Anyone had their kid's blood levels checked? (iron?)

[Chickadee]

It's not urgent, but this question has been bugging me for a few days, so I thought I'd put it out here.

I'm thinking of taking DD to the doctors to get a blood test and check her blood levels, particularly for iron. The reason is that she has a lot of trouble falling asleep, with very twitchy legs that seem to keep her just on the edge of falling asleep... just like me. When sitting with her the other night I asked if her legs itched and she said no, but then she said that they hurt :(

I've read that low iron levels can be associated with restless leg syndrome, and since we hardly eat any red meat and DD eats even less, I'm wondering if there is a problem. She won't eat Weetbix (which I think is fortified with iron?) but does take a kids multivitamin.

So am I being paranoid? Has anyone else taken their child for a general check up and blood test? She's only 2.5 so I hate the thought of them drawing blood :(

[MariaO]

I don't think you are being paranoid at all. I think your instincts are very finely tuned to your daughters needs. Do you have an ethical objection to red meat? How do you feel about liver? A friend of mine cooks liver and grates it in some of her daughters meals - something I have thought about doing but have not been game to just yet.

Are there any homeopathic tests that can be done that would indicate a lack of iron? Is there a naturopath you could talk to about that if you did not wish to subject your little girl to blood tests (even though any discomfort would be very short lived)

[bubbles28]

NO you are not being paranoid at all. Being concerned shows that you are a GREAT mum who cares about her little girl.:thumbsup:
I'm sorry I don't have any info for you but I would definately go to the doctor and get hewr checked out for peace of mind. Hopefully it is nothing but at least you know.
A while back my DS had a swollen gland on his neck so I took him to get a blood test. Luckly it was all ok, but I had to check.
Hopefully all is well for your DD. Let us know how you go

[CJJHRA]

the youngest I have had a blood test on my kids was 5. He did really well and got a bravery crtificate.

On younger kids they will numb the area first, but it takes about 45 minutes for the cream to work, so you would be sitting around awhile.

sure, go to your gp or peadeatrician and have a chat.

DS#2 had low iron, hes a very fussy eater, his legs ache alot, he has trouble going to sleep, but once asleep, sleeps well and then finds it hard to wake up. Reminds me I need to get him checked again to see how hes going now. He refuses to eat meat, and hes not too keen on his vegies either.

DS#1 I had him checked as he refuses meat (has done since 12months old), but his levels were fine, as he eats alot of green vegies.

[Chickadee]

Thanks ladies.

We don't have any objection to red meat, just that DH and I don't particularly like it. & I hate the smell of it cooking. Since we eat it so rarely it upsets DH's digestion on the rare occassions we do have it. It doesn't help that DD refuses most meat anyways. She'll eat ham or bacon, eggs, and sausages. I try to hide ground chicken or beef in spagetti sauces but she mostly eats the pasta and leaves the sauce :( I'll start buying beef sausages at least.

Mel - are there any other signs your DS exhibits when his iron gets low? For some reason I associate paleness & lethargy with low iron but not sure if that's right. I'll have to do some research. DD hates walking and insists on being carried everywhere, but I suspect that is just her being fussy and clingy rather than her legs hurting.

DD does eat some green veg, but not much. Mostly peas which I suspect don't have much iron. I checked her multivitamin and it has 2mg of Iron. Now just to figure out how much she needs, lol.

[serenitynow]

Hi MarthaM,

Recently had a relative with a similiar worry and did some quick research.

Found this site - www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/IronReq.

You may appreciate it all the more as I believe its Canadian.


Hope it helps

good luck

BTW - emla patches are great for needles.

[draught]

My sister's little boy had low iron levels - apparently caused in part by him drinking excessive milk and eating poorly (no matter what they did). He ended up on an iron supplement and things improved in all sorts of areas after that.

Your instincts with her are normally spot on so it is worth checking out Martha - if only to give you some peace of mind.

[Chickadee]

Thanks Melissa, I'll check out that link. :) After my last post I went looking too and found some from Sick Kids Hospital in Canada, which is my favorite spot for kids health stuff. They have several info pages on iron in relation to kids health which I'll put here just in case anyone else comes looking for the same info:
Iron: Helping Your Child Get Enough (http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/ofhc/Article.asp?articleID=2112) which has useful info on how much iron is in different foods, and
Iron (http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/ofhc/Article.asp?articleID=4766) which gives the daily requirements for different ages as well as symptoms of iron deficiency.

Draught, Thanks :) I need to be reminded of that sometimes :yes:

[Miss_WingBat]

Yes, definitely look into it - I'm from 3 generations of serious anemia and I've noticed my little girl gets the same. She doesn't eat too much meat, but because I am low in iron we all eat iron rich vegies, and dried apricots alot.
Check online for other 'non-meat' foods that are rich in iron and see if they pick up. Being iron-deficient is a pain because not only are you weary all the time, you cannot sleep properly and get irritable easily - sounds just like a toddler!
Hope this helps.