when can I give my baby pureed spinach, it has a lot of iron and she is off the breast now, she is 6 mths old?

Answer 1

Hi there,

If your baby is not breastfeeding anymore, she should be on iron fortified formula until 9-12 months in age.

As for the spinach, I would offer infant cereal first (higher source of iron), then try other vegetables that are milder tasting prior to trying spinach. Spinach is also high in nitrates and oxalates, so you wouldn't want to over feed a young infant this vegetable anyway.

Good luck

Answer 2

Six months is a great age for spinach.

Just mix it with your child's usual baby cereal and a little formula. Then, if no signs of allergies show themselves, through the week you can gradually reduce the amount of cereal in the mix and increase the spinach.

My children (a three year old & a 6 month old) both love spinach and it really seeems to help their digestive tracts regulate themselves.

Answer 3

Im a nutritionist

you can give her spinach now but you should also give her something that contains vitamin c with it (fruit or 2 oz of juice with 2 oz water would be good) the vitamin c will make the iron more absorbable because the iron in foods is not as absorbable as the iron in breast milk.

are you still feeding her breast milk from a bottle? if so it is unlikely that she needs more iron, infact it is recommended now that before any baby is put on iron fortified formula or iron supplements they be tested to determine anemia to see if they need it. extra iron in the diet can cause your child to get very ill.


The iron in breastmilk is bound to proteins which make it available to the baby only, thus preventing potentially harmful bacteria (like E.coli, Salmonella, Clostridium, Bacteroides, Escherichia, Staphylococcus) from using it. These two specialized proteins in breastmilk (lactoferrin and transferrin) pick up and bind iron from baby's intestinal tract. By binding this iron, they

1. stop harmful bacteria from multiplying by depriving them of the iron they need to live and grow, and
2. ensure that baby (not the bacteria) gets the available iron.

The introduction of iron supplements and iron-fortified foods, particularly during the first six months, reduces the efficiency of baby's iron absorption. As long as your baby is exclusively breastfed (and receiving no iron supplements or iron-fortified foods), the specialized proteins in breastmilk ensure that baby gets the available iron (instead of "bad" bacteria and such). Iron supplements and iron in other foods is available on a first come, first served basis, and there is a regular "free-for-all" in the baby's gut over it. The "bad" bacteria thrive on the free iron in the gut. In addition, iron supplements can overwhelm the iron-binding abilities of the proteins in breastmilk, thus making some of the iron from breastmilk (which was previously available to baby only) available to bacteria, also. The result: baby tends to get a lower percentage of the available iron.

Supplemental iron (particularly when administered in solution or as a separate supplement rather than incorporated into a meal) can interfere with zinc absorption. In addition, iron supplements and iron-fortified foods can sometimes cause digestive upsets in babies.

A recent study (Dewey 2002) found that routine iron supplementation of breastfed babies with normal hemoglobin levels may present risks to the infant, including slower growth (length and head circumference) and increased risk of diarrhea.

A recent review article on iron (Griffin and Abrams, 2001) indicates that if your baby is basically healthy, iron deficiency in the absence of anemia should not have developmental consequences.

Answer 4

6 months is a good time to give your baby table food they should have started getting some teeth in already, soft food like pees and mashed potatoes spinach that's what i did with my kids,

Answer 5

Now. 6 months is the average age you should start feeding baby food.

Answer 6

You can feed her spinach now, just be sure to only feed her a few bites and then wait a day to make sure she doesn't have an adverse reaction.

Answer 7

You can start solids at 4 months, it is usually suggested that you start with cereal and move to veggies, so nows the time.

Answer 8

different babies develop differently.
i had big babies so they started eating earlier than smaller babies.
my grandbabies started food about 4 months when the cereal and formula wasnt keeping them satisfied.