5 Best Iron-Rich Foods for Babies
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Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency in kids worldwide…
…which is unfortunate, given how critical iron is for growing kids. A deficiency during childhood can affect a child's cognitive and physical development.
Fortunately, formula and baby food in the U.S. are fortified with iron to help prevent deficiency. But parents can help babies get enough of this essential mineral by including iron-rich foods in meals for babies who are ready to wean and receive complementary solids.
Keep reading for top foods high in iron (that babies 6 months of age and above will love)!
How Much Iron Do Babies Need?
Babies grow rapidly! Did you know that in general, they triple their birth weight during the first year of life? As a result, they need iron, a key nutrient in brain development and growth. If your young child doesn’t get enough iron during this critical growth period, they can develop anemia. Anemia means your child doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.
When kids are deficient in iron for an extended period, it can lead to a lower I.Q. The neurocognitive damage can’t be totally reversed even with supplements. Ideally, it’s best to prevent iron deficiency during childhood by providing iron-rich foods.
So how much iron do babies need to prevent a deficiency?
It depends on whether they're fed formula or breast milk. Babies ages 7 to 12 months need about 11mg of iron per day. Newborns generally have enough iron stored in their bodies to last throughout the first 4-6 months of life.
Breast-fed babies continue to get iron from their mothers, but it may not be enough. At about 6 months old, complementary foods help meet a baby's iron requirements. Talk to your pediatrician about whether your child needs an iron supplement before 6 months old.
Baby formula contains about 12 mg of iron, and that's enough to meet your baby's needs until they're eating solid food.
Toddlers ages 1 to 3 years old need 7 mg of iron per day. At 12 months old, the iron-fortified formula is often replaced by cow’s milk which is low in iron, highlighting the importance of iron-rich foods for toddlers as well.
Top Iron-Rich Foods Babies Love
Before we dive in on specific foods, it’s important to understand that there are two forms of iron: heme iron, which comes from animal sources such as beef, poultry, eggs, and fish, and non-heme iron which is found in plant (and animal) foods. Most of the iron in our diet comes from non-heme sources, but most of the iron absorbed by the body comes from heme sources.
Heme iron is more bioavailable, meaning that the body absorbs it better.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t get enough iron on a plant-based diet. A balanced diet with heme and non-heme iron foods should provide enough iron for most healthy kids.
Once babies eat solids, they need iron-rich foods to meet their nutritional needs. Here are my top heme and non-heme iron-rich foods for babies.
1. Meat, Poultry and Fish
How did meat earn the top spot among iron-containing foods?
Not only is lean meat and seafood the richest source of iron in the diet, but your baby’s body will absorb more iron from these foods than from plant-based iron foods.
Fish is easy for babies to chew, and fatty fishes like salmon contain brain-boosting omega-3s. Try this easy baked salmon for babies. Salmon is a low-mercury fish, so it's safe for babies to enjoy twice a week.
(Filets sometimes have tiny bones, so swipe your hand over the fish and pull out any bones first, before serving)
2. Beans
Beans are one of my favorite foods! They're high in fiber and plant protein, low in fat, and contain complex carbohydrates for energy. And white beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas are high in iron.
Beans may not be the first food you think of when looking for baby-led weaning ideas. Still, you're missing out on an excellent iron-rich food for babies if you overlook the versatility of beans.
One cup of white beans contains 8 mg of iron. You can make a bean mash or puree for scooping with hands, feeding on a pre-loaded spoon, or adding as a nutrient-rich toast topping.
They also work well smashed and cooked into baby-friendly veggie burgers.
Before serving whole, cooked beans, smash them with your thumb or the back of a fork to flatten.
3. Tofu
Tofu is high in iron and plant protein and low in fat. The consistency of tofu makes this a safe food for baby-led weaning. Little fingers can hold tofu chunks, and it’s easy for babies to swallow and manage in the mouth.
Tofu is made from soybeans, one of the most common food allergens. The recent recommendation is to start offering the top food allergens to kids young and often, starting at about 6 months of age, when signs of readiness for solids are present. Half a cup of tofu offers 3 mg of iron. This baby-friendly eggless frittata has about 2 oz of tofu per serving.
When introducing top allergens like soy to babies for the first time, it’s wise to start with a small portion, offer a tiny taste to start, and wait 10 minutes. If no reaction, continue to feed the rest, increasing the amount served over time.
Feed it again the next day and then again the next, which is usually enough to establish that baby is tolerating it well. Then, wait about 3 days before moving on to the next top allergen. This way, if there is a reaction, it’s easier to determine which food is responsible.
The texture of firm tofu works so well during baby-led weaning as a first soy introduction and its versatile flavor mixes well with just about anything.
How to Prepare Tofu for Babies
Cut the tofu (firm or extra firm tofu for this purpose) into adult finger-sized sticks for babies using a palmar grasp or cut tofu into chick-pea sized pieces for babies using a pincer grasp.
Tofu can be served raw or cooked
If you are spoon-feeding or taking a baby-led feeding approach using purees, try offering silken tofu on a preloaded spoon either alone, or mixed into a puree your baby has had and tolerated before
Prepare a savory scrambled tofu for scooping with hands or on a pre-loaded fork
Once allergenic foods like soy have been introduced into a baby’s diet, it’s equally as important to continue offering them regularly (ideally about 2-3 times per week)
To help make this process easier and for guidance on starting solids, check out my printable 3-month meal plan. Many of the baby-friendly recipes include soy, as well as serving suggestions that include mixed foods and multiple top allergens, making it easy to keep soy and other top allergens in the diet once they have been introduced and tolerated.
