No side effects of iron drops and multivitamins for children

Doctors recommend iron drops and multivitamin drops for all babies who are breastfeeding or formula feeding. Even if the mother is well nourished during pregnancy and the baby is born with an ideal weight, she still needs to use multivitamin drops (A + D) as well as iron drops. Certainly you, as a parent, want to have a healthy child and a lack of nutrients does not interfere with his growth. If so, give your child a multivitamin syrup as well as iron drops as directed by your doctor. In this article, we will examine the side effects of not giving iron drops and the side effects of not giving multivitamin drops to children.

The need to use iron drops for children

In our country, it is recommended that all infants born with normal weight consume 15 drops of mental iron daily after the end of six months and at the same time as starting the complementary food. It is recommended to use iron drops for some children earlier than the mentioned time, ie at the end of 6 months. These children are often babies who were premature at birth, underweight, or stunted. In this case, the doctor often recommends that complementary foods be started earlier than 6 months, for example at the end of 4 months. Iron drops should be started for the child at the same time as the complementary food.

Like adults, a child’s body needs iron to make hemoglobin to get oxygen to all cells through the blood. Hemoglobin is what gives red blood cells their color. When there is not enough iron in the body, the red blood cells become small and pale, causing a condition called anemia. In this case, not enough oxygen will reach the tissues and muscles of the body.

Babies and children need iron for normal brain development. Iron deficiency in infants and children is associated with symptoms such as slow weight gain, pale skin, poor appetite, and high irritability (mood swings).

No side effects of iron drops for children

Infants with iron deficiency grow more slowly than their peers and prefer to be less physically active. These babies will suffer from a lack of concentration as they get older, which will have a direct impact on their education. In addition, they constantly feel weak and tired and cannot function like normal children. Because prevention is always better than cure, doctors recommend giving 15 drops of iron a day to infants from the age of 6 months to prevent anemia. Giving iron drops to infants should continue until the end of 2 years (24 months).

Did you know that 90% of a person’s nervous system development and cognitive function take place in the first 2 years of life? Completing the nervous system of children is not possible without sufficient amounts of iron; So give your child iron drops whenever your doctor tells you to.

Decreased concentration and learning difficulties are complications of anemia

Iron deficiency and the consequent anemia will have a negative effect on children’s intelligence. The amount of iron needed by children after 6 months will not be met by consuming only breast milk or formula, as well as complementary foods. Children from 7 to 12 months of age need 11 mg of iron daily, while 1 liter of breast milk may contain only 1 mg of iron. Also keep in mind that not all of the iron in foods will be absorbed by the body, so giving iron drops to your baby may seem necessary.

Having iron deficiency will reduce a child’s IQ by 20 to 30 percent. Based on what has been said, one of the most important side effects of not giving iron drops to a child is his lack of attention and concentration, which has a direct effect on learning. After the age of 7, such children will usually have a lot of problems at school for math and dictation lessons.

Iron deficiency and increased lead absorption in the body

Low levels of iron in the body increase the absorption of lead. An increase in lead in the body will pose a serious risk to brain development; So that this damage may be irreparable. Extremely high levels of lead in the body damage the kidneys and nervous system of children and adults. If the amount of lead in the body is too high, it will lead to seizures, anesthesia and death.

The amount of daily iron needs of children

In order to avoid the side effects of iron drops for your child, it is better to know the amount of daily need for iron in addition to the above:

• From birth to 6 months: 0.27 mg
• 7 to 12 months: 11 mg
• 1 to 3 years: 7 mg
• 4 to 8 years old: 10 mg
• 9 to 13 years: 8 mg

These values ​​are the same for girls and boys. But from the age of 14, girls and boys have to receive different amounts daily, and in fact, girls need more than boys.

1 hour before meals or 2 hours after meals is the best time to give iron drops to your baby. However, at any other time of the day, for example with food, you can give this drop to the child. If orange juice, which contains vitamin C, is used along with iron drops, iron absorption will be much higher.

No side effects of multivitamin drops for children

Breast milk is a complete food for the baby that provides all the nutrients for his body. Scientists say the only vitamin deficiency that may be present in breast milk is vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, it is often recommended that the baby be given 1 cc of A + D or a multivitamin containing adequate amounts of vitamin D from the 15th day of birth along with breast milk. Vitamin D is essential for bone growth and its deficiency in infants has the following side effects:

Osteoporosis in children

One of the side effects of not giving multivitamin drops to children and as a result reducing vitamin D levels in the body is the development of osteoporosis and rickets. This condition causes the bones to become too bent and the shape of the legs to change in general. Vitamin D deficiency in the body will lead to calcium deficiency, which can lead to bone pain and even affect a child’s height.

Weak immune system in children

Vitamin D plays an important role in strengthening the immune system. This vitamin has antioxidant properties and has the ability to fight free radicals. Free radicals are destructive to cells. Vitamin D strengthens the immune system by protecting cells against any damage and reduces the risk of colds and other diseases.

In addition to vitamin D, children’s multivitamins contain other vitamins, such as A. Deficiency of any kind of vitamin can affect the weakening of the immune system. Giving a multivitamin to a baby on time helps to compensate for the lack of nutrients in the baby and makes the baby less sick.

Concluding remarks

Multivitamin drops should usually be given to infants from the 15th day of birth and iron drops from the end of six months. In this article, we examined the side effects of not giving iron drops and the side effects of not giving multivitamin drops to children. Of course, many doctors recommend AD drops instead of multivitamins because, as research shows, vitamin D in breast milk may not be enough to meet the baby’s needs.