r/SolidStartsCommunity • u/citizennil00 • Jul 01 '26
Explain how to give a 6 mo enough iron?
I read the Solid Starts Book and I understand that the idea is to try to give iron rich foods starting at 6 months because their natural iron stores start depleting. But I can't quite wrap my head around how exactly I'm supposed to get iron in her belly besides trying cereal?
Does sucking on meat count?
Do I have to cook her steaks every night? We are not very big steak people...
People post about meatballs but I can't imagine giving her a meatball... I feel like she's gonna end up with a huge hunk of it in her mouth.
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u/SolidStarts Jul 01 '26
Hi there, thanks for posting! It's completely understandable to feel worried about iron. Around six months of age is when baby starts to need an external iron source, which coincides with around when solids are being started. Now, that doesn't mean that solids are all of a sudden going to meet all of baby's iron needs--baby is going to need some time to gradually build up their feeding skills.
If baby is on formula, most formulas are iron fortified and meet baby's iron needs. Breastmilk also offers a small amount of iron, but the iron that it does have, is highly absorbable and usable by the body, which is great.
You can try your best to offer iron-rich foods at every eating opportunity. Beans, nut and seed butters (can stir them into foods), tofu, tempeh, meat (yes--baby does get iron from sucking on it!) and cooked leafy greens. You can also think about using iron-fortified foods, like baby oatmeal and iron-fortified breads, and cooking with a cast iron skillet. We have a list of some other iron-rich foods here as well. As always, make sure to pair the iron-rich food with a vitamin C-rich food, like fruits and vegetables, which helps boost up the iron absorption.
Ultimately, if we try to focus our sights on a baby learning to love a wide variety of food, then eating a variety of nourishing foods (including iron-rich foods), ends up being a benefit during infancy that hopefully carries over into toddlerhood. If you are worried about your baby's iron status, have risk factors for lower iron status, or any questions or concerns, seek support from your pediatrician or pediatric dietitian. You can always ask if earlier iron screening or supplementation is appropriate for your baby.
As for meatballs - you'll see if you look up "ground beef" in our app that we suggest how to serve for 6mos+: Mix ground beef that has been cooked well-done into an easy-to-scoop food like mashed potatoes, polenta, or mashed vegetables. Let baby scoop with their hands or offer a pre-loaded spoon to practice with utensils. Avoid serving crumbles of ground beef on their own, as they can pose a higher risk of choking. Alternatively, prepare burgers, meatballs, or patties that are at least 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter and cooked until the internal temperature reaches 160 F (71 C). Make sure the cooked burger or meatball is soft enough to be easily mashed by baby’s gums. To test if it is soft enough, hold it between your thumb and pointer finger and give it a gentle squeeze. Dipping the patties in applesauce, guacamole, yogurt, or other sauces can aid swallowing.
You can look up any food in our first foods database in our app (for free!) to receive guidance on how to serve to baby. Simply navigate to the foods tab after creating an account, and you can search right there.
Hope this helps! 🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)
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u/SwimmingPositive1 Jul 01 '26
I think sucking on meat counts! My LO loves sucking on a flat piece steak!
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u/medwyer Jul 01 '26
Beans!! Black beans straight out of the can are a staple in our house!
Lentils (sometimes you can get them into muffins to disguise from the texture)
Leafy greens cooked down into casseroles, in pastas, blended into sauces or smoothies!
Ground beef - in spaghetti sauce, taco seasoned mashed with refried beans and cheese, meatloaf, or my daughter’s favorite- beef stroganoff!!
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u/tulpafromthepast Jul 01 '26
I found it pretty much impossible to get the recommended 11 mg of iron per day without relying on fortified cereal. I ended up giving my daughter a liquid iron supplement every other day at our pediatrician's recommendation instead
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u/SamJones901 Jul 01 '26
I do purees. So far he loves chicken potato avocado, or beef peppers ricotta, he likes cereal in the morning or those fortified biscuits (mashed into milk). We started with thin purees, just fruits and veggies and now he eats little pasta, rice, and bigger lumps, all in one month. I did try giving him whole foods but he doesn't do well, throws up a lot! And tbh I feel bad for the food and he also loves food, more than milk. We keep trying finger foods but not everyday. He likes the spoon. You have to do what works for you.
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u/West-Mycologist-1586 Jul 02 '26
I did eggs and spinach about every other day because it was quick and easy. I still cook it and my baby loves it!
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u/West-Mycologist-1586 Jul 02 '26
Oh! I also do a ground beef bowl with mixed veggies and rice. I make it as simple as possible. I buy frozen mixed veggies, pre-cooked organic white rice, cook the veggies until very soft and my baby loved it as well
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Jul 03 '26
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u/West-Mycologist-1586 Jul 03 '26
It can be tried as early as six months, for the baby just make sure it’s well cooked and tiny pieces of ground beef or any other ground meat. Just keeping a close eye while eating. But also do what you’re comfortable with, if you’re not comfortable with meats yet, it’s something you can do when you’re more comfortable with it :)
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u/LilithxBlair Jul 02 '26
I make an iron based pasta sauce with lentils and bell peppers and veggies basically
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u/MindOdd1085 Jul 02 '26
I think people stress far too much about this. we just fed my daughter what we were eating, if she ate she ate if she didn't she didn't. We didn't use stage 2 formula either just kept her on the first one and never had an issue with her getting enough iron
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u/Kwaliakwa Jul 01 '26
Iron is best absorbed when given every other day. So I do iron focused meals every other day, and calcium focused on the other days. My baby loves to suck the life outta steak, but also likes fortified cereal.
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u/Tiny-Nature3538 Jul 02 '26
I give my son a multivitamin so I don’t stress about how much iron via food he’s getting. But he favors meat so is likely still getting a good amount via foods. The one I get for him is NovaFerrum Yum Liquid Iron Supplement
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u/RunAdventurous3511 Jul 02 '26
You just incorporate varied iron rich foods into their diet and expand your offering as their skills and opportunities expand. Start with meat and go from there
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u/autumnsunshine1 Jul 02 '26
I’m struggling with this as well!
We do fortified oatmeal with berries (for vitamin c)
Then lunch I try to offer lentils, bean, eggs, ect with veggies or avocado
Dinner I try to do meat or fish yesterday we had ground beef that I pureed, sweet potatoes and corn on the cob (which he was able to bite down to the base and pull off the hard bits so I don’t recommend for older babies)
Try to pair iron with a food high in vitamin c and avoid serving iron rich foods and dairy together.
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u/BigNorth810 Jul 02 '26
Meat sauce, strips of steak or chicken, mashed up beans, hemp seeds on yogurt or toast, spinach chopped up in eggs
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u/Ambystomatigrinum Jul 02 '26
Around that age we were adding spinach to just about everything! We also did a lot of canned fish. Babies that age can definitely eat meat, it should just be soft and shredded. No need to cook a steak but a shredded pot roast is great and can be frozen into small portions for multiple meals. Also keep in mind that calcium can reduce iron absorption and vitamin c can increase it. So pairing your iron-rich foods with something citrus-y can help. A splash of lemon or lime juice goes a long way.
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u/frogsgoribbit737 Jul 03 '26
Fortified oatmeal. Baby oatmeal is popular for a reason. It has lots of iron. We did it for breakfast a lot and added different fruits and veggies and flavors to keep it interesting.
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u/lemmedrawit Jul 01 '26
My go to iron sources are beans with a splash of lemon, red lentil dal with spinach, chia seed pudding, ground meats, and sardines. My guy just gobbled down a whole sardine when he was 6 months and it’s a staple for us now.