After the baby reaches 6 months, the "iron supplement" thing should not be ignored!
According to the "2016 Red Book of Iron Deficiency in Infants and Young Children in China", more than half of the babies in China have experienced anemia, of which more than 80% are due to lack! iron! It should be known that iron is an important nutrient involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin, is the raw material of hematopoiesis, and plays an indispensable role in the growth and development of babies.
When the full-term baby is born, the body stores a sufficient amount of iron, but with the increase of the age of the month, especially after 4 to 6 months, the iron in the baby's body begins to be exhausted, if not replenished in time, resulting in "iron deficiency anemia", the baby is extremely harmful!
Iron deficiency will not only affect the baby's physical development, intellectual development, anti-infection ability, learning and behavior ability, coordination and balance ability and interpersonal communication ability, but more importantly: the damage caused by iron deficiency to the early brain development of infants and young children is irreversible.
Therefore, it is imperative to supplement the baby's iron!
How to tell if your baby is "iron deficient"?
Iron deficiency is easy to ignore, as there are often no obvious symptoms in the early stages of iron deficiency and in mild anemia.
However, if the baby's long-term iron supplementation is not in place, and even mild to moderate iron deficiency anemia has occurred, the following conditions will occur. Parents can initially self-test:
1, decreased appetite, anorexia, feeding difficulties
2, easy to irritable, do not like to laugh, easy to lose temper
3, easy to feel tired and weak, do not love activities
4, the skin is gradually pale or pale yellow, and the oral mucosa is more obvious
5, lips, nails color is lighter
6, lack of concentration, no interest in things, etc
Of course, whether the baby is iron deficient cannot be judged by superficial symptoms alone. Gu Mommy recommends that parents regularly take their babies to have a blood routine examination to check for the risk of iron deficiency. Tests are generally recommended at 6 months, 9, and 12 months of age, followed by annual checks thereafter.
How should I get my baby to "eat enough iron"?
In fact, the key to effective ways to prevent iron deficiency in babies lies in preventive supplementation.
About how much iron to give your baby?
It can be learned that the recommended iron intake of the Chinese Nutrition Society is: 6 to 12 months: 10 mg of iron per day; 1 to 3 years old: 12 mg of iron per day. It can meet the needs of the body's development and thus stay away from the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia.
Iron supplement food is also exquisite, Gu Mommy suggests that parents can increase the baby's intake of iron from the following two foods!
1, animal foods rich in heme iron:
Red meat (lean pork, beef, lamb), animal liver (pork liver, chicken liver), blood products (duck blood, pig blood, chicken blood), fish, etc.; the iron in this type of food is easily absorbed by the baby.
2. Plant foods rich in non-heme iron:
Dark green leafy vegetables (celery, amaranth, mustard greens, cabbage, etc.), beans (soybeans, black beans, kidney beans, lentils, etc.), fortified grains (oats, rice flakes, cereals, etc.), seaweed, etc., such foods and foods rich in heme iron or vitamin C (fresh dates, kiwifruit, strawberries, etc.) can improve the absorption rate of iron.
Of course, if the baby has long-term picky eating, partial eating, etc., food iron supplementation can not keep up, or has severe anemia, Gu Mommy suggests that these parents should still consult a doctor in time, under the guidance of the doctor to give the baby appropriate iron supplementation!