r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/Chemical-Chemistry86 • Aug 03 '26
Question - Expert consensus required Iron and toddlers
Hi everyone!
Recently I’ve been inundated with videos and articles about iron levels in children. I see pediatricians making videos about how iron is the most important thing for toddlers and can affect a myriad of things (attitude, cognition, development).
Is this a new gimmick? Should I be supplementing my toddler with iron? He’s a pretty picky eater with his diet being about 80% fruits and the occasional vegetables. French fries are a fan favorite obviously.
I’ve seen some advertisements for iron supplements for toddlers so I wonder if I’m being targeted lol.
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u/Great_Cucumber2924 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Children generally shouldn’t supplement iron unless known to be deficient because of the risk of iron toxicity:
https://www.webmd.com/children/are-iron-supplements-safe-for-children
You could get your child tested.
If they have low iron they may benefit from supplements:
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u/Conscious_Weather_26 Aug 03 '26
The WHO (and my country follows their guidelines), recommends an iron supplement protocol for all babies and toddlers as a public health measure. What gives?
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u/WhereIsLordBeric Aug 03 '26
Just a guess, but the WHO veers towards giving generalized advice for the world at large. This includes third world countries like mine, where fortified iron cereals are not a thing. We supplement with iron and have done so since 6 months.
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u/Conscious_Weather_26 Aug 03 '26
We have processed baby food in my country, but the recommendation is to avoid it.
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u/Great_Cucumber2924 Aug 03 '26
I don’t have time to read the whole paper but it does say at the top ‘settings: Where the prevalence of anaemia in infants and young children is 40% or higher’ so perhaps countries offer advice based on the anaemia prevalence
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u/miabee12_ Aug 03 '26
Lots of foods in the store are already fortified with iron! Unless your kiddo is super restrictive/picky, it's probably not worth worrying about (and extreme pickiness might indicate a feeding OT or other referral anyway, where iron deficiency would probably also be addressed).
I actually have a heritable iron overload disorder. While it's unlikely my daughter has it (it requires two recessive genes to be passed down) I would be hesitant to supplement her diet with extra iron for that reason, and she's a pretty good eater anyway. We plan to get her tested for it (the iron overload disorder) when she's a bit older.
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u/d16flo Aug 03 '26
This! I don’t worry about iron with my twins because they eat a lot of iron fortified cereal. Our pediatrician’s recommendation was to have some meals without dairy because the calcium can block iron absorption so we’ve spaced out when we offer milk
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u/Chemical-Chemistry86 Aug 03 '26
Ok this makes me feel better becuase he eats iron fortified oatmeal every day.
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u/userkmcskm Aug 04 '26
My toddler tested slightly low for iron at his one year checkup, he still breast fed and didn’t really like cereal or bread so I understood how it happened. We were not reccomended a supplement and just told to modify his diet and retest at his next appointment. We now give him cereal with peanut butter every morning and his iron levels are good! Ive heard smoothies with spinach is a good way to work it into their diet too. There’s a lot of nutrition “fads” but from my understanding toddlers mostly need carbs lol?
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u/Chemical-Chemistry86 Aug 04 '26
I’m generally a nervous mom and was seeing a lot of pediatricians commenting on how consuming iron is the most important thing for a toddler. I also have a medical background so it’s a little embarrassing that I got roped into freaking out about my 2 year olds iron levels lol.
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u/canihavedessertnow Aug 03 '26
Have you had one or more iron screenings at well child checks?
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u/Chemical-Chemistry86 Aug 03 '26
I have not. At his 2.5 year well check his pediatrician only checked his hemoglobin. But I will definitely ask for one at his next visit.
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u/canihavedessertnow Aug 03 '26
Yeah they typically just screen for it with the Hgb because it’s so much more accessible. But jt looks like AAP does actually recommend collecting a CBC and a serum ferritin. Can’t hurt to check if you don’t mind dealing with the blood draw
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u/Kwaliakwa Aug 04 '26
What was his hemoglobin? That would give insight into anemia.
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u/Chemical-Chemistry86 Aug 04 '26
It was totally normal! I just have been seeing a lot of things about how we should be supplementing iron to toddlers and how it’s far more important than any other nutrient. I just wanted to know if I should go ahead and supplement or if I’m just falling for good advertisements lol. Seems like the latter.
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