Vitamins Supplements for Babies?
As mamas, we only want the best for our babies. As mamas, we appreciate the respectful sharing of other mamas' thoughts and opinions. Thank you Sharon for emailing:
I am curious about whether other moms have used vitamin supplements for their breastfed babies. I have a two-month old and was given vitamins by her doctor at her two-week check-up. I have heard the idea before that breastfed babies don't get enough vitamin D; when my son was breastfed, but didn't have the vitamins pushed on me. I haven't given them to her as I hate the thought of adding anything to her perfect body! I still take my prenatals and she breastfeeds exclusively. How necessary are these to you? Did you use them?
Great question. My son is almost 16 months. I didn't give him supplements until very recently because I still breastfeed and he has a very healthy diet. However, I also lived in Bend at the time where it was much sunnier in the winter than it is here which is why I decided to start supplements this week. I want to make sure he has enough Vitamin D so he can metabolize calcium and phosphorus which are necessary for strong bones. At this point, with him nursing less, I don't know if he would receive enough from me. I'm no doctor but I've talked to mine about it many times and if I were still exclusively breastfeeding a newborn and had an excellent diet myself, I wouldn't worry about it. Also, I really like the Dr. Sears web site (www.askdrsears.com) for another opinion.
Posted by: Virginia | November 21, 2006 at 12:25 PM
it wouldn't hurt, would it? i gave vitamins to my breastfeeding daughter, and I didn't see a problem with it.
Posted by: Anna | November 21, 2006 at 12:32 PM
Just curious ... are baby/toddler vitamins by prescription only? I don't recall seeing any in the drugstore, though I haven't looked to closely. I'm about to wean my 20-month-old, and it seems like something to look into (after talking with his pediatrician, of course -- she's never mentioned them).
Posted by: lisa | November 21, 2006 at 02:09 PM
Oh, I remember that! When my doctor prescribed Vitamin D I went into a flurry of internet research because it just seemed weird to me that breast milk wouldn't be enough for a 2 month old. I never found anything saying that it was harmful to give the vitamins, but I also didn't find any compelling reason to start using them either.
Posted by: another sara | November 21, 2006 at 03:22 PM
I too was very confused about this. My pediatrician hadn't mentioned Vitamin D until I asked. I gave it one time to my infant and he threw up. I then called my Naturalpath and she felt confident in saying that getting outside a little each day or even week was fine. With a good diet for mom and a little outside time that was all that my infant needed. I really believe each baby is different and mama's have to go with their instincts on what is right for their child. There is so much info out there it can be confusing.
Posted by: Sharon | November 21, 2006 at 03:53 PM
My daughters doctor recommended it after two months. We tried it. But she hated it! She gagged everytime. I decided to try it, to see what all the fuss she was making was all about. I gagged myself. She no longer takes it. We get outside regualrly. I take supplements, and eat well. She is also eating solids. I feel like she is getting what she needs. Funny, some doctors mention taking them and others don't. Makes me wonder if it's really needed? I got ours from Rite Aide. It was Poly Vi Sol. They also make a Tri Vi Sol. I believe Emfimil makes it.
Posted by: Norana | November 21, 2006 at 06:30 PM
We didn't start up with a vitamin until Anders was about a year old. We went through a rough few months where he weaned himself from nursing, but still was not eating much in the way of solids, and was not drinking a ton of milk and he dipped way down to like the 10th percentile in weight for his age category. We were a bit alarmed, and the doctor had us coming in regularly for weight checks. Since he was not eating a lot, we went ahead and started with the vitamin drops. We've now moved on to chewables, even though we just had his 2 year check up and he's in the 80th percentile for weight now.
Posted by: NoPo Mama | November 21, 2006 at 06:52 PM
Our doctor recommended vitamin drops for both of my kids as well... I think it's just standard Kaiser operating procedure and that the recommendation is made to all breastfeeding moms. In any event, I found the vitamin rationale undisturbing but not very compelling either. End result was a random dosing schedule and eventual abandonment of the vitamins. I was much more concerned and skeptical on the fluoride issue.
Posted by: Tia | November 21, 2006 at 09:17 PM
We were also given a prescription for our daughters for vitamins when they were infants. We never got the vitamin drops (trivisol or something) to give them. The girls did not appear to need supplements, as they were growing steadily and all. One reason to offer vitamin supplements is because mama's breastmilk does not contain Vitamin D. Still, it seems like the strong suggestion that breast is best for babies up to 6 months for sure. I wonder why my doctors prescribed the vitamins as such young ages.
Posted by: olivia | November 21, 2006 at 09:40 PM
Our pediatrician perscribes vitamin D specifically because of our geographical location. Vitamin D deficiencies are pretty common occurances during our dark Portland winters. This has the potential to be a major health risk. A little D can go a long way in preventing rickets...
Posted by: Robin | November 21, 2006 at 10:47 PM
I have to chime in to say that when questions like this have come up in my own house we've gone both ways. Sometimes we've followed instructions & other times we haven't. The best results have come from the decisions I've made based upon my baby's responses & my gut instinct. I just started feeding my breastfed toddler calcium bites + vit. D since we don't drink milk & osteoporosis runs in the family. Anyway FWIW, I didn't give my baby any vitamins or antibiotics when they were prescribed & he's remained in the top percentile.
