bf babies and vitamin supplements

[Yorkiegirl]

Message withdrawn

Bollocks I would think - but I think after 6m old they need some sort of iron in their diet if still exclusively bf cos the stores they are born with are depleted

Noone should need supplementary vitamins if they have a healthy diet (unless pg for the folic acid and iron, or if convalescing ) - the bulk of any vitamin drops / tablets is just wasted - huge huge con!

No, that is the recommendation according to my HV (although my HV said that her personal recommendation is that as long as baby had a varied diet she didn't think it was necessary).

Apparently because formula is fortified with iron and other vitamins, whereas breastmilk is supposedly low (HOWEVER, breastmilk is designed for babies, so I can't see how it would not be the most beneficial! Think they're talking out of their arse, personally). Then again, if you're giving baby cereal (like baby rice) that's fortified with vits & iron too, so I wouldn't worry...

Offish rec is for babies over 6 mths not on formula to have Vitamin D supps (which come pre-packaged with Vitamin A, but there is no recommendation for those). Fornula already has Vitamin D added as an extra. It's nothing to do with breastmilk being 'deficient' - it's because our modern-day lifestyles may mean babies don't get the sunlight they need to make their own Vitamin D.

Lots of stuff on this in the Mumsnet archives.