Good Sources of Iron for Babies and Toddlers by Food Group
High Iron Meals and Snack Ideason Rich Recipes
When I started noticing that all of the baby cereals sold in stores had βiron-fortifiedβ written all over them, I started to wonder what was so important about iron. And whether or not my child was getting enough.
And especially since my son was exclusively breastfed (breast milk is low in iron vs iron-fortified formula), I wanted to make sure he was getting some high-iron solid foods into his diet as he got older.
Up until 6 months of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics explains that full-term breastfed babies get enough iron from breastmilk. Most full-term babies also have enough iron stores accumulated during the last trimester in utero to draw from for the first 6 months of life.
After 6 months of age though, iron needs increase. And without enough iron, babies are at risk for iron deficiency anemia. Fortunately, most babies are screened for anemia through blood tests to check for hemoglobin levels indicating low iron at their 9-month pediatric well-check appointment.
Iron and Healthy Child Development
As it turns out, iron is an essential nutrient for healthy child development. According to the CDC, sufficient iron intake is important specifically for childrenβs brain development and hemoglobin production (hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells and delivers oxygen throughout the body).
How Much Iron Do Babies and Toddlers Need?
The Mayo Clinic states that babies 7-12 months of age need 11 mg of iron daily, and toddlers 1-3 years old need 7 mg of iron daily. And then that number shoots up again as they get older.
So what are some good sources of iron for young children? And what exactly does 11 or 7 mg of iron look like on a dinner plate or in a snack cup? Letβs find out!
Please note that I am not a nutritionist or medical professional. This post is for informational purposes only and I encourage you to speak with your pediatrician regarding your childβs individual nutritional needs. Additionally, some of the foods listed below are common allergens, so please be aware of any food sensitivities or allergies your child may have.
35 Iron-Rich Foods for Babies and Toddlers
While this is not an exhaustive list of high-iron foods, here are some of my kidsβ favorite iron-rich foods.
In the tables below this list, you can find iron content/serving size as well as meal and snack ideas!
Please note that some of these foods are choking hazards for babies and young children unless cut, cooked/steamed and mashed or pureed as needed.
Legumes Lentils Red Beans Navy Beans Tofu Black Beans Garbanzo Beans
Nuts Cashew Butter Almond Butter Peanut Butter
Packaged Snacks Puffs Granola Bars Cheerios
Iron Rich Meat, Fish, Poultry & Eggs
Meats and seafood are among the best sources of iron because animal products have βheme ironβ. This is compared to βnon-heme ironβ, which is the form of iron found in plant-based foods. So unlike iron from plants (βnonheme ironβ), heme iron is more readily absorbed by the body (CDC).
While Everyday Health states that red meat, organ meats, and seafood like lamb, liver, and clams are particularly good sources of iron, we arenβt exactly eating plates full of liver and clams in our house.
So to get some iron from animal sources in for my kids, we opt for thinly sliced pieces of chicken (dipped in ketchup of course), salmon, ground beef, and ground turkey in soup or pasta sauce. He also loves canned tuna spread on top of wheat thins with some cream cheese.
1 oz of wild Atlantic salmon (.3 mg iron)
Like meats, eggs are also a good source of heme iron and are readily absorbed by the body. Plus, theyβre easy to prepare as a scramble, omelet, or hard-boiled for little ones.
Babies and toddlers can also easily get some eggs into their diet through egg-containing recipes like these Banana Veggie Pancakes.
As mentioned, iron found in meats is known as βheme ironβ and is readily absorbed by the body. Iron found in veggies is βnon-heme ironβ and is not quite as easily absorbed.
In good news though, to help with iron absorption of plant-based iron, you can pair those veggies with foods high in vitamin C. The vitamin C helps the body absorb the non-heme iron.
1/4 cup cooked chopped broccoli (.25 mg iron)
The American Academy of Pediatrics lists the following fruits and vegetables as vitamin C-rich foods; pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, raspberries, kiwis, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, cauliflower, potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, leafy green vegetables, and vitamin c fortified juices.
1/4 cup frozen green peas (.5 mg iron)
While my toddler will never pick up plain kale or spinach, he will eat these veggies when they are finely chopped or blended into other foods. For example, my toddler will eat finely chopped kale in pasta or quesadillas.
He also loves smoothies, so thatβs another easy way to incorporate dark leafy greens into his diet. Here is a simple spinach-based smoothie we make all the time.
Other veggies like broccoli, peas, and sweet potatoes are easy to steam and puree, mash, or slice into wedges. It took my son a long time to eat plain steamed broccoli florets, but he would eat them when dipped or mashed in with applesauce as a young toddler.Β
Engaging in some play with food can also be helpful for picky eaters. For example, my son loved to eat peas by pretending they were balls boinging into his mouth.
Aside from being a good source of iron, dried fruits like apricots, figs, raisins, dates, and prunes are a sweet and tasty treat for toddlers. My toddler loves chopped-up dried apricots, figs, raisins, dates, and prunes mixed into finely chopped salads, oatmeal, cheerios, puffs, or just plain on their own.
3 tablespoons of raisins (.56 mg iron)
Please note that foods like raisins are potential choking hazards for babies and young toddlers, so prepare such foods accordingly by chopping them into small pieces.Β
High Iron Grains
Grain-based iron-fortified foods are usually one of the easiest ways to get a boost of iron into kids. My son loves PB&J sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, quick-cook quinoa mixed with applesauce, and cream of wheat.
Now that my toddler is eating bigger portion sizes and a wider variety of iron-containing foods, he is mostly able to meet his daily iron needs without iron-fortified cereals.
