Simple Swaps That Help Feed Your Baby Iron-Rich Foods
This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase a product through a link, I will receive a small commission - this in no way impacts the amount you pay. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk (*).
Baby and toddler tummies are small. In terms of volume, they don’t hold much. As a result, it’s important to ensure that the foods we give them during these early years are healthy options that pack a lot of nutrition into a small amount.
By prioritizing nutrient-dense foods (or foods that offer many vitamins and minerals per calorie), we can help meet their nutrient needs and fuel the development of growing brains, bodies, and immune systems. Unfortunately, not all popular baby and toddler foods support the goal of nutrient density.
Iron is a powerhouse nutrient crucial for your baby's early development. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of iron for infants, the best sources of iron for babies, tips for increasing iron absorption, and some common questions related to iron and babies.
With some simple healthy swaps for babies and toddlers, we can meet iron needs while encouraging lifelong healthy eating habits.
Why Do Babies Need Iron?
Iron is an essential mineral that supports many different functions in the body. Making sure your baby gets enough iron helps lay the foundation for a healthy and thriving future.
Iron plays an important role in the formation of hemoglobin, which helps red blood cells carry oxygen. A well-functioning immune system relies on sufficient oxygen levels to fight infections and diseases, so an iron deficiency can compromise immune responses, making babies more susceptible to illness.
Iron is involved in producing adenosine triphosphate, the primary energy source for cells. Babies need ample energy for their rapid growth, physical activity, and overall development.
In the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that exclusively breastfed infants receive an iron supplement starting around 4 months of age (sometimes earlier), as breast milk alone does not provide enough for exclusively breastfed babies.
Additionally, iron is crucial for the growth and formation of the brain and nervous system. During the first few years of life, the brain develops fast, and iron plays a vital role in supporting this process. Iron deficiency in infancy can lead to iron deficiency anemia, developmental delays, behavioral issues, and long-term cognitive impairments.
Iron-Rich Foods for 6-month-old Babies
Around 6 months of age, the iron stores babies have built up in utero tend to be depleted, making it even more important to introduce early foods that are iron-rich.
There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme. Heme iron (found in animal foods like beef and lamb) is more easily absorbed. Plant-based sources of iron are considered non-heme iron. Non-heme iron is harder for the body to absorb, which is partly why vegans and vegetarians are at greater risk of iron deficiency.
Here is a short list of the best sources of iron for babies. These are appropriate iron-rich foods for babies 6 months old and up:
Beef, pork, lamb, (any red meat as long as it is tender and fully cooked) poultry, and seafood (like sardines, cooked oysters* and salmon*)
Tofu (a great early food during baby-led weaning!)
Leafy, dark green vegetables like spinach
Iron-fortified infant breakfast cereals* and breads
Iron-Rich Foods for 12-month-old Babies and Toddlers
At this stage, most formerly formula-fed babies are weaned from infant formula. 12-month-old babes have typically mastered the process of grasping small finger foods between their thumb and forefinger (also called a “pincer grasp.”) Here are some excellent iron-rich foods for babies 1 year old and up, from my perspective as a pediatric dietitian:
Cooked meats: Slow-cooked* and other soft meats like chicken or beef are great iron-rich foods for babies and sources of protein for children of all ages.
Fish: One of my favorite recipes for babies and toddlers is this delicious, Baby-Friendly Baked Salmon, which packs in iron, protein, vitamins B12 and D, and brain-building omega-3 fatty acids. The fish flakes off easily into finger-food-sized pieces that are soft and easy for toddlers to self-feed.
Smashed beans: Cooked beans such as black beans* or white beans* can be great options for high-iron foods; just make sure to gently smash the beans to make them easier to pick up and prevent choking.
Tofu: Tofu is a favorite of mine because it’s affordable and nutrient-dense. Unlike some plant proteins, soy protein is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids. Try offering these easy, tasty, Baked Sesame Tofu Bites as a nutritious iron-rich food for babies 2 years old and up, and even as young as 9 months.
Eggs: Hard-Boiled Eggs are one of my favorite iron-rich foods for babies and toddlers. The soft texture of eggs is an ideal finger food, and babies and toddlers can easily mash them in the mouth before swallowing, which greatly reduces the risk of choking.
Green Leafy Vegetables: Toddlers love a challenge, and eating soup by themselves is adventurous and fun! Try serving this yummy Broccoli Spinach Soup, which works well for both babies and toddlers who are working on their self-feeding skills.
**TOP TIP** Dried fruits, especially apricots and prunes, can be high in iron; however, their sticky texture can be a choking hazard for babies and young toddlers. It is best to wait until they are close to 18 months - 2 years old with back molars in for chewing.
Iron-Rich Foods for Vegetarian Babies
While plant-based sources of iron may not be as readily absorbed as animal-based sources, they can still contribute significantly to a child’s iron needs. Some of the foods with the highest amount of iron (non-heme) include iron-fortified cereals and white beans (hooray for cannellini beans!) Other good sources include lentils*, tomatoes*, spinach, tofu, beans, and cashews.
