Iron rich foods for my 7 MO (we eat fish). Calling on vegetarians for advice.

[chocciechip]

Worried about good sources of iron for my baby. On paediatrican advice, we're to stay clear of eggs and fruit for the next month (until she is 8 MO). Just read that she needs 11mg of iron a day at this age.

She is still getting breastmilk, and gets one bottle of formula at night (again, paed advice).

Can anyone advise of good sources of iron for a child this age - what do the proper vegetarians do? Is seaweed OK for a 7MO, or is it salty?

She hasn't taken to fish yet, but I'm not worried about her protein at all because dairy, quinoa, mix of grains all seem to add up.

Can anyone also walk me through understanding portion sizes for a child this age, and how much iron in them. I find nutrition so difficult to grasp. I am worried though

Unless you know your baby is anaemic, don't worry about it, a full term healthy weight bf baby is unlikely to be iron deficient. And quite a lot of fish have reasonable amounts of easy to absorb iron.

Portion sizes - she should be able to regulate how much she eats very well - her daily needs are much more varied than an adults so one day she'd need lots more than another it's impossible to actually say how much she might need on a particular day.

ds was iron deficient, and very difficult to feed due to swallowing issues and developmental delays. The dietician recommended we give him follow on milk (he wasn't b'fed though) as it is higher in iron. Otherwise she gave me a list of iron rich foods (spinach, dried apricots, red meat etc) and I pureed up batches of them and tried to add an iron rich food to each of his meals.

Lentils are good and little kids tend to like them - serve with diluted fruit juice to help absorption.

Spinach has tons of iron- but watch the nappies !!! try chickpeas too. and remember that vitamin c helps iron absorption (tricky if she's not on fruit...maybe tomatoes have vit c?)

seaweed sounds like it's v salty and too much salt can be pretty poisonous for small people. if all else fails, ring your paediatrician! they should be able to get dietician's advice for you. otherwise i found sainsbury's website had some good meal ideas for weaning

Oh whoops missed the fruit bit sorry!

Found this list. Not all good (has seaweed on it, plus molasses) but it might help. The last few for 12 months +
?breast milk & iron-fortified infant formula
?dulse flakes (a type of seaweed)
?green peas
?winter squash
?sweet potatoes
?meat & poultry (beef, beef & chicken liver, pork, turkey, chicken)
?beet
?tomato
?egg yolks
?pumpkin seeds
?dried fruit (figs, apricots, prunes, raisins)
?prune juice (especially good source)
?cooked millet, quinoa, brown rice
?sardines, canned salmon
?bananas, apples, raspberries, blackberries (lower iron, but still ok)

?greens (spinach, chard, mustard greens, kale) - after 12 months
?shellfish (clams, oysters, shrimp) - after 12 months
broccoli (after 12 months)
dried beans (after 12 months)
?blackstrap molasses (try adding a little to cereal when baby is over 10 months old) - brush teeth after

Thanks everyone. Very helpful.

FredFredGeorge I thought I did have to worry about iron after 6 months because she needs more and BM doesn;t provide enough? Looking at iron needs, I was surprised to read somewhere than between 7-12 months they need 11mg, and this drops to 7mg between ages 1 and 3 etc. So I got stressed!

WMDinthekitchen Some of that list surprises me. Why the greens only after 12 months? Also, I have the River Cottage baby book and they have meals with prawns in (like shrimp, surely?) but say to introduce slowly.... do you agree (your list says only after 12 months).

I also just came from an American site which says no quinoa until after twelve months. Really? My little one gets it in almost every meal as a 'hidden' protein. (She hasn't had fish yet at all.)

chocciechip No breast milk alone may not provide sufficient iron for some babies who have low initial supplies, have high phylate,high calcium, low iron diets, and particularly high needs. But that's not a typical baby, you've probably been listening to too many formula adverts trying to push their product rather than food. If you have any reason to actually suspect anaemia go to your doctor and get tested, if you don't, just ensure a good varied diet and don't obsess about any feature.

Can't see anything wrong with quinoa for a baby - there are some foods you don't want to give too much of as a baby due to high fibre content filling them up and suppressing mineral absorbtion (and whole grains generally fall into these) but quinoa generally isn't one of them. Don't think it's particularly necessary to hide it in every meal though! Many lists of food and ages appear entirely arbitrary and put together with no evidence other than personal anecdote.

chociechip - apparently a lot of people are allergic to shellfish. I have an allergy to one type of shellfish and wouldn't wish it on anyone. I guess the recommendation is a precaution, and does not indicate that all shellfish are bad for all children under 12 months. Green veg have the reputation for creating wind, which can be uncomfortable.

Introducing shellfish slowly should be fine as per the River Cottage book. Giving greens in small quantities likewise should avoid a problem.