1/2 cup Kodiak mix makes 1 waffle (1.7 mg iron)
As a side note, Healthline explains that as important as it is that kids are getting enough iron, itβs equally important that theyβre not getting too much. This could happen if a child were taking an iron supplement as well as eating a lot of iron-fortified foods.
3 tablespoons of Happy Baby oat & quinoa baby cereal has 5 mg iron
A Note on Iron-Fortified Infant Cereal Made from Rice I avoid iron-fortified rice cereal because rice can contain high levels of arsenic. Jessica Huhn from Ready.Set.Food explains that this is because rice absorbs a lot of arsenic from pesticides and fertilizers.
Consumer Reports states that arsenic is a Group 1 carcinogen and can have harmful effects on developing brains.
Iron Rich Legumes
Iron Rich Legumes
Serving Size
Iron (mg)
Informational Source
Lentil Beans (canned, no salt added)
1/4 cup
1.3 mg iron
Westbrae Organic Lentil Beans No Salt Added
Red Beans (canned, no salt added)
1/4 cup
1.1 mg iron
Westbrae Organic Red Beans No Salt Added
Navy Beans (canned, no salt added)
1/4 cup
1.05 mg iron
Eden Organic Navy Beans No Salt Added
Tofu (firm)
1/5 block (79 grams)
1 mg iron
O Organics Firm Tofu
Black Beans (canned, no salt added)
1/4 cup
.95 mg iron
Eden Organic Black Beans No Salt Added
Garbanzo Beans (canned, no salt added)
1/4 cup
.7 mg iron
Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans No Salt Added
Tofu is an easy iron-rich food to offer and comes in different textures ranging from silken tofu to extra firm tofu. You don’t have to cook it and you can simply mash it or slice it into thin strips for babies who have started on solids, or chop it into cubes for older kids.
My toddler loves cubes of soft tofu with some jam spread on top. Tofu can also be blended up with smoothies!
1/5 block of tofu (1 mg iron)
Beans are a harder sell than tofu in my house, but I have had some success blending them up with yogurt and cheese and heating it all to serve as a dip or quesadilla fixing.
Creamy nut butters are easy to spread onto toast or crackers for a little nutritional boost. And peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are of course a favorite with my 2-year-old. Not to mention easy to pack for a picnic lunch or snack on the go.
1 Tablespoon of Creamy Unsalted Peanut Butter
And I always buy the creamy variety of nut butters, as the crunchy kinds pose more of a choking hazard risk. Spreading nut butters relatively thin onto food items also helps prevent any choking hazard risks.
Iron Rich Snacks
Packaged Snacks
Serving Size
Iron (mg)
Happy Baby Organic Kale & Spinach Puffs
1/4 cup
.45 mg iron
Cheerios
1/4 cup
2.1 mg iron
Happy Tot Organic Apples & Spinach Soft-Baked Oat Bars
1 bar
1 mg iron
Granola bars and puffs with ingredients like kale and spinach are easy on-the-go snacks with iron to have on hand.
1/2 cup of Happy Baby kale & spinach puffs (.9 mg of iron)
My son also loves to have a snack cup with Cheerios and chopped-up dried fruit.
1/2 cup of cheerios with dry chopped cranberries (4.2 mg iron)
Dried fruits like apricots, figs, and raisins are especially high in iron. Dried cranberries are a hit too, and these have the added benefit of being high in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body absorb non-animal product forms of iron.
Happy Tot organic apples & spinach bar with 1 mg of iron
Good Sources of Iron for Babies & Toddlers at Mealtimes
Breakfast Foods High in Iron
There are so many great breakfast foods high in iron. Here are some ideas to get started;
Stay-at-home mom blogger with 2 wild ones in tow. I love to write about my favorite kid-friendly recipes, activities, and childhood development topics.β¨Most importantly, I spill the beans about the greatest joys of motherhood, along with the struggles that too often get swept under the rug.
Find out more about the Shiny New Parent blog on my About page.
Master of Arts in Art Therapy & Counseling, Marylhurst University Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Lewis & Clark College
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11 Comments
This was super helpful information! Thank you! I love that you included ideas for each meal. I canβt wait to try some of the recipes!
This is such a comprehensive list! I love that you have individual foods and also meal ideas. My toddler also loves waffles and pancakes so Iβll have to check out that Kodiak buttermilk pancake mix!
Thanks Rachel! And yes the Kodiak mix is so good! We are going through a bit of a picky eating phase at the moment in our house, but my toddler never hesitates to scarf down those waffles! The mix has a lot of protein in it too π
Thanks Charina! A discussion on supplements is actually something I should probably add to this post. While it is always nice to try and incorporate nutrients through natural food sources, sometimes those supplements are needed during picky eating phases! Thanks for you comment π
This was super helpful information! Thank you! I love that you included ideas for each meal. I canβt wait to try some of the recipes!
Thanks for reading! I’m so glad it’s helpful! Nice to have versatile meal ideas on hand since they just eat and eat and eat! π
This is such a comprehensive list! I love that you have individual foods and also meal ideas. My toddler also loves waffles and pancakes so Iβll have to check out that Kodiak buttermilk pancake mix!
Thanks Rachel! And yes the Kodiak mix is so good! We are going through a bit of a picky eating phase at the moment in our house, but my toddler never hesitates to scarf down those waffles! The mix has a lot of protein in it too π
I better have more of this options when I run to the grocery. I prefer these natural ingredients instead of buying iron supplements for my kids.
Thanks Charina! A discussion on supplements is actually something I should probably add to this post. While it is always nice to try and incorporate nutrients through natural food sources, sometimes those supplements are needed during picky eating phases! Thanks for you comment π