Childhood Diseases

Posted by: Pudigadi | 2010-07-09


iron deficiecy

Hi Doc,

Please tell me, what are the symptoms of iron deficiency. My daughter is a 1yr old and she still doesnt sleep through the night. She hardly sleep even during the day,thats how active she is. Someone suggested she might be iron deficient. Can this be true even when she is so active.

Thanking you in advance

Expert's Reply



Children with an iron deficiency usually have an anaemia and are usually tired and listless. Your baby is very active so this is unlikely to be due to an iron deficiency.It would help her to give her a supplement containing Omega 3 such as Eye Q.There are other forms of Omega 3 supplements as well, so speak to your pharmacist.


user comments


Posted by: PUrple | 2010-07-10

IF she was breastfed she would have got enough iron and 100% of it would have been absorbed.
If formula fed, the formulas are all fortified with iron, and although it isn''t absorbed all that well, she would have got enough.

Some sleep experts like to recommend iron drops for babies who aren''t sleeping that well, but it generally just makes babies very niggly and does nothing for their sleep as far as I know from people who tried this.

Babies just don''t sleep how we think they should, and although some children sleep through the night from 8 weeks, most children aren''t consistently sleeping through the night until they are 5 or 6 years old - and that is quite normal. What sleep training does is make them go back to sleep without your assistance when they wake up, it doesn''t stop them from waking up.

From around 7 months until about 3 years babies go through separation anxiety (it starts off strong and then eases off over time), and often when they wake at night and you aren''t there they are howling for you. They''ve only just really come to the realisation that mom is a separate being from them and they find this a little upsetting and whenever you aren''t in sight seem to think you won''t come back. GAmes like peek a boo help with this.

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