Vitamin D supplements...?

[RinkyDinkyPinky]

I keep reading that BF babies are recommended to have Vit D from a certain age (weaning???) Does anyone have the info? Or know where to get the Vit D? Etc

If the baby and you go outside for at least 15 minutes a day, aren't completely covered up, and you don't live in the far north of Scotland, then they don't actually need Vitamin D.

If you don't go out much, and when out, have all your skin covered, then your HV will prescribe vitamin drops from 6 months

I've never been offered them. You can get them from you HV if you think it is necessary but we make vit d by exposing our skin to sunlight - about 10mins a day.
It is also found in diary products.
I believe it is recommended for darker skinned babies in northerly climes as they would need much longer exposure to the sun due to the higher amount of melatonin(sp?) in the skin.

i find it hard to believe that any baby in the British Isles is getting 10min or more of daily sunshine on a regular basis. And how could they not be covered up, when it is cold even in August?
the US regularly prescribes supplements - and this is a country where the sun actually shines most days.
i haven't done anything about it myself for DS, but i do find it curious that the NHS isn't concerned, particularly as rickets is apparently on the rise.

They don't need sunshine, just natural light. Hands and face is quite enough skin to be exposed to make Vitamin D.

Rickets is on the rise, but if you look at the children who get it, it is dark skinned children in inner cities who are eating poor diets, drinking cows milk who get it.

huh? I'm a midwife and know nothing of this...

oatcake, this has been official advice for several years in the UK, though it is well-hidden. It's not necessarily something a midwife would be told about, as the recommendation is from 6 mths, for breastfed babies. Formula milk already has Vitamin D added to it artificially.

There's loads in the mumsnet archives on this as we talk about it at least once or twice a month on here!

Ok, thanks all for the responses, this makes things a little clearer- I'll look up some of the old threads.

Here in France I was stongly advised to give my fully BF 11 week old a prescribed multi-vitamin from day 1. I BF DS1 until about 6 months in the UK and never had any extra supplements mentioned to me. He's nearly 7 and as healthy as anything. I've given DS2 the vitamin drops maybe once a week at the most and he's thriving too. Is it the French health service over-egging the pudding or am I being naive?? btw we are outside a fair bit too (as per above!)

so is it just vitamin d that you should give and not multi vitamins. my own hv has never mentioned this just a friend mentioned it last night. am still a bit confused!

The research only really looks at Vit D - there is some evidence that some groups go short in this country, of D but not of other vits. The drops come bundled together (A, C, and D, IIRC ) - no harm in giving them as this bundle, as far as I can tell, and I don't think you can even get Vit D for babies as a sep product.

www.healthystart.nhs.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n1=1&n2=8&n3=97&n4=100 is what the government say, and I note they reference a study on toddlers aged 1.5 years to 4.5 years for Vitamin A.....but nothing to do with bf or indeed children under this age. The Vit C stuff is referenced with the same study and one referring to older children.

This is what SACN says about Vit D (SACN is the govt's advisory group on nutrition - you can google the whole report, which comes from 2003 minutes of the child and maternal nutrition subgroup):

" In the UK, there are usually special factors which contribute to increasing risk of vitamin
D deficiency. Infants from certain ethnic groups - south Asian and Afro-Caribbean - are
at greater risk. This is primarily due to the fact that more ultraviolet sunlight is required to
generate adequate vitamin D synthesis in dark skinned individuals (Holick, 2002). This
can be a particular problem in northern latitudes (such as Canada, the UK and
Scandinavia) where there is little ultraviolet radiation of the appropriate wavelength for
many months of the year. However, reports have appeared from other countries where
sunlight is plentiful. Here cultural practices (prolonged exclusive breast feeding
22/01/03 SMCN/03/02
compounded by forms of dress that limit the skin's exposure to light) are suggested as
being the main aetiological factors. Children on very restricted diets may also be at risk. "

So it is mainly specific groups who are at risk, but it does seem that they are at risk of Vit D deficiency from a young age.

thanks tiktok, will read it in more detail when ds goes for a sleep but from skimming over it what i take from it is that if ds and i eat healthy and a well balanced diet and we get out everyday (even with just his face on show) then we really have no need for these supplements?

sorry for all these questions but have never heard of this before and have loads of friends who have bf for over 6 months and they have never mentioned it before.