The role of iron and starting fortified cereals

Iron is an essential mineral throughout life, although especially during a baby’s first year. Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency at any age. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just issued that the new iron guidelines will be available in November (Journal of Pediatrics). However, it has been reported that 4 to 15 percent of children under the age of 3 years are iron-deficient.

Getting enough iron is important for your growing baby, it is a necessary for proper physical growth and mental development. Iron’s main function is to increase the number of red blood cells that supply your baby’s body with s oxygen. All infants are born with iron reserves that last them with enough iron until they are about four months old.  Most bottle-fed babies received enough iron from iron-fortified formulas. Breast-fed babies, however, need another source of iron starting between 4-6 months to avoid depleting their iron stores.

This is why starting around 4 to 6 months your pediatrician may recommend that you introduce single grain fortified cereals (such as brown rice or oatmeal). Not only are these fortified cereals a good source of iron, they are also a great way to start introducing solids to your baby’s diet. Before you start solids you will want to make sure that your little one is ready. Signs of readiness include a body weight that is at least twice their birth weight, able to sit with support, good control of head and neck muscles, suckling motion or movement of the tongue when lips are touched, interest in your food, and if they still seem hungry after 10 to 12 feedings.

After my doctor informed me that I should start adding cereals to my daughter’s diet (rice first, followed by oatmeal), I went to the store to get the necessary supplies. I bought bowl bowls, age-appropriate spoons, and of course cereal. There isn’t a huge selection of infant cereals out there but you will have the chance to choose between regular iron-fortified, organic, probiotic and prebiotic-added cereals, and ones that are fortified with DHA essential fatty acids. I will admit that I made my choice mostly due to advertising.

Your baby’s first solids will have the consistency of thin milk. Mix on tablespoon with 4 to 5 tablespoons of fluid, breast milk, formula, or water. As your baby becomes accustom to eating from a spoon (always use a spoon, not a bottle with the tip cut off) and to they new textures you can change the consistency of the cereal to your child’s preference. After you have introduced pureed fruits and vegetables you can mix the cereal with fruit.

The one thing that I learned from my experience with introducing cereal was to have patience. For the first two weeks my daughter would not take more than 4 or 5 bites and for the first month we both ended up wearing more of the cereal than she actually swallowed. Eventually we got a routine down, although once she was introduced to vegetables she no longer cared for the taste of cereals, that, however, is another story.