Does My Baby Really Need Iron Drops?

Giving babies iron drops is annoying. And stinky. So, are they are actually necessary? The answer is not usually, but sometimes!

Now, I’m not going to tell you what your baby in particular needs, but I did want to go over some of the things doctors are looking at when they make their recommendations.

Formula contains added iron, so babies that drink mainly formula generally do not need supplementation.

Breast milk has much less iron in it, but babies absorb almost half of its iron content as opposed to about 4 percent of the iron in formula. Full-term, nursing infants who were born average weight or above do not typically need to be supplemented for the first few months.

The majority of a baby’s stores of iron are accumulated in the third trimester, so doctors often prescribe supplementation for premies since they didn’t have that time to build up reserves

For all infants, at 4 months according to the AAP and 6 months according to the WHO, you may need to give extra iron if they are not getting enough from solid food because they will have used up a lot of the iron they received during pregnancy. If you do give supplements, expect a change in the color and texture of baby's poops. They may also experience some diarrhea or constipation which should resolve as they adjust.

If you have concerns, your provider can always do a quick blood test to check on their levels as well.