4. Green leafy vegetables
Spinach is a well-known source of non-heme iron.
This 11 month old agrees!
There are 3 mg iron in 3 oz of boiled spinach, but most of that iron isn't bioavailable. So, only a tiny percentage of that iron can be absorbed by the body.
That’s because spinach contains an “anti-nutrient” called phytates. And phytates reduce the amount of iron absorbed in the body. So, even though the amount of iron in a serving of spinach is pretty high, you only get a small percentage of the iron spinach contains when you eat it.
Spinach and other dark leafy green vegetables are still some of the most nutritious foods you can give your baby. An added benefit is that they help babies develop a taste preference for the strong flavor of dark greens as they get older.
Some great ways to expose babies to the flavor of leafy greens is by adding them to egg bites, frittatas, and vegetable blend purees.
5. Iron-fortified Cereals
Fortified whole grain baby cereals are a convenient first food option that make it easy to incorporate iron-rich complementary foods into infant diets.
You may have seen baby cereals in the news recently because of toxic metals found in commercial baby food brands. The concerning levels of arsenic are mainly found in rice-based foods like infant rice cereals. There's a trace amount of arsenic in many foods, but it's exceptionally high in rice.
Rice cereal used to be the most common pediatrician-recommended first food for babies, the thinking being that this bland carbohydrate is easily spoon-fed, accepted, and digested, unlikely to cause an allergic reaction, and fortified with iron, which theoretically would help with weight gain and growth.
We now know that rice cereal is actually not a great choice as a first food for a few different reasons. Rice cereal is:
Nutrient-poor
Not easily digested (by babies under 6 months)
Bland and uniform in texture
Filling, which means it can end up replacing more nutrient-dense options
And rice and rice-based foods can contain elevated levels of arsenic, a toxic metal
If you want to offer your baby an iron-fortified infant cereal, serving rice cereal is fine on occasion, but more nutrient-dense choices without the higher risk of toxic metal content are baby cereals made with whole grains like oat, barley, wheat, quinoa and buckwheat.
Another option is to build iron-fortified infant cereal into recipes to boost your baby’s iron intake, like these Pumpkin Cookies for Babies made with baby oat cereal.
As your child moves from infancy into toddlerhood and beyond, breakfast cereals often become a kid-friendly favorite. Stick to low-sugar brands so your baby can get 100% of iron's DV (dietary value) without the added sugar.
Is Your Baby at Risk for Iron Deficiency?
Formula and many first foods for babies like cereal are fortified with iron in the U.S., so the risk is lower than in other countries. According to the Mayo Clinic, some infants and children have a higher risk of iron deficiency, including:
Premature babies or babies born with a low birth weight
Babies who are given milk instead of formula or breast milk before age 1
Breast-fed babies who aren't given iron supplements early on, and/or iron-rich complementary foods starting at 6 months old
Babies who drink formula that isn't fortified with iron
Children ages 1 to 5 who drink more than 24 ounces of milk (cow’s, goat's, or soy milk) per day
Children with chronic infections and/or restricted diets
Children who have experienced exposure to lead
Children who don't consume enough iron-rich foods
Children who are overweight or obese
Iron Deficiency Prevention Tips for Babies
Supplement if necessary. Babies get iron from their mother before they are born, and those iron stores meet their needs until they are about 4-months old. Baby formula is fortified with iron so that babies get adequate iron from their diet. The Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breast-fed babies need to supplement with 1 mg/kg per day of oral iron until they start eating iron-rich foods at about 6 months old.
Keep milk in check. At 12 months old, cow’s milk is the primary source of nutrients for most babies. Toddlers ages 12 to 36 months old need about 1⅔ to 2 cups per day. Babies who drink excessive milk are more likely to become iron deficient. When parents give babies too much milk, the milk takes the place of valuable iron-rich foods in the diet and leads to milk anemia. And the high calcium content of milk inhibits the absorption of iron.
Pair vitamin C with iron-rich foods. Vitamin C improves the absorption of non-heme iron from foods and supplements. Try pairing iron-rich foods with foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli, red bell peppers, mango, tomatoes, or sweet potatoes.
Eat a variety of iron sources. Soy, beans, and leafy vegetables contain phytates, which inhibit the body’s absorption of iron. However, these foods are a healthy component of a baby’s diet in other ways, so don’t be afraid to offer them to your little one. In general, my advice is to provide a variety of iron-rich foods and pair high vitamin C foods with non-heme iron sources.
Cook in cast iron pots and pans. The iron from the pan leaches into the food and helps boosts iron intake, especially when the food being cooked is acidic (like tomatoes). Here is a link to one of my favorite cast iron pans* from my Amazon store.
Final Thoughts
Variety prevents deficiency!
The best way to make sure your little one gets enough iron from baby-led weaning foods is to offer a variety of iron-rich food sources.
Many foods are fortified with iron, so parents don't have to worry about relying only on meat for their baby's iron needs.
If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essential Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to get started. You might also want to check out my new online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
Alternatively, if your baby is almost ready to start solids and you’re looking for someone you trust to map out the entire first 12 weeks of your baby’s solid food feeding journey, check out my new Safe & Simple 12 Week Meal Plan! Over 30 recipes, weekly shopping lists, tons of balanced baby meals, a complete plan for top allergen introduction, & lots of guidance (with photos) on how to safely serve each food.
And if you're looking for personalized nutrition support for yourself, your babies and/or your kids, I am currently accepting new clients in my virtual private practice. Looking forward to meeting you online…
