# Did you do the 1 yr iron/lead blood test? Why/why not? Are you glad about your decision?



## gracemamma (Oct 11, 2009)

DDs 1 yr check is right around the corner. I've learned that our ped office does vein draw for iron/lead and are pretty uncomfortable about this. DD is a vegetarian and is still breastfeeding. Lentils, quinoa, greens and other good iron sources are a regular part of her diet. They did have to cut her cord right after birth so she missed some extra stores there. I also just picked up some floradix and thought I could mix a bit of this into things.
Our home was built in 88 so no lead paint here and I try to be very careful about what she plays with-she does grab hold of the keys once a week or so though!

DH says they don't do this in Italy-where he's from- and I didn't have childhood blood draws before my late teens.

So, did you do it? Are you glad you did? Did you skip it? If your dc had a vein draw, was it horrifying or ok? (I keep thinking she'll be screaming, they'll want me to hold her down and other nightmarish things!)

Thanks, mamas!


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## Madalyn (Jun 1, 2007)

They didn't even ask to do it at our 1 year check up. Weird because they mentioned it at my 9 month one how it would occur at the next appointment but then nobody brought it up (and I certainly wasn't going to lol).


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

I had it done with dd because back then I did everything they wanted me to. It wasnt that bad but it wasnt needed either since there was no risk of lead and no reason for dd to have low iron she is like me and has excellent stores.

I didnt have it done with ds because by then I had stopped all WBV and only take them in when sick.

I may or may not have the iron checked this year when they go in for their physicals for school. Not sure yet.


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## Amanda L (Jun 29, 2010)

I did have those tests done since I was worried about the flaking paint on our porch. I'm glad because he did test high (twice). The first time was a finger prick and was pretty bad emotionally - especially since my son has doctor phobia already. The next time was a vein draw and it was horrible. They did have me hold him in my lap while one person held his arm and another drew the blood. Not Fun.

I was up in the air about moving, and my sons lead test was the final straw for me. We couldn't move fast enough to suit me after that.


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## QuestionGal (Feb 19, 2006)

I consented to have DS's blood drawn. It was not a big deal. I had my blood drawn first, he sat in my lap, I pulled out a distracting toy (my phone maybe?) and made a request to have a person who would get it on the first stick and was good with tiny veins. I think I even said "not to be rude but you get one shot at this." By the time he noticed what was going on it was over. Not even a single tear.

I had it done b/c I was anemic during and after the pregnancy, he ate very little protein, and we live in an older house that was built in the time of lead paint though all tests have come back negative.


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## KempsMama (Dec 1, 2008)

DS1 has had both done, although they were only finger pricks, not blood draws. Maybe you could ask for that instead of an actual blood draw?

I had the lead test done because several of my friends babies were testing with high levels and were finding all sorts of sources that I could not rule out.


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## EviesMom (Nov 30, 2004)

I nursed my kids while it was done, and it was not a big deal. I'm glad I did it for both. The older child had elevated lead (not reportably so, but high enough that I searched to find the cause--playground dust and a relative's renovation which we visited immediately after they were done). I was glad to know, and it was easy to solve--washed hands after playground, avoided that one when possible, no eating at any playground; don't visit relative's house until reno fully done and cleaned up. The younger had very low lead, below what they consider normal for my city, probably because the general avoidance techniques were routine for us.


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## jammomma (Nov 17, 2008)

Our DS was just checked for lead at his one year WBV, because we had been living in an old building that had lead paint, and in one room (that he never went into) the paint was chipping quite badly. The lead test came back negative. Unless I lived in a building built prior to 1978, I would skip the lead test, unless I had some other reason to think my kid was exposed to lead.


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## pbjmama (Sep 20, 2007)

I did it, glad I did. Get the best person to do it and it only takes a moment. I actually asked for the best person and they told me she wasn't in that day, I came back the next day.


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## Violet2 (Apr 26, 2007)

Oh yes we did it. Our house is 1950 and my mom's had lead and we were there during construction. Dd was fine though. The blood draw was not fun but we survived.

