- By giving a good, balanced diet
- By regularly deworming children
- By waiting until the infant cries before clamping the umbilical cord after birth
- Children at high risk of iron deficiency, such as preterm infants, should be given prophylactic oral iron. Once discharged home, preterm infants should receive ferrous lactate drops 0.6 ml (e.g. Ferrodrops) daily until 6 months of age.
Always store iron drops, syrup and tablets away safely where children cannot get them.
The prophylactic dose of iron is 1 mg of elemental iron/kg/day while the therapeutic dose is 1–2 mg of elemental iron/kg 3 times a day.