Brain food for baby
Iron and DHA & ARA are important for your baby’s ongoing development:
IRON plays a particularly important role in the first year of life. During this time a growing baby’s demand for iron increases, especially from 6 to 12 months of age.
Iron is important for physical growth and mental development, and helps to expand the number of red blood cells that supply him with oxygen.
Your baby was born with a good supply of iron, but if not maintained, these iron stores may become depleted around the time he is 4 to 6 months old. That’s why it’s critical that your baby gets the iron he needs from breastmilk, iron-fortified formula, and, eventually, solid foods. The American Academy of Pediatrics sees no role for low-iron formulas in infant feeding and recommends all formulas be fortified with iron.
DHA & ARA are fatty acids that accumulate in your baby’s brain during pregnancy. Babies continue to get these important fatty acids through breastmilk and many infant formulas.
Fatty acids make up a large part of the human brain. DHA & ARA are important building blocks of brain tissue that help support your baby’s brain and eye development.
DHA & ARA are passed on to your baby during breastfeeding. That’s why what you eat is so important. DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) is concentrated in the oils of fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardines. ARA (an omega-6 fatty acid) is found in dairy products, meat, and eggs.
If you choose to formula feed, it may help to know that all the DHA & ARA in infant formulas sold in the United States is from the same source. The levels of DHA & ARA in GERBER® GOOD START® formulas are similar to levels shown to help support brain and eye development.