Am I supposed to be giving EBF baby vitamins?

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It’s 6 years since I started BFing DC1 and I seem to have forgotten everything I ever knew. Am I supposed to give vitamins of some kind? Poor neglected DC2 is 5mo and I haven’t given her anything but breastmilk. I remember giving DC1 vitamins of some kind, but I think that was after starting on solids....?

According to my health visitor they now recommend ebf babies are given vitamin D drops and for mum's to take vitamin D too. This advice has come in since dc2 who's 4.

Yes Vitamin D drops are recommended from birth for breastfed babies. I wouldn't worry about the past 5 months but would start giving them now.

I was told that so long as I ate well then the baby would get what it needs up to six months. I took a vitamin supplement to be safe but I get anaemic. From six months the babies vitamin d stores they got from you run out. If they are starting to eat a balanced diet and getting out in the sunshine then no need for a supplement. I might consider one whilst weaning in winter.

Vitamin d recommended. Babies don’t get enough from sunlight (you shouldn’t be putting them in direct sun.)

Never gave either of mine vitamin drops..only breastfed..

Made sure they got regular sunshine for vit d... ( small amounts only obviously)..

Both fit and healthy always..

They gave me vitamins but I never bothered. Go with your instinct. Mine have all been healthy and well without the need for supplements. That may not be the case for all babies.

You don't have to do anything because a health visitor tells you to!

Baby seems fine and well. I feel a bit strange giving her anything other than milk (vaguely remembering something about virgin gut..?), but I will if necessary. I think with DC1 it was recommended after 6 months - as Weeping says, stores from me ran out, or something similar.

Why would instinct tell a mother whether her baby needed vitamin d or not?? :)

Research shows that babies in northern climes are more likely than other babies to be short of vitamin d. We evolved as humans to be outside much more than we usually are these days, so babies do t get it from sunlight, and there is precious little sunlight in winter especially.

Scandinavian babies all get supplemented.

Scandinavian babies all get supplemented.

Yes they do - you get free drops at the baby and child clinic.

With 2 year old DS I was told to give a vitamin supplement from 6 months onwards, which we've done, not least because he has a diet restricted by multiple allergies.

With 4 month old DD the hv said they now recommend vitamin d drops from birth, however because I'm taking calcium _ vitamin d supplements myself then not to bother. I'm pleased about that because I once read a really sad story of a 10 day old baby aspirating their vitamin d drops, so I'm pleased she deemed it unnecessary!

Thank you! I will give her vitamins. (Although I am taking a multi-vit myself with vitamin D in - if that changes things?)

Don’t panic about that poor baby and the vitamin d supplements. That happened in France with a pipette based oil supplement and it was the method of administration that made it possible. That form was never available in the UK and is now also unavailable in France. Babies need vitamin d supplements is the current advice.

I used to get free cod liver oil and orange juice from the clinic some years ago. I'm surprised free vitamins aren't supplied nowadays.

Free vits on healthy start scheme : www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthy-start-vouchers/

Virgin gut is a patchily evidenced theory. The need for vitamin d supplementation is not. Do it and don't worry!

yes vit d recommended as they don't get enough transferred through breast milk and actually most people are low in d anyway. I was given free vitamins for myself and baby by the health visitor so could be worth asking if they do the same in your area.
don't worry about the last 5 months though.

Yip Dept of Health recommends for babies from birth to get vit d supplement (it's in formula and for bf babies you get drops and put on your nipple before 1 feed per day). They recommend all people in UK take them as sunlight insufficient here and most people's diet is lacking:

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/vitamins-for-children.aspx

• Too puny for adults between oct and march apparently

I mean sunlight too puny - random sentence otherwise!

I got d drops in my bounty bag from hospital and ordered from boots for 9.99 for two month supply when ran out

We get them free until they’re five I think.

I do give them my 4mo because it’s dark all the bloody time now, and because after breastfeeding my first for two years, I was found to be vitD deficient. Also, it’s hardly a bother to drop a few drips on to a spoon with some milk.