Almonds, chia seeds*, and pumpkin seeds are good sources of iron. They are also rich in healthy fats and protein. Try offering a smaller portion of this delicious Chocolate Cherry Smoothie that is loaded with iron-rich chia seeds, flax seeds, almond butter, kale, and cocoa powder.
Top Tip
Offering iron-rich foods regularly is the best way to ensure that your child is getting enough iron, but cooking in cast iron pots and pans helps boost iron intake as well!
5 Simple Swaps to Boost Baby Iron Intake
1. Instead of serving plain teething crackers, add a thin layer of nut or seed butter
So many babies love teething crackers, and parents often love them too because they feel more comfortable offering a meltable texture with low choking risk. But most teething crackers don’t offer much in terms of nutrients.
If your baby loves teethers, but you want to level up the nutrition, try spreading on a thin layer of peanut or almond butter for added healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamins & minerals, AND early exposure to a top allergenic food.
Offering top allergens like peanuts early and often during infancy in infant-safe forms helps reduce the risk of food allergy.
You can upgrade the nutrition and texture exposure to another level by adding a sprinkle of hemp hearts* on top for added plant-based protein, iron, vitamin B6, and folate.
Other great teething cracker topping options include:
Cream cheese + smashed raspberries
Tahini + sesame seeds*
2. Instead of baby rice cereals, offer whole-grain versions
Baby rice cereal is a common early food, perhaps because it is fortified with iron and easily spoon-fed, and people believe that it will help with weight gain and growth.
But the more we learn about infant feeding, the more we find that baby rice cereal doesn’t offer much nutrition and may actually end up replacing more nutrient-dense options in a child’s diet.
While fine occasionally, it’s also bland and uniform in texture, which, when offered regularly, doesn’t help expand a child’s palate by introducing a variety of flavors and textures early on.
Perhaps most importantly, many rices and rice-based foods also contain elevated levels of arsenic (a toxic metal) due to the way rice grows. If you want to offer your baby or toddler an iron-fortified infant cereal, a more nutrient-dense choice without the higher risk of toxic metal content are baby cereals made with whole grains like oats*, barley*, wheat, quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat*.
Great alternatives to rice cereal for toddlers include regular oatmeal*, plain oat “o” cereals*, or shredded wheat.
3. Instead of salt, sugar sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, and other similar toppings, offer a variety of healthy “sprinkles”
In general, when it comes to sweets and treats, babies and young children don’t yet know what they are missing. They are already conditioned from a young age to accept sweet flavors that are familiar, thanks to breast milk, formula, and even amniotic fluid.
So, these early years are the best time to expose them to as many non-sweet flavors as we can to help expand their palates and increase the likelihood that they’ll accept and enjoy a variety of different foods as they grow.
With that in mind, try filling some empty spice shakers with a variety of nutrient-rich sprinkly foods that offer some added fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fat, like:
Wheat germ
Almond flour
Ground hazelnuts*
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Poppy seeds
Ground pumpkin seeds*
Role model “dressing up” cooked vegetables, fresh fruits, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, etc., with these fun and nutritious sprinkles for your baby, rather than using sugary or salty condiments. And hand the “sprinkle shakers” over to your toddlers to sprinkle on the magic themselves!
4. Instead of regular or non-stick cookware, use cast iron pots and pans
What if I told you that one of the simplest swaps you can make to help meet your baby or toddler’s iron needs has more to do with what you use to cook their food than the actual food themselves?
For context, iron is an essential nutrient that plays many important roles in baby and toddler growth—like helping form hemoglobin and contributing to brain and immune system development.
Offering iron-rich foods regularly is the best way to ensure that your child is getting enough iron, but cooking in cast iron pots and pans helps boost iron intake as well!
A few things to know:
During the cooking process, iron gets absorbed into the food from the pan
Acidic foods like tomatoes absorb more iron than non-acidic foods
Foods cooked for longer absorb more iron than foods cooked for a shorter period of time
5. Make sure to offer plant-based iron-rich foods with Vitamin C for greater iron absorption
Serve non-heme iron-rich foods for babies alongside foods containing vitamin C. Vitamin C is a nutrient that helps the body absorb iron better.
As a result, pairing plant foods rich in iron with foods that are high in vitamin C is a great way to help maximize as much iron absorption as possible from meals and snacks.
Here are some foods that are high in vitamin C that pair well with iron-rich foods to increase the absorption of iron:
Kale
Bell Peppers
Cauliflower
One of my favorite recipes pairing iron with vitamin C is my recipe for Almond Cardamom Pancakes with Raspberries. The vitamin C in the raspberries improves the iron absorption from whole grains and almond flour (both good sources of iron), all in one dish.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to feeding our littlest eaters, the more we can choose nutrient-rich staple foods for regular meals and snacks, the easier it will be to meet nutrient needs during these years of rapid growth and development, especially regarding iron.
What simple swaps have you found to be most helpful when feeding your child? Please share below!
If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essentials Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to get started. You might also want to check out my online course for parents which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
If you prefer books and want help with starting solids, finding recipes the whole family (baby included) can enjoy, and navigating food allergy prevention during infancy all at the same time, check out my new cookbook and guide to starting solids and introducing allergens! It gives you the latest research on safely introducing all top 9 allergens and lots of recipes and tips to continue offering them consistently.