And now there's all the noise about lead in juice, even organic juice b/c the soil is contaminated.

V


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## IndigoKoi (Jun 29, 2010)

Weird... we never had it done at my son's 1 yr. But, I think the ped mentioned it might be coming up for his 2 yr. But at the same time... it's not the first time he's had a blood draw. Went to the ER twice during his first year, and of course it's standard procedure to put a hep-lock in upon arrival. even though totally not necessary







I tried to protest but I got the "just in case there's an emergency and we need to give him something via IV"...


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

We did because the pediatrician asked a few questions and we had a risk factor, though I don't remember specifically what it was. It was just a pin prick, and as dd was fine it turned out to be necessary, but of course she could have had higher lead levels in which case we would have needed to know. So I am glad we did it.


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## ThisCat (Jun 19, 2010)

I checked iron levels for both kids because it was an easy quick finger stick, and I was curious. DD was ever so slightly low which we remedied without supplementing. DS was fine. Glad I did it especially for DD because it made me more aware of iron in her diet. Probably wouldn't do it again if I had a third since I know what to do now.

Didn't bother checking the lead levels for either kid since we don't have any risk factors and it involved a blood draw. Also some of the things we normally do anyway help reduce exposure like washing hands whenever we come home and before eating and leaving our shoes at the door. No regrets about skipping it.


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## lmk1 (Sep 21, 2007)

Finger prick for the iron, and blood draw for lead (at a Labcorp). The blood draw sucked. We had an older house, so I was concerned. Both turned out just fine. Our ped only recommends the lead testing if you have a risk factor, like an old house.


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

We did a blood draw for lead and iron (now have done it 3 times). Ds had reportably high lead levels. I am glad I did it, I would always do it. I encourage everyone to do it. Your home is not the only risk factor, the playground, your soil, other's homes, any building you go it etc. I live in Philadelphia, its an "older" city and almost every kid I know has test high or highish for lead, some folks live in new construction, some live in 100 year old homes.

We did the blood draw at Children's Hospital, which means we've always used a pediatric phelobotomist, ds has never cried or made any fuss about it, we did it 1yr, 2yr, and 2.5yr


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## JBaxter (May 1, 2005)

Yes.. BUT my office does finger sticks under the age of 3. I would be really unconfortable with a vein draw on a baby


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## fyrwmn (Jan 5, 2009)

dd had it done at 1 yr, adn we'll be taking ds on monday for his test. our house is 150+ yrs old, so i know there is lead paint within the layers most likely. on top of that, i have always been borderline anemic, so i'd like to know if they take after me in that regard since there are ays to remedy it. dd did fine with the vein draw, didn't even cry. they had me hold her during it, and we nursed right after even though she wasn't upset. i'm hoping it goes as smoothly with ds.


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## not_telling (Mar 31, 2008)

We're also in an older home, so I do worry about lead. And I'd also like to be sure DS is not low in iron since he's one of those fruit-n-carbs kids. We had levels checked at 1 year and the ped said this was more to establish a baseline. We're coming up on the 2 yr check for both and I'm a little apprehensive about how it's going to go. I'm inspired by other PPs saying they asked for the best person to do it....there's a tech/nurse (?) at our ped's office that I firmly believe should not be in pediatrics and I do not want her doing the prick/draw (not sure what it'll be).

Also, DS will be getting some sort of vax at this visit (MMR maybe?) and I'm trying to figure out what should happen first - blood draw or vax. (probably blood draw first?) Or whether we should do the vax on a different day.

ETA: Just wanted to share that a friend's DS recently had his levels checked and came back high for lead (17 instead of under 5). Had to have a blood draw done at the hospital and turned out to be a false positive...he was really under 5. Doc said something on his skin (they pricked his foot so he could nurse during it...but I think he was kicking the whole time) must have had a high lead content.


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## gracemamma (Oct 11, 2009)

just got access to our computer again and wanted to thank you so much for sharing all your insights and experiences. i still feel on the fence but it certainly a better-informed on the fence. thanks again!


