Talking Iron and not just pumping it!
Everyone knows I made T’s baby food for him. I liked doing it for him, I knew it was healthy and I knew what was in it. But, did you know that even with the best intentions most Moms miss the mark when it comes to providing their little ones with the proper amount of iron? Honestly, I had no clue until reading about Nestlé Gerber cereals and learning more about baby nutrition overall. From six to 24 months babies lose their stored iron supply, so it is extremely important that you replace it with healthy choices, even breast milk doesn’t contain enough iron, so we do need to supplement.
The problem I faced when I made the choice to make his food was finding ways without giving him supplements to ensure he had his daily intake of iron and other vitamins. The way I found was the easiest and healthiest was to go with Nestlé Gerber cereals for all stages right from when he started solids. I would make his fruits, and vegetables as well as take care of the meat but used cereals to give him some texture and make sure he’s getting everything he needs to grow big and strong. Iron is essential to cognitive development, and you may not realize that all the healthy choices you are making for them lack the recommended amount of iron and other nutrients.
Even once you introduce cow’s milk don’t forget to continue to give them iron rich food. Apparently about 60% of moms stop feeding their little ones cereals around 10-15 months. T is just shy of 11 months and he still gets cereal with two meals, at breakfast with his fruit and at lunch with his veggies! I didn’t realize that we should continue to give it to them even after they are eating “table food” as we like to call it. Iron transports oxygen through the body making sure that brain development is maximized; did you know that during growth spurts they require more iron? Oh and if you notice that your little one is overly cranky a lot of the time it could be due to a lack of iron! I totally learned a ton digging into this!
Other ways to add iron to baby’s diet… meats and legumes are healthy choices when you are making their food, but remember that a fortified cereal two times a day gives them 100% of the daily requirements and it’s easy to add into anything (I even add it to his yogurt). Plus there are a ton of different types of cereal available, so your little one will have different tastes and textures to try. Don’t lose any sleep either, the cereals do not add sugar, salt, artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. To top it off, Nestlé Gerber baby cereals are the only one in Canada with Probiotic B. lactis, keeping your little ones digestive tract healthy. It’s all about having a good balance to keep you and your family healthy and Nestlé Gerber makes it that little bit easier to do so!
This post was sponsored by Nestlé Gerber Baby Cereal. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.
