# Floravit or Floradix for iron in 16 month old?



## abigail_b (May 3, 2007)

Hi All,
My 16 month old son is borderline anemic according to the ped (11.4). I know that some on here would probably disagree with that and say that he is simply at the low range of normal, but I think it is really important for his general health to have enough iron stores and not be borderline or even on the low end.
He eats lentil soup almost every day and also likes meatloaf, although we don't eat this every day of course! I'm trying with black strap molasses but so far no go on that one! I also tried chicken livers--- he almost ate it -- was chewing and seeming to enjoy--but then changed his mind at the last minutes and spit it out! I am still BFing him.
After reading on Dr Sears I am concerned that there is no way I am going to be able to raise his stores up thru diet alone, he is 25 lbs which means to re-build iron stores I would need to be getting 25 milligrams of iron in him a day, which is just not possible. Even for the things he like he never eats a large quantity of them.
I really don't want to give him some sort of harsh iron supplement that is going to constipate him. Has anyone here used Floravit or Floradix? Does it really not cause constipation? Is it safe to use in such a young child? Any other supplements anyone has used that didn't cause constipation?
Thanks!!


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## ZippyGirl (Aug 12, 2006)

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## flatstanley72 (Jan 9, 2007)

We have just been dealing with this. My 16-month-old DD was anemic (9 point something) at her 15-month visit and her level went up to 11.2 by her one-month recheck. We didn't use the floradix, but we did use the iron drops prescribed by the ped with no constipation problems. She has always been a very picky eater and still gets most of her nutrition from breastmilk, so I thought there was no way I would be able to increase her iron that much by diet alone. I did add a lot of iron to her diet, too, though, because I couldn't get her to take as much of the iron drops as prescribed and I often had to give them with food, which is not recommended. I mixed them with either watered down juice or applesauce and she was willing to take that once or twice a day. For adding iron to her diet, I started cooking as much of her food as possible in cast iron pans, added ground turkey to foods she already liked such as black bean chili and spaghetti, used blackstrap molasses, and made sure any snack foods (e.g. dry cereal), bread, crackers, etc. were iron-fortified. I added more grains such as quinoa, millet, and amaranth to her diet, too because they are all rich in iron. I hope this helps. Good luck with getting the iron levels up!


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## IlluminatedAttic (Aug 25, 2006)

I can't answer your question about the supplements because we haven't used them, but I did want to give you some liver ideas. My ds tested anemic at about a year old, low enough that the doctor wanted to put him on supplements - I think it was 9 point something. I asked to wait a month and retest as we had just introduced meats into his diet and I felt they would make a difference. After researching I also started upping the liver in his diet and he ate some just about every day - probably less than an ounce each day. The doc could not believe the results of the retests. She said she had never seen such a climb without supplements.

So some ideas:
Get a chopped liver recipe and go heavy on the eggs if you need to for taste. Let him eat it with crackers or veggie sticks.

Blend a chunk of frozen liver into a smoothie for him, berries mask the liver taste pretty well. (Be sure the liver is the highest quality you can get from a grassfed and organic animal source, then be sure to freeze for 14 days before using it to be sure there are no parasites.)

Blend a chunk of raw liver with an egg cooked over easy so the yolk is still liquid. Mix into a porridge he likes, my ds still loves this mixed into quinoa porridge.

Chop the liver and mix it into the meatloaf mix your ds likes. Make a batch into meatballs and then pull out a few each day for his lunch.

If I think of any other ideas I'll post them.


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## pbjmama (Sep 20, 2007)

I haven't tried those either but I do cook with cast iron, just another suggestion for you.


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## Wolfcat (Jan 10, 2006)

I would recommend Proferrin if you are going the supplement route. It is made with heme iron (the iron found in meat) and is easily absorbed with few side effects. You only need one or two tablets a day, and they can be broken or crushed into foods. I've heard good things about Proferrin for thyroid-related anemia, chemo-related anemia, severe anemia...


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## mamamille (Nov 30, 2006)

we use floradix but not because of anemia- we don't find them to be constipating. My herbalist has always recommended them and I haven't heard anything bad about them, just good. As for getting the iron stores up I always give a vit c tablet (hylad I think) when my dd eats a particularly iron rich meal as it helps the body use more. Good Luck!


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