Posted by: Chloe Rizzo | November 21, 2006 at 11:39 PM
I do want to add that there have been cases of rickets here in the Portland area due to lack of sun and vitamin D - particularly during this weather. While I tend to err on the side of no vitamins, I did make sure my guy had the drops during the winter.
Posted by: Amy Westcott | November 22, 2006 at 07:53 AM
Over the past few years there have been a number of cases of rickets (Vitamin D deficiency affecting bone structure/health) in the Portland area. That is why the all the excitement around Vitamins. Fish oils have Vitamin D and they are good brain food to boot and great for the immune system. Use highest quality only (pharmaceutical grade). I recommend Nordic Naturals usually.
Posted by: Kathy | November 22, 2006 at 07:57 AM
here is a review of the literature on vitamin d supplementation in the breastfed baby: http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/sunlight-deficiency.html
and a snippet from the article:
How Do Nurslings Get Enough Vitamin D?
The natural sources of vitamin D for nurslings are primarily the stores they developed prenatally (for newborns) and the vitamin D they produce with exposure of their skin to sunlight; a smaller additional contribution is from human milk.15, 16 The concentration of fat-soluble vitamin D in human milk varies from 5 to 136 IU/L, depending on how its activity is measured and on maternal vitamin D status during lactation.17-19 This concentration provides less than the 200 to 400 IU/day commonly recommended for infants under one year of age.20 However, human milk should not be considered "deficient" in vitamin D, because the biologically normal means of obtaining sufficient vitamin D in humans is via sunlight exposure, not diet.21-23
The neonate's stores of vitamin D depend on maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy.24, 25 A study of exclusively breastfed infants in Tampere, Finland (61° N) in winter showed that, without UVB exposure or vitamin D supplementation, vitamin D stores of fetal origin were depleted by eight weeks of age.26 Although these vitamin D-depleted infants had serum levels of vitamin D at which rickets can occur, none had active or biochemical rickets. The concentration of vitamin D in human milk increases significantly with what are currently considered pharmacological doses of vitamin D supplements.27, 28 Administration of 2,000 IU-but not 1,000 IU-to lactating mothers in another study normalized the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of their infants in winter.29 Supplementation with over 1,000 IU/d is currently considered to greatly exceed normal maternal vitamin D needs (200 IU/d).30
Studies have shown that children can store enough vitamin D to avoid deficiency for several months when they are exposed to only a few hours of summer sunlight.31-33 Exclusively breastfed Caucasian infants under six months of age (39° N; Cincinnati, Ohio, US) are expected to achieve adequate vitamin D status when exposed to sunlight for 30 minutes per week (diaper only) or two hours per week (fully clothed without a hat). 34 The sunlight exposure needed by darkly pigmented infants is poorly understood.35 Studies of the influence of skin pigmentation on the cutaneous production of vitamin D in adults have shown conflicting results.36, 37 However, a study by Brazerol and colleagues showed that darkly and lightly pigmented adults were equally capable of producing vitamin D when episodes of UVB exposure occurred periodically over time (i.e., biweekly for six weeks in their study).38
Posted by: Lyla | November 22, 2006 at 09:40 AM
When our son was two months old, and the rainy season was setting in, our pediatrician prescribed vitamin drops to make up for the lack of sunlight. Then, when starting solids, I told the pediatrician I wanted to make my own baby food and not use the iron-supplemented rice cereal, so he switched me to a vitamin with iron. I've never worried about giving it to him (he's 15 months old now, and still nursing). There are days when he doesn't eat much protein, and my diet isn't stellar, so I actually feel like giving him a vitamin makes up for what he isn't getting in his diet, picky eater that he is.
Posted by: Suz | November 22, 2006 at 08:51 PM
I took a liquid vitamin supplement when I was pregnant and breastfeeding and then starting giving them to my son when he was 6 months. It is a whole food liquid supplement made from rehydrated sea vegetables, aloe vera, organic black cherry and honey. It is packed with vitamins, enzymes, minerals, ultra trace minerals...etc. I love knowing that he is getting optimal nutrition and that it is safe to give him cuz its basically whole food, not a pill made in a lab. He loves the taste and calls it his "body juice"
Posted by: Brooke | March 29, 2007 at 03:12 PM
I'm a little late to this, but if you anyone is still reading this thread, I recommend checking out kellymom.com. This site compiles medical research studies on a number of questions related to breastfeeding and health. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamins.html
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against vitamin supplements for healthy breastfed babies. My doctor also recommended supplements, but we decided against it. Our doctor specifically recommended vitamins with iron supplement, but the research actually indicates some potential harm in iron supplementation in healthy breastfed babies - it can alter intestinal flora, opening up the path for harmful bacteria growth and it can inhibit the absorption of the perfect (if low) iron found in breastmilk.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html
Living in the NW, if you are worried about Vitamin D, you can get just vitamin D drops. http://www.sunlightvitamins.com/About_Just_D.php
Anyway, Kellymom.com has been a great resource for me on a number of topics. It summarizes the medical studies, but also links to the actual research so you can read the findings yourself.
Good luck.
Posted by: Claire | August 11, 2008 at 07:33 PM
What is the disintegration rate of iron tablet how quickly do they break down?
Posted by: Iron Mineral | October 13, 2011 at 12:05 AM
People who are already diabetic or who have high blood pressure that appears particularly sensitive to salt may wish to try bars or drinks with less sugar and salt.
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