Your child may display some or all of the following symptoms if they are iron deficient:

• You may notice that they have pale skin, dark eyes, and they may also have pale gums.
• Your child may want to sleep a lot more than normal.
• They may be less interested in activities than usual, and not wanting to do very much.
• Your child may be eating a lot less or have a poor appetite, eating perhaps as little as a quarter of the normal amount over a period of more than a few weeks.
• They may also start drinking a lot of milk in place of food.
• Your child may not be growing as you expect them to. If you are worried about their growth, or if their height and weight haven't change much in the last 3 months, arrange to have them checked over and measured by your G.P. or Health Visitor.
• Low iron can also cause your child to pick up more illnesses than you would expect, so frequent illnesses are a sign of a deficiency.

If your child is displaying some of the above symptoms then you should have their levels checked and then increase the amount of iron in their diet until they are at a healthy level.