As you may already know, iron is essential for brain development in children. But how much iron does a child actually need? Let’s take a closer look at the amounts, because they are higher than many people expect.
Iron requirements compared to an adult man
Children need roughly the same amount of iron per day as an adult man. This can be challenging, since a child is both physically smaller and has a much lower appetite than an adult. For this reason, it is especially important that a child’s diet is rich in iron.
According to dietary guidelines from the Swedish National Food Agency, the recommended daily iron intake is as follows.
Children aged 7 to 11 months need 10 mg of iron per day.
Children aged 1 to 6 years need 7 mg per day.
Children aged 7 to 10 years need 9 mg per day.
An adult man also needs 9 mg of iron per day.
Iron requirements are therefore highest during the second half of the first year of life, but they remain elevated throughout childhood and increase again when children reach school age. This means that an iron-rich diet is important throughout the entire growing period. For this reason, heme iron powder can be a convenient, simple, and reliable source of iron even for older children.
