Research shows overweight toddlers and those NOT in daycare have higher risk of iron deficiency.

This featured report on doodledays home page today is about recent research on iron deficiency among toddlers. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, muscle and bone marrow impairments. It is also linked with learning development. Obviously, it is important to prevent it.

Based on a nation-wide sample of 1,641 toddlers, the recent study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found that:

• One out of five toddlers who are overweight has iron deficiency. In comparison, only one out of fourteen normal-weight toddlers has it.
• One out of ten toddlers not in day care had iron deficiency. In comparison, only one out of twenty toddlers enrolled in day cares had it.

The study does not explain the discrepancy between kids in day care versus kids at home.

We know that balanced diet habits help prevent iron deficiency. If your child is not weaned off bottle at the right time, the risk of diet imbalance is higher. This is because of over-consumption of milk and juices at the expense of foods with iron.

Many day care centers limit milk feedings. May be to protect against the risk of feeding spoiled milk? Could it be that day care center policies are more consistent with weaning the babies off bottle at the right age? Could this be the explanation?

Raising your child at home full time, in a home based care provider setting or enrolling in a day care center is a personal decision. But we all should be aware of iron deficiency and take precautions to avoid it. Talking to your pediatrician about iron levels, nutrition, right time to wean babies off bottles, appropriateness of iron supplements, etc. is a good idea.

Childhood obesity is the other factor. Balanced diet and regular physical activities are the obvious prevention measures. Please visit the childhood obesity awareness page on doodledays. The videos are fun (for both kids and parents)!