I understand your reluctance to give 'medications'. But really, formula is just one way of doing that, and not a very effective one at that. Barb is right in saying that the iron content in formula is not easily absorbed. And a secondary problem can be that if he is filling up too much on it, he may not be interested in other foods, which have more readily absorbed iron. As the PP said, once a kid's iron levels are higher, they tend to have a better appetite for the foods they need to be eating .

There are kids-safe iron supplements out there (and remember that formula is not a 'natural' source of iron either), which may really help his levels if it's something you feel you can give him. Good luck, I hope you see some improvement in his weight gain and iron levels soon. It's really hard when you're worried about your kid's health