Does iron-fortified formula cause fussiness, irritability, colic or constipation?
Iron is often blamed for a baby’s fussiness, irritability, colic or constipation. Yet, scientific studies comparing the effects of iron-fortified and low-iron formulas have been unable to show that iron causes any of these problems in babies. WIC cannot provide low-iron formula for two reasons: Iron is too important for a baby’s physical and mental development. Studies do not show that iron causes these problems. Back to Top If iron doesn’t cause constipation, why does your baby seem constipated? Formula, in general, is harder for a baby to digest than breastmilk and may cause some babies, who are sensitive to the proteins in formula, to be constipated. Before considering a different type of formula, you should determine if your baby really is constipated. Constipation refers to how hard your baby’s stool is, not how often he goes. Your baby may “dirty” his diapers only once per day or once every few days – this is perfectly normal. The number of times he dirties his diapers will chang
