Pediatric Nutrition: William J. Klish

My baby girl is now 7 weeks old and seems to get extremely gassy after her feedings. Is this common? She has been on formula with iron from birth. Can babies develop an intolerance to the formula?

By William Klish, M.D.

It is a common misconception that babies can develop an intolerance to iron in their formula. This is simply not true. The iron added to infant formulas is present in what is called physiological amounts or that amount which is necessary to prevent babies from developing iron deficiency anemia. Many well-done studies in infants have shown no effect from the iron present in infant formulas, and iron is a very important nutrient for babies. Babies should not be fed iron-free formula because of the risk of iron deficiency.

Babies between 6 and 8 weeks old frequently develop irritability due to the development of what has been called "colic." We still know very little about the cause and prevention of this very common symptom. It appears to be related to immaturity of the intestine so that swallowed air moves slowly through the intestine causing gas pains. Not all babies develop colic, and those that do are usually free of symptoms by 4 months.

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