Meokbo Dad's Baby Food Notes › Iron and beef
How much beef does a baby need for iron?
In the US, babies 7–12 months need 11 mg of iron a day. Lean beef has roughly 2 mg per 100 g raw. Do the math and beef alone would mean over 500 g a day, about a pound. Nobody feeds a baby that.
📌 Save to PinterestWhere the iron actually comes from
Iron-fortified infant cereal and formula. In the US these can carry a big share of a baby's iron.
Meat and fish. Smaller amounts, but this iron is the easiest for the body to absorb.
Egg yolk, beans, lentils, tofu, leafy greens. Plant iron adds up. Serve with vitamin C foods like broccoli to help absorption.
What babies actually eat
| Stage | Meat or fish per day |
|---|---|
| First weeks | 10–15 g (about ½ oz), one meal |
| Two meals a day | 30–40 g (1–1½ oz) |
| 9–11 months | 30–50 g (1–1¾ oz) |
| 12 months+ | 40–60 g (1½–2 oz) |
There is no official table for meat amounts. These are our estimates, built from protein needs split across meals. Rotate beef with chicken, pork, fish, egg and tofu, and look at the week rather than each day. If your baby eats poorly and looks pale, ask your pediatrician about an iron check.
The Korean First Foods Plan (PDF) · $9.995 weeks, day by day · US/UK ingredient swaps · allergen weeks · printable tracker · instant download on Etsy ›NIH Office of Dietary Supplements / Institute of Medicine: iron RDA 11 mg/day for infants 7–12 months. USDA FoodData Central: beef, round, eye of round, lean, raw (about 2.1 mg iron per 100 g).