Baby doesn’t eat- iron?

[Landladymews2]

My 8 month old hardly eats anything, maybe a few small morsels every day with great difficulty. She just plays and throws the feed away with BLW and if I feed her she turns her head away, holds it in her mouth and spits it out. She loves her formula. I’m worried about her iron levels as I understand after 6 months their iron levels start to drop. Did anyone have a child who hardly ate anything at this stage and did you supplement with iron?

My baby was a good eater and still ended up a bit anaemic at that age, it's more common than people think. We found out because he was having blood tests for an unrelated condition. The paediatrician gave us a diet list, mince beef, cereal and lentils are all great source amongst others when baby starts eating but you have to make sure they have vitamin C at the same time so a handful of Cheerios and raisins or a spaghetti bolognese has tomatoes and mince then an orange for after.

But since baby isn't eating the easiest way is just to use the stage 2 milk that has extra iron added to it

One of my DC is a very restrictive eater and these were the vitamins recommended by the GP when he was a baby, they're also the ones his dietician recommends although he takes the children's ones now rather than the baby ones.

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/vitabiotics-wellbaby-multi-vitamin-drops-60010834?skuid=010834&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=nonbrand&gclsrc=aw.ds&&&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1pyCBhCtARIsAHaY_5f-KJnmgxUWUwT7KiyrXqQ1uuGZ03YHL6gESbfuVOeQ8cIFxFSyKTQaAsn2EALw_wcB

Make sure your formula has iron in.

If you are breastfeeding, buy multivitamins with iron. Do you have her at the table when you are eating. With dd we found she would eat when we did but not alone. Don't give her any toys just food and have her at the table with the rest of the family

Formula has iron in it. The problems start with the fussy eaters who are on ordinary cows milk (sod all iron in it...and the calcium impairing absorption of iron doesn't help).

Formula alone doesn't contain enough iron once the levels of iron present from birth begin to drop, if a baby isn't eating much or isn't eating iron-rich foods then they usually need a supplement.

Health Visitors usually have vitamin drops available, it's probably worth speaking to yours about it OP.

Thanks I have the iron enriched formula but not sure if that’s enough or not. I’ve hear supplements can cause upset tummies so not keen to use unless necessary