How to prevent iron deficiency anemia in babies?

Iron deficiency is a sub-health condition before iron deficiency anemia occurs. It is one of the most common health problems in children, but it is often ignored. The medical community points out that long-term iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia may cause irreversible changes in children's cognitive and behavioral development, and parents should pay special attention to it.

How to detect iron deficiency in babies?

1. Are there any risk factors for iron deficiency? (The following are some high-risk factors for iron deficiency):

1. Premature babies (babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or low birth weight babies.

2. Children who drink pure milk before 1 year old.

3. Breastfed babies have not been given complementary food after 6 months.

4. If the baby is fed with milk powder, the milk powder used is not iron-fortified.

5. Children aged 1 to 5 years old should drink more than 710 ml of milk, goat milk or soy milk every day.

6. Children with underlying diseases, such as chronic infections or dietary restrictions.

7. Exposure to heavy metals (such as lead poisoning, etc.).

2. Some signs and symptoms of iron deficiency anemia or iron deficiency

1. Pale skin and mucous membranes: The most obvious is the lighter pink color of the lips, conjunctiva (mucous membrane tissue on the inside of the eyelids) and nail beds (the pink part of the nails).

2. Fatigue, fatigue and weakness.

3. Anemia will affect the development of the baby's immune function, making it easy to get infected and sick.

4. Glossitis or angular cheilitis may occur.

5. Pica (loving to eat ice cubes, soil, dirt, corn starch, etc.). This abnormal behavior of children will gradually improve with the treatment of iron deficiency.

6. Although some children do not have anemia, they have iron deficiency, which may manifest as decreased appetite, irritability, mental tension and inattention, delayed cognitive and social development, poor school performance, etc.

Doctors at the State Maternal and Child Health Hospital recommend that children should be screened for iron deficiency anemia at the age of 1. If a child is found to have anemia, they should see a doctor first and not try to treat anemia with some over-the-counter drugs to avoid covering up the root cause of the disease.

How to prevent iron deficiency?

1. Infants and young children under 1 year old should not drink pure milk. At the same time, children aged 1 to 5 years old should not drink more than 710 ml of pure milk, goat milk or soy milk per day.

2. It is recommended to breastfeed as much as possible until the baby is over 1 year old. Breast milk is rich in iron and is easier to absorb. If you do not plan to breastfeed, you should give iron-fortified formula milk (100g of formula milk contains 4-12 mg of iron). For babies who are breastfed before 4-6 months old, the iron in the mother's breast milk can meet the child's growth and no additional supplement is needed.

3. Start adding iron-rich complementary foods (iron-fortified rice cereal, oatmeal, liver, lean meat, etc.) from 4 to 6 months. If the complementary foods are not ideal (less than 2 meals a day), you can add some iron supplements.

4. Premature infants or low birth weight infants need additional iron supplementation, at least 2 mg/kg per day. Premature infants who are breastfed can supplement iron by adding breast milk fortifier.

5. When he is older, you should encourage him to eat more iron-rich foods, including egg yolks, tomatoes, lean meat, fish, beans, spinach and yellow fruits. There are also many cereals and oats that are rich in iron.

6. Vitamin C can help the absorption of iron in food. You can let your children eat more foods rich in vitamin C, such as watermelon, strawberry, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes and potatoes, to help better absorption of iron.

7. When treating iron deficiency, you should also pay attention to the possibility of iron overdose, so iron supplements should be used under the doctor's instructions, and these medicines should also be kept out of reach of children to prevent children from taking them by mistake.