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

Yes, we did it. It's mandated by the state and it's not one of those things I wanted to fight about--there were so many more important things to me. Each of the kids needed blood drawn around 1 year for one reason or another, so I just piggy backed the test. Especially with all of the toy recalls (even Melissa & Doug ones), I didn't want to take chances.


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## Lady Mayapple (Apr 26, 2010)

Yup, in fact DD is overdue for her 2 year test. Our house was built in 1942, and even though the paint isn't chipping anywhere I still do it for safety's sake. My kids play outside a lot and go barefoot most of the time in our yard, so I don' take chances. Our old house was built in 1907 and was a chipping paint nightmare. We actually had the kids tested twice a year during the time we lived there.


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

Oh, and FWIW, I've found finger pricks to be worse than blood draws on babies. None of my three kids liked having their fingers squeezed for a minute+ to get the vial filled when the actual vein draw would have taken less time. It was brutal to watch...especially when my little girl with RAD had hers drawn. She hated people touching her, and to have someone sit there with her finger squeezing it for a long time while she was screaming was the hardest thing to watch. I wish we would have just done the quick draw.


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

Never heard of it, but I think we didn't do the 1yo wbv with our oldest and we've never done them with our girls.


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## crunchy_mommy (Mar 29, 2009)

We did it because we had to go for other blood work anyway (looking into a genetic issue) so I figured get it all done in one stick. I'd probably have done it even if it was only the iron & lead.

First off, he did have low iron stores (VERY low) which I attribute to premature cord cutting (emergency) and a recent growth spurt... He was not anemic though, so he was adapting fine, but we did supplement with Floradix for a few months to rebuild those stores. His lead was fine.

But as far as the draw itself -- HORRIBLE!!! I will never go to that lab again (well I go for myself but I won't take him there). I would encourage you to call around & make sure wherever you go, that someone on staff is expert at drawing blood from babies. They stuck him at least 3 times then yelled at me for not holding him still enough (he was FREAKED out) and then tried to leave the needle in him while we switched him from my lap to DH's, and then were digging around in there trying to get a vein, I asked them repeatedly to stop & they did not, I should have reported them.







If he ever needs blood drawn again, I will call to find someone experienced & tell them they only have ONE stick to get it right & no digging & they must stop immediately if I request they stop. It was horrible, he had purple spots/rash and bruises all over his arm, I was FUMING.


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## faithsstuff (Nov 30, 2008)

we did it, we live in an only house and it was a finger stick, not a blood draw for us. I'm glad so I knew that was one thing I didn't have to be concerned with.


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## Faliciagayle (Sep 9, 2007)

It was only recommended to me for DDs 2 year check up, at which time I considered it to be along the lines of a NB hearing test or PKU test - uncomfortable but not detrimental to the health.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AllyRae* 
Oh, and FWIW, I've found finger pricks to be worse than blood draws on babies. None of my three kids liked having their fingers squeezed for a minute+ to get the vial filled when the actual vein draw would have taken less time. It was brutal to watch...especially when my little girl with RAD had hers drawn. She hated people touching her, and to have someone sit there with her finger squeezing it for a long time while she was screaming was the hardest thing to watch. I wish we would have just done the quick draw.









They didn't have to fill a vial for my dd when her finger was pricked, just some really thin little glass tubing. They put it against the blood and the blood went up in it without any effort. It didn't take long and wasn't that bad.


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## Louisep (May 1, 2009)

DS had a finger prick at 15 months but all they did was squeeze blood onto an absorbent piece of paper and sent it off to the lab. Took less than a minute and DS didn't cry.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

If it comes up I'll do it with ds2... but ds1 didn't see a doc between his 9 month visit and a 3yr check. The doc gave me crap about him being "kinda small" - at the time he was 45%!!!! (Granted, he did continue to drop from then on - hes now in the 10% for both height and weight... but anywho...).

He only saw the doc at 3yrs for 2 reasons really: I wanted him to see the new ped I'd found for ds2 (cause' ds1's doc stopped taking new patients or seeing kids less than 7yrs period...), and I wanted him to be 'seen' as a patient in case he came up sick or whatever, and for preschool. Anywho, ds2's preschool required a phsyical and also a lead/hemoglobin check, so we did have it done then too. But if it hadn't been for the preschool check, we wouldn't have...


