# Toddler with low iron behaviour issues?



## Devonanne (Aug 10, 2016)

We've recently found out our 26 month old has very low iron. This came as no surprise, because he's an incredibly picky eater and won't try any new foods. He's now on a liquid supplement and we can already see a difference in his energy levels. Edit: we are also being referred to a pediatric nutritionist to help us maximize his nutrition with the foods he will eat, which hopefully will help with iron levels and nutrition in general in the long term.

What I'm wondering is, has anyone else observed behaviour issues in their child who had low iron? When Googling I keep reading that low iron can cause all sorts of problems, including behaviour/social/emotional problems, fearfulness, etc. This definitely describes our son - over the last 6 months or so he has become increasingly fearful in social situations, crying to the point of panic when he hears certain sounds, lacking interest in the playground which he used to love. It's been so worrying because it isn't "him" if that makes sense. He seems okay when at home but when we're out around other people he seems to have a constant anxiety. We thought at first it might have been from starting daycare 2 days per week, but he really seems to look forward to going to daycare, is happy saying goodbye to us when we leave him there, etc, so we don't want to overreact and pull him out of daycare when the staff there say he is having good days, eating and napping well there, and he seems to like it. 

His other blood work came back fine, so I am really, really hoping that once his iron levels get back up he will start feeling better again. I can't seem to find anything online with stories from actual people who have experienced anything similar, so I guess I'm just hoping for some confirmation that iron MAY be part of the cause of his troubles lately. Google tells me that it could, but I've yet to see stories from any real people.


----------



## mumto1 (Feb 17, 2016)

All I know is low iron (anemia) can kill appetite for good foods or eating general, and it can leave you feeling fatigued, which may lower the threshold for tolerance of many things.


----------



## Devonanne (Aug 10, 2016)

mumto1 said:


> All I know is low iron (anemia) can kill appetite for good foods or eating general, and it can leave you feeling fatigued, which may lower the threshold for tolerance of many things.


Yes, his doctor did say that his eating issues may improve when his levels get back up. Here's hoping! He used to eat anything we put in front of him and it has slowly got to the point where he has a list of foods he will eat and he absolutely will not try anything else. I wish I could be tough enough to only put what we're eating in front of him and not give in, but he's always been very small and 7% percentile for weight so I can't bring myself to deprive him of calories. Yogurt and a banana is better than nothing, even if it's not as good as meat, veggies and a more varied diet.:serious:


----------



## mumto1 (Feb 17, 2016)

Have you found out why he is so low in iron? In the general population in NA (and prob. many other areas of the world) everything is iron fortified, esp if it's marketed to kids, plus I think 90% of the population here are meat eaters (which is a source of iron). Have they done a blood test for other issues? Low iron can signal a low immune system too. I'd be trying to pack in all the calories I could in everything he eats and eliminate everything sugary, leaving that for treats only (and I'm including juice and drinks, no empty calories. Banana and yogurt are fine (although yogurt can be sugary). Full fat everything.


----------



## Devonanne (Aug 10, 2016)

mumto1 said:


> Have you found out why he is so low in iron? In the general population in NA (and prob. many other areas of the world) everything is iron fortified, esp if it's marketed to kids, plus I think 90% of the population here are meat eaters (which is a source of iron). Have they done a blood test for other issues? Low iron can signal a low immune system too. I'd be trying to pack in all the calories I could in everything he eats and eliminate everything sugary, leaving that for treats only (and I'm including juice and drinks, no empty calories. Banana and yogurt are fine (although yogurt can be sugary). Full fat everything.


My doctor believes it is nutritional. He has had a panel of bloodwork done and everything else looked fine. He eats a lot of dairy which has no iron and also impedes absorption, refuses to eat any meat or vegetables. Yes, banana and yogurt are okay, but when his diet is so limited he really isn't getting a lot of iron-rich foods. We're trying to cut back on his milk as well. We definitely try to maximize calories with full fat yogurt, cheese, coconut oil in his oatmeal, etc. Fortified oatmeal is really the only iron-rich food he will eat so we need to feed that more.


----------



## newmamalizzy (Jul 23, 2010)

Two things I can think of:

1. Cook in cast iron whenever possible

2. Would he eat dark chocolate? My DD really likes the super dark stuff that I buy and it has 10 percent of the daily iron requirement per serving.


----------



## mumto1 (Feb 17, 2016)

*Ovaltine?*

There are lots of products with iron added, not sure if they add iron, but looks like Ovaltine is another source of iron.

Speaking of iron pans, I saw a campaign for an iron fish that you add to your cookpot to boost iron intake.

http://www.luckyironfish.com


----------



## 393401 (Aug 10, 2016)

It sounds like you've got the deficiency covered with the liquid supplement and the nutritionist, +1. You don't want to add things like chocolate b/c they've got sugar, and you want to avoid that pot hole as long as possible.

It's unclear if the behavioral issues you're seeing could be the result of the iron deficiency...or the other way around. I tend to think it's the latter, his "Fussiness" and other issues with anxiety are affecting his willingness to try new foods, leading to the iron deficiency. 

If your child just has one of those sensitive temperaments, you'd need to take special care in transitions..be they things like new foods, or new environments ..the issue is "New", they react by pulling back. So, even though he separates easily from you to go to day care, that isn't an indication all is well once he gets there and settles into the routine. And the fact that the staff says he's fine is to be discounted. If behavior "A" get's worse shortly after intervention "B", we should assume there's something about "B" that's the cause.

I'd suggest you do a few things here, both macro and micro: On the macro end, recognize that "Sensitive souls" require a bit more reassurance and a bit more of time with us rehearsing the new activity before they embrace it. On the micro side, you might want to spend a little time with him at day care and actually see how he's doing, and offer active reassurance and support. Also, kids like him do best when they go to a lot of the activities they have difficulty with....somewhat paradoxical...so, weekends at various parks, doing all kinds of new things with new people, etc., so he can learn to manage change and the anxiety that accompanies it.


----------



## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Did the bloods he had done include Coeliac serology? Coeliac disease is a, not uncommon, cause of iron deficiency anaemia. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

