmful bacteria live on the free iron in the baby’s gut. Also, the iron supplements can damage or reduce the iron-binding capacity of the proteins in breast milk, and thus it makes some of the irons available for the bacteria as well. So, it can create a problem as your baby may not be able to receive sufficient iron.

Also, iron supplements can alter zinc absorption. Moreover, they can cause digestive problems in babies.

Recommended: Step by step Guides on a baby thermometer.

Eating iron rich foods does not change the level of iron in breast milk that much. If the breastfeeding moms take iron supplements, it may cause constipation in babies.

Besides these, too much intake of iron supplements can damage the liver of your baby, so you need to ensure the right dose of supplements and stop it if it is no longer necessary. Moreover, consult with the doctor, check your baby’s hemoglobin level and follow the doctor’s instruction.

Iron supplements for babies & child

1. NovaFerrum-pediatric-drops Liquid Iron Supplement for Infants and Toddlers 120 mL

 Price: Check the latest discounted Price

This is a liquid iron supplement especially for the infant and children below 4 years old and its taste is great. The supplement is added with natural sweetener (raspberry flavor) and it is free of alcohol, artificial colors, sugar, lactose, gluten, peanuts, corn, tree nuts, dairy and soy.

Some consumers may get concerned about the addition of sodium benzoate, but there is nothing to be worried, because it is a preservative and it does not cause any harm.

2. NovaFerrum-multivitamin with Iron Supplement for Infants and Toddlers 50 mL

Price: Check the latest discounted Price

This is basically a multivitamin with iron supplement. It is naturally sweetened with raspberry flavor and recommended for the infants and children below 4 years of age.

Moreover, there is no iron salt, and the main component is a polysaccharide-iron complex and it is easier to digest. It is also free of alcohol, sugar, artificial colors, lactose, peanuts, tree nuts, corn, gluten, dairy and soy.

I wish to conclude saying that, always follow the instructions before introducing your baby with iron supplements or iron drops for babies. Keep in mind that, keep your child or kids away from having tea, coffee, chocolate or soft drinks before and after 1 hour of consuming iron rich foods, because the hamper the absorption of iron. However, my effort was to make the post informative and I have tried to explain you with the pros and cons of iron supplements, I hope it will help you.

This two supplements are the popular products in different marketplace like amazon. When you visit this market place you can able to see thousands of customer reviews who purchase these products. Surely, these are the best iron supplements for toddlers that taste good.