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## lkmiscnet (Jan 12, 2009)

Regarding the toy recalls (e.g. Melissa and Doug), where do you find out about those? Was it a lead issue?

Makes you wonder what IS safe these days... I still worry about my 1 yr old LO putting Fisher Price toys in his mouth when I see the paint coming off some of the little people, though I don't know what chemicals might be implicated in that.


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## ErinYay (Aug 21, 2008)

I requested it at her 6 month, as we'd just bought an 80 year old house and I'm doing some light renovations and nursing. Our ped agreed it would be prudent to get a baseline so we have something with which to compare her draw at 1 year.

She had the arm-draw, and she screamed like I'd never heard while they did it, but was instantly happy when the needle was removed. I, too, have heard that the finger-prick is more painful and scream-inducing, so I'm glad we have a lab literally downstairs from our ped's office.


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## crunchy_mommy (Mar 29, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lkmiscnet* 
Regarding the toy recalls (e.g. Melissa and Doug), where do you find out about those? Was it a lead issue?

Makes you wonder what IS safe these days... I still worry about my 1 yr old LO putting Fisher Price toys in his mouth when I see the paint coming off some of the little people, though I don't know what chemicals might be implicated in that.

You can sign up to be alerted for recalls at http://cpsc.gov/ -- I signed up just for baby/kid item alerts because I didn't want to be inundated with emails... and you can also check individual items on there, i.e. if you pick up something from a thrift store or yard sale.

I get paranoid too with things that have paint chipping off (Little People) but DS doesn't play with any one toy frequently enough to make me paranoid.... I really would like to switch to all-wood toys but even then there are concerns.

I think the Melissa & Doug recall was only in Canada & was an issue with barium in the paint?


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## ThisCat (Jun 19, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ErinYay* 
I, too, have heard that the finger-prick is more painful and scream-inducing...

While the finger prick is no guarantee that things will be painless and scream-free, IME it's usually no big deal. Three out of the four times my kids have gotten one, it's been tear-free and seemingly painless. One time we got a cranky nurse and my daughter wasn't feeling great and things didn't go well. I think just like with a blood draw, it depends on the kid, their mood, and the skill of the person performing the procedure although I think skill plays a bigger part in the blood draw. If my kids ever needed a blood draw, I'd probably ask for a referral up to the children's hospital so it could be done by a pediatric phlebotomist.


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## CassnBeth (Jul 30, 2007)

We did it and I'm glad since DD turned up anemic despite being the poster child for beef consumption. In fact, DD has had both a finger-stick for the iron/lead and a vein draw for a different test a week later and, though it may have been just that the draw was done at a children's hospital, the arm draw was way easier. DD didn't cry either time (she nurses during all unwelcome medical stuff and it works every time) but the vein stick was much faster.

Oh! and I always make sure to ask for a "butterfly" when they have to draw blood. They are smaller than the usual gauge needles but I guess some nurses/phlebotomists find them harder to use because of the size. I get flak for the request sometimes but I am willing to sit there until they find someone who is good with butterflies. I don't want any larger holes in my kid than necessary.


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## haurelia (Mar 12, 2009)

We decided to allow it, because we lived in an old house that had been remodeled before DS was on the way. He wasn't eating *tons* of solids yet, then; having some dark meats, egg yolk and greens, but also drinking nettle/RRL tea in addition to nursing, so I was fairly confident that he wasn't anemic.

We had a venous draw, which was not a great experience. Mainly, I think, because he had to lay on a table while they did it, and he didn't like to be kept on his back by DH. If I'd had it to do over, I'd have insisted that I nurse while he was drawn, and if they balked, then we'd have left.

His lead level was within normal limits, as was his blood count.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

I asked for it at the 9 month visit specifically because she'd been crawling for a month and gnawing on toys off the floor in our very old, definitely containing lead paint, I drilled holes in the wall and made dust, but fortunately new windows, apartment.

She was fine.









