Seeking Advice About Vitamins

Hi,
My daughter just recently turned 6 months old, and at her 6 month checkup her doctor prescribed vitamins. Like you, I exclusively breastfed my daughter. My doctor explained to me that her main concern was vitamin D. They are not sure if breastmilk is a sufficient source of vitamin D and this can cause a problem especially in the winter months. So of course I went home to do as much research as I could and I found exactly what the doctor had said about the vitamin D. So now my daughter takes vitamins every day. She takes them pretty well, but they can be messy, and be careful because they will stain.

my doc too prescribed vitamins to my daughter when she was that age, they were cherry flavored (liquid) i tried to give them to her a few times but she spit it up..she too is exclusively breastfed..my pediatrician was worried she wouldn't get enough vitamin d, but i take her outside almost everyday, i just bundle her up..and i took a prenatal vitamin still....so i stopped giving her her vitamin..i don't see how she really needs it at this point...my pediatrician doesn't really ask about it either...

I am a mother of 5 children. Most of mine are teens now. I only ever gave vitamins to one child as he needed them. He had an iron deficency. I myself have found as the kids get older with vitamins they think they are like candy because most are sweet with great characters. If you live on well water then it might not hurt to give them vitamins with floride as they dont get as much as the kids that live on city water. This will help strengthen there teeth. Hope I have helped. Genia

I exclusively breastfeed, and my original pediatrician said to to give her vitamins with iron, and I switched doctor's because I didn't feel in sync with him on many issues. When I went to my new one, she said to stop them, she felt they were cruel because its harsh on their systems and not necessary.
My daughter will be turning one without vitamins.

I also breastfeed, and now my daughter is eating food as well. I started giving her vitamins at 2 months. I would give them to her when she was being bathed. Put the dropper in along one cheek, and toward the back, then sqeeze a little in and push her chin up so her mouth is closed. Blow a little into her face, that gives her a natural reaction to swallow. This works well when giving tylenol as well. Good luck. My daughter is now 71/2 months and has been very healthy, I am sure due to breastfeeding as well as her vitamins. Good Luck!

I've never heard of giving such young babies vitamins. My ped never recommended them and I don't think I would give them to a small baby. LIke many others said, breastmilk is sufficient, especially if you're taking vitamins, they're getting extra. As far as vitamin D...where do you all live? Even in the winter there is sunlight. Also, a lot of vitamins are synthetic and your body doesn't process them as well as the vitamins and live enzymes found in fresh produce. I would look into other ways to get those vitamins naturally. I'm not one for jar baby food. I mean, I did give it to my babies, but mostly when I was on the run somewhere...otherwise I made my own purees and stuff and it's really not very much work. Maybe look into what foods give natural vitamins and do those....once the baby starts eating solids, of course.
My best to you.

Hi-
I wonder your your pedi is...My pedi recommended vitamins for my daughter right from birth. I have yet to give them to her. My daughter is also exclusively breastfed. They way I see it, breast milk is a perfect match for your baby. And mothers have been breastfeeding exclusively since the beginning of time with no vitamin supplements. Perhaps after we introduce foods, if she turns out to be a picky eater, I may supplement with a vitamin at that time. But for now we are sticking to only breast milk.

Vitamins probably aren't strictly necessary, but they can help fill in nutritional gaps. Anyway, if Nadia takes a bottle, it's easy to just drop the vitamins in about an once of pumped milk and give them to her that way. (That's the only way we were ever able to get them into our daughter.)

Since you're still taking prenatal vitamins and BF her, you don't "have" to give her vitamin supplements. If you stop taking the prenatal vitamins, then giving her supplements would be a good idea. I think your pedi's main concern is that at 4 months, the iron stores your baby built up during pregnancy are gone, and supplements are needed to keep those stoes from depleting. A formula fed baby wouldn't need vitamin supplements until 1 yr old and goes onto regular milk for that reason.

Hi,

When my babies were small they did not recommend them, I notice with my sisters now they are recommended them to all babies especially breast fed as there are some nutrients missing that the vitamins replace. I would not try to give a four month old vitamins direct in her mouth. Do you ever put breast milk in the bottle. I would do that.Put it in the bottle with the milk. Just start with a drop or two when ever you have a bottle and move up from there.

C.