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Iron defi ciency anemia is the world's most common defi ciency anemia. Owing to numerous primary and secondary preventive measures, its prevalence in developed countries is continuously and signifi cantly declining, whereas in underdeveloped countries it still poses a major public health problem. The favorable infl uence of iron on early motor development has been known for decades, while its eff ects on linear growth and frequency of infection are still a matter of controversy. Our survey revealed the prevalence of iron defi ciency anemia in the population of Croatian infants to be rather high. Prophylactic supplementation of iron, as suggested by the latest recommendations, does not aff ect linear growth or the incidence of infectious illness, therefore presenting a safe and desirable preventive measure. As the harmful eff ects of iron defi ciency anemia on the children's wellbeing have been established, it is necessary to raise awareness of the importance of its prevention and treatment among parents and primary care pediatricians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]