Eta: Both for her levels and for the draw. We went to Riley which is a large local children's hospital and the technician drew two vials off her before dd had time to notice anything beyond the fact I was holding her arm and not letting her play with the nice lady's toys (i.e. the syringe and vials, dd really wanted them). DD has never been quiet about pain and she gave no indications of being in pain whatsoever.


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

Yes, I did it and I think it important. Why wouldn't you want to know? Your post sounds a little defensive and I am not sure why. Iron level can vary a lot between kids. Mine were ebf with low solids and were fine. But if they weren't, I'd want to know to adjust their diets. There are natural ways-- it isn't that nasty supplement or else. And with lead, oh YES. Lead is so terrible for the body and I'd want to know too.


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## catters (Nov 20, 2007)

I'm not worried about iron, but we have lived in two old (80+) houses with chipping!! I am so paranoid about the lead now, especially since our neighbors baby had high levels at only 8 months.







My question is, what do you do when you find out that your child has higher than normal or "safe" lead levels! Anyway, both my children will be checked next month at DS' 3 year WBV.


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## Girlprof (Jun 11, 2007)

We did these w/both kids. We're vegetarians so I wanted to check iron levels. I have a friend who worked in lead abatement or something so I take that quite seriously as well. Our ped does finger pricks for these. It was upsetting for DS but not the end of the world. No big deal for DD.

On the other hand, we tried to have a vein draw done on DD for a separate reason and it was a disaster and they didn't get a single drop of blood. Yes, with a ped phlebotomist. DD was really really sick so we wanted some blood work done, but it was pretty horrible and didn't work anyway.


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## ThisCat (Jun 19, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Girlprof* 
I have a friend who worked in lead abatement or something so I take that quite seriously as well. Our ped does finger pricks for these.

On the other hand, we tried to have a vein draw done on DD for a separate reason and it was a disaster and they didn't get a single drop of blood. Yes, with a ped phlebotomist. DD was really really sick so we wanted some blood work done, but it was pretty horrible and didn't work anyway.

The reason our pediatrician does a blood draw for lead is because the finger stick is not as accurate and would need to be followed up with a blood draw anyway if it came back elevated.


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## ShadowMoon (Oct 18, 2006)

I do them each year. DS is not keen on it but let's them do it anyway. He's vegan so I like to know his iron levels are where they should be, (they always are).


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

It was never even brought up to me as an option at the 1yr visit (the test). So my 17 month old has never been tested. I don't have any specific reason to worry about him, so I probably won't do anything about it. I would have gotten the test if it had been offered, though.


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## pinksprklybarefoot (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *CassnBeth* 
Oh! and I always make sure to ask for a "butterfly" when they have to draw blood. They are smaller than the usual gauge needles but I guess some nurses/phlebotomists find them harder to use because of the size. I get flak for the request sometimes but I am willing to sit there until they find someone who is good with butterflies. I don't want any larger holes in my kid than necessary.

They used this at our peds office and the whole thing was pretty non-traumatic. I don't even think there were tears.

I am so grateful that we did the test, even though I didn't really think it was necessary. I had been overlooking the fact that our kitchen table was an antique (he was playing underneath it often), and it turned out to have lead paint! We bought a new table, and the levels went right back down.


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## greenemami (Nov 1, 2007)

wow, I've never even heard of this-nobody I know has had this done (or at least they haven't mentioned it). I now go to a more natural homeopathic doctor since dd was about 18 months, and the very mainstream doc I previously went to never mentioned this. I guess I will wait to see if they say anything about ds, but the "new" doctor never asked us about this when we transferred there, so I doubt it.

I probably would decline unless I had some reason to believe there was a lead risk. I would never test just for iron because I feel confident that we get plenty via our diet and I tested fine during pregnancy. I remember getting a fingerstick for iron while pregnant, I wonder why they can't just do that for kids?

Dd had a vein blood draw for a Lyme titer when she was 2ish and it was very scary for her (and me!) and I would not be in a hurry to do that again. Although the technician took several tries to get a vein, and I think dd would have been okay if she got it the first time instead of jabbing her three times


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