Pumping up your baby's iron
Iron plays a vital role during your baby’s first year. Getting enough iron is important for your growing baby’s healthy mental development. Your baby was born with natural stores of iron, provided by mom during a healthy pregnancy. But those initial iron reserves need to be maintained by an iron-rich diet.
If not maintained, these iron stores may become depleted around the time your baby is 4 to 6 months old. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States—most common in older infants and young children.
That’s why it’s critical that your baby get the iron she needs from breastmilk, iron-fortified formula, and solid foods. Iron-fortified cereal is a great way to help give your baby the additional iron she needs. Feeding cereal twice a day gives your baby 90% of her daily value of iron.