Babies who are born full term have a reserve of iron, which has come through the placenta while they were in the womb. In the first six months, breastfed babies get all the iron they need from their mother’s milk. But when you start solids it’s good to make sure that the foods you offer your baby contain plenty of iron, overall.

There are two different kinds of iron. One is haem iron, which is found in meats and is more easily absorbed by the body. There is also non-haem iron, which comes from plants like vegetables, legumes and cereals. Babies can meet their iron needs from non-haem iron, as long as you offer plenty of these iron-rich plant foods in your baby’s diet of solids.

• Meat & poultry (beef, beef and chicken liver, pork, turkey, chicken)
• Tuna, sardines, canned salmon
• Green vegetables (spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, green peas, green beans)
• Dried peas and beans
• Legumes (white beans, lentils, kidney beans, tofu, chickpeas)
• Winter squash
• Sweet potatoes
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Egg yolks
• Dried fruit (figs, apricots, prunes, raisins)
• Prune juice
• Tofu
• Grains (pasta, barley, quinoa, wheat germ, cornmeal, millet, brown rice, farina, bran, breads, iron fortified cereals)

Vitamin C helps the absorption of iron so this is another reason to add in as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Foods that are rich in Vitamin C include citrus fruits (oranges, mandarins, grapefruits), capsicum, berries, green vegetables (such as broccoli and cabbage), peaches, apples, bananas and tomatoes.

Recommended resources

Is your toddler waking a lot at night because of low iron?

Starting solids in a way that's easy and enjoyable - for both you and your baby

When is your baby ready for solids?

What's the difference between gagging and choking?

Things to avoid with infants and foods

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles and videos in Little people + food.