From 6 months of age, babies need iron supplementation. Normally, weaning food begins to replenish iron, but if you do not eat enough iron, there is a high risk of developing anemia in babies. In particular, a child whose face is too pale or who refuses to eat baby food should be suspected of anaemia.
It would be bleak to think that my child could be anaemic, but infant anemia is one of the diseases that children often suffer from than you think. Why do children get anaemia?
Normally, babies are born with iron that can be sustained in the mother’s stomach for about 6 months. Then, after 6 months of age, the iron received from the mother’s stomach falls, so you need to supply iron using baby food.
Of course, breast milk also contains iron, but it is not enough to supplement enough iron that a child’s body needs with breast milk alone. Therefore, if you do not add iron supplements or breastfeed exclusively, your child is more likely to suffer from anaemia.
When a child’s body lacks iron, the blood thins and symptoms of anemia appear, known as iron deficiency anemia.
What causes anemia? Iron deficiency is the main cause
Iron deficiency anemia is a common symptom in children. Because children grow so quickly, their weight doubles at 3 months of age. Anemia in infants is most evident during the first six months of life and around 15 months of age when weight increases rapidly.
Especially at this time, food such as baby food or baby food is greatly affected. If children do not eat foods that contain iron and eat an unbalanced diet, it is easy to develop anemia. If you were born prematurely or have symptoms of childhood anemia during breastfeeding, you need to check if your mother is not deficient in iron as well.
Babies under 6 months receive nutrients from their mothers, so it is good for mothers to continue eating foods containing iron or taking iron supplements after giving birth.
However, the iron received by the mother disappears around 4 to 6 months after birth. Therefore, from then on, it is good to add iron-rich ingredients to baby food.
How can I tell if my baby has anaemia?
A child with symptoms of anemia has a pale complexion and does not like rice. Crying, fussing, tiring easily and complaining of tiredness. A child with severe anemia may experience shortness of breath and a rapid pulse. Height and weight do not increase well, which can cause growth disorders and learning disabilities. In addition, the skin around the mouth becomes rough and inflammation of the tongue often occurs.
For children with symptoms of anaemia, it is good to have an anemia test at a public health center or pediatric department between 9 and 12 months of age. The anemia test measures hemoglobin and hematocrit to diagnose childhood anemia.
According to the standards of the World Health Organization, in the case of pregnant women and children from 6 months to 6 years, anemia is considered when the level of red blood cells is less than 11 mg / dL. Iron is a very important nutrient for growing children.
Check blood and bone marrow levels for anaemia
Different causes are identified by different tests that involve a small amount of venous blood being drawn. As anemia in children varies according to their age and the standard for hemoglobin level is different to that found in adults, the average hematocrit is the average size and volume of a single red blood cell and provides important information in finding the cause. If the number of reticulocytes is increased, hemolysis and hemorrhage are likely to be the cause of anemia, and peripheral blood tests that can examine the size, shape and number of red blood cells under a microscope are also useful for diagnosis.
In addition, although it is not an essential test when anemia is only present, a bone marrow examination can be carried out in cases of severe anemia or when the cause of long-lasting anemia is unclear.
What are some ways to prevent anemia symptoms before they appear in my child?
If you have symptoms of anaemia, 500 cc of milk per day is appropriate.
For older children with iron deficiency anemia, it is recommended to feed only about 500 cc of milk per day. Milk contains 0.5 mg of iron per litre, but only 10% of it is absorbed by the body. The rich calcium in milk not only interferes with iron absorption, but also causes protein-induced gastrointestinal bleeding in children before turning 1. In addition, children with a milk allergy can lose iron if they eat too much milk.
Eat foods high in iron
For treating childhood anemia, it is good to help absorb iron. In the case of babies who show symptoms of anemia after 6 months of age, iron-rich vegetables or meat are good choices for weaning food ingredients. If you feed meat (pork, beef, chicken, etc.) with vegetables, it helps treat childhood anemia.
Foods rich in iron include beef and animal organs (liver, kidneys, intestines), egg yolks, oysters, prawns, clams, dried fruit (raisins, dried figs), dried peas, peanuts, walnuts, green vegetables (spinach, perilla leaves), etc. However, each food is absorbed differently by the body.
In the case of animal foods, the rate of absorption in the body is higher than that of plant foods. Therefore, from 6 months when the body’s iron stores have run out, it is recommended to provide meat foods such as egg yolks and beef with high iron absorption through weaning.
However, milk, green tea and black tea combine with iron to form salt, so you must be careful not to feed them before 1 hour after eating because they block iron absorption.
