The other night at a presentation, a mum told me she wasn't worried about low iron in her child as he “bounces off the walls,”. I get why she thinks that way - one of the most common signs of low iron we hear about is fatigue.
But for some kids with low iron, there are no obvious signs of tiredness and lethargy. In fact, a lot of the children I see with iron deficiency present with almost excessive energy. They’re the ones you'd describe as an energiser bunny, or the engine that never stops.
This can catch parents off guard, and mean that low iron can sometimes go unnoticed for a long time.
This post will walk you through a more complete picture of the signs of low iron, and the first steps to take if you think your child has low iron.
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Beyond fatigue: When the signs seem to contradict each other
Your child doesn’t have to be constantly falling asleep to be low in iron. In practice I see kids who are constantly dysregulated, have frequent night waking, low appetite and/or recurrent illness BUT their energy levels would be considered completely normal (if not excessive 🤪).
Sometimes the signs can seem to contradict each other, for example, a child who was just bouncing off the walls could be falling asleep in the car a few minutes later. When the symptoms point in so many different directions at once, it becomes hard to figure out what’s really going on.
So, where does that leave us? Here's what to look for:
Your child may have not show all of these symptoms but if you're noticing one or more of them, it's worth chatting with your GP about whether testing iron is a good idea.
Testing: Is a blood test really necessary?
You cannot reliably tell your child's iron levels from how they look, how they sleep, or how much energy they have. You also can't tell from a hair or eye test - there's no scientific evidence behind those.
Lots of parents feel a bit nervous about taking their child for a blood test, but it really is the only accurate way to know what's going on with their iron. It's also the only way to get a clear and effective treatment plan in place. Lots of kids cope surprisingly well with the test - and I've got tips and tricks for what you can do to increase your chances of a positive experience.
To hear more about low iron in kids, what to expect, and what to do, have a listen to Mealtimes with Dr Kyla, episode 30. Does your child need their iron levels tested? available wherever you listen to podcasts.
From the Mealtimes Method Should I offer high iron foods?
If your child has low iron, food is not going to treat it.
Offering a high iron food at most meals and snacks is a great way to help babies and toddlers keep up their iron intake. Serving high iron foods this often means you don't have to worry when it goes uneaten at some meals, which is an important part of sticking to your roles. It also means no single food has to be eaten and no one thing is the solution to your child's iron intake.
High iron foods include:
But which of these are the best sources? The ones that your child likes to eat!
Most young kids will only eat some of these foods - that's fine. Keep offering a range of them to give your child opportunities to learn to like them over time. But you don't need to worry about which high iron food is the "best", or making sure you get a specific iron source in.
If you're stressed about how your child eats, the Mealtimes Membership can help you. Members get so much support for helping their kids to build confidence with new foods of all kinds, and a team of feeding experts on hand to answer every question you have.
Looking for more support?
A Mealtimes Membership has everything you need to know about raising confident, adventurous eaters at any stage of childhood. If you're feeling frustrated, anxious or stressed, get yourself into the membership today and we'll sort you out.
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Starting solids
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Weekly family menu
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Navigating body conversations
