Skip the Baby Cereal - Start w/ Iron Rich Foods

La Leche League recommends that babies be offered foods that are naturally rich in iron, rather than iron-fortified foods. Read more about when to start solids here: Solid Foods and the Breastfed Baby.

Foods that are high in iron include:

• breastmilk
• winter squash
• sweet potatoes
• prune juice
• meat & poultry (beef, beef & chicken liver, turkey, chicken)
• mushrooms
• sea vegetables (arame, dulse), algaes (spirulina), kelp
• greens (spinach, chard, dandelion, beet, nettle, parsley, watercress)
• yellow dock root
• grains (millet, brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, breads with these grains)
• blackstrap molasses (try adding a little to cereal or rice)
• brewer's yeast

High-iron foods to save until the end of the first year or later:

• dried beans (lima, lentils, kidney)
• chili con carne with beans
• tofu
• egg yolks
• grains (cooked cracked wheat, cornmeal, grits, farina, bran, breads with these grains)
• tomato
• dried fruit (figs, apricots, prunes, raisins)
• meat (pork)
• shellfish (clams, oysters, shrimp)
• tuna, sardines

Warning: Some of the foods listed above are not suitable for babies. Dried fruits should not be given to babies under a year old, due to the choking hazard. Also, pork, fish, shellfish, wheat, citrus fruits and eggs are highly allergenic and may not be suitable for babies under a year or who have a family history of allergies. See Suggested ages for introducing allergenic foods for more information.

You may wish to give baby foods high in vitamin C along with iron-rich foods, since vitamin C increases iron absorption. Cooking in a cast iron pan also increases iron content of foods. The absorption of iron is also increased by eating green leafy salads or citrus fruits, fruit juices and potatoes (including instant potatoes at meals when consuming iron rich foods).