I am not sure whether he is on a vegetarian diet -- if not, consider some organic beef or other kinds of meat (liver?) -- as they can have a measurable effect on the iron levels.

There is iron in the cereal flakes (you can get them organic too), but I am unsure of how well that is absorbed.

 

Breast milk is a good source of bioavailable iron, perhaps mix it in some of his solids as well?

 

Does he seem pale and sluggish at all? How are his energy levels?

 

GL,

Oana

 

On 7/17/07, allysonhage <allysonhage@...> wrote:

My 9 month old is breastfed and has been eating some solids for the
past 3 months.

At our recent check up, my pediatrician said that his iron levels were
low and recommended ferrous sulfate iron supplement drops. Besides
the potential for discoloring his teeth, the drops contain alcohol,
sugar, and sorbitol. I'm really not comfortable with giving this
product to my son.

I purchased some liquid vitamin + iron drops at Whole Foods. My son
hates them. It's a struggle to get a dropperful in his mouth. He had
just gotten off his "I only want to eat avocado" kick, but since the
drops he's less inclined to eat anything.

I'd like to add some iron-rich foods to his diet in lieu of the drops.
I've done some research and have a list of some good foods. But,
before I go out and buy a ton of blackstrap molasses, flaxseeds, and
brewer's yeast, I was wondering if anyone had already tried boosting
iron levels through diet with any success. If so, were there any
foods/combinations that your baby tolerated more than others?