Iron for the early years
Although the changes might not be as obvious as during the first year, your child is still learning and growing at an impressive rate. This continued growth means that preschool children are the most likely to be affected by iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. 1 Young children also don’t eat large amounts, so what they do eat has to be nutrient-rich, including in iron. 2
How much iron do they need?
The amount of iron your child needs changes with time to meet the demands of periods of growth and development. Iron is also needed for a healthy immune system,3and as they start nursery or school it is important that your child can fight off as many germs as possible.
To find out how you can increase the amount of iron in your child’s diet, see our section on Choosing your food wisely.
Table: Changing iron requirements as your child gets older 4
|Age||Amount of iron needed a day|
|6-12 months||11 mg|
|1-3 years||7 mg|
|Adult, non-pregnant woman||18 mg (due to her periods)|
|Adult, male||8 mg|
The demand for iron change again as your child enters their teenage years. For more information on these specific challenges see Iron for teenagers.
What can I do?
Making sure your child eats a range of foods can be a difficult enough challenge, without worrying about specific nutrients such as iron. If you are worried about your child’s diet you should make an appointment to see your doctor. A simple blood test can check your child’s iron levels and your doctor can treat them if they are low. Don’t forget, iron is needed for both physical and mental health, 5so if you are concerned that your child may be suffering from low levels of iron you should talk to your doctor.
- 1. Mclean E, Cogswell M, Egli I, Wojdyla D, de Benoist B. Worldwide prevalence of anaemia, WHO Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System, 1993-2005. Public Health Nutr. 2009;12(4):444-54. Doi:10.1017/S1368980008002401.
- 2. Lozoff B, Beard J, Connor J, Felt B, Georgieff M. Long-lasting Neural and Behavioral effects of iron deficiency in infancy. Nutr Rev. 2006;64:S34-S91.
- 3. Dhur A, Galan P, Hercberg S. Iron status, immune capacity and resistance to infections. Comp Biochem Physiol. 1989;94A(1):11-19.
- 4. Mcdermid J, Lönnerdal B Iron. Adv Nutr. 2012;(1):532-533. Doi:10.3945/an.112.002261.Table.
- 5. Agarwal R. Nonhematological benefits of iron. Am J Nephrol. 2007;27(6):565-71. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17804903. Accessed May 30, 2014.