Vitamin supplements for BF babies?

[ilovemyghds]

My almost 7 month old baby was exclusively BF for 6 months at which point I started to wean onto solids - am still BFing also. Has been eating veg and fruit purees, plain yogurt etc, along with a bit of BLW - finger food. Basically a healthy balanced diet for her age. Saw my HV this morning and she said that I need to give her a vitamin supplement as BM is not supplemented in the same way as formula. I know about the whole iron after 6 months issue, but if baby is having iron in her diet then surely that is enough?

I am not opposed to giving her a supplement if needed but don't remember being told this with my other 2 who were both BF for over a year each and so did not have the formula.

Have any guidelines changed in the last year or so?

it's probably vit D the HV means rather than iron - it can be hard for people living an indoor lifestyle to get as much as they need from sunlight and a surprising no of UK children are vit D deficient

there's lots of lit around but I'm afraid I haven't time to rummage - try the NHS webpages

ilove as far as I was aware it was just iron they needed after 6 months...

DD is 18mo now and I BF exclusively for first 6 months as well, no-one mentioned vitamin supplements at any point.

Mind you no-one mentioned anything as thinking about it I never saw a HV! So I just went on what I had read so that's not very definitive... Sorry!

You don't need to give them anything.

MrsB is correct - it is vit d the hv is concerned about. National guidelines are to give vit d supps to all babies bf after 6 mths (vit d supps are already added to formula). The evidence that all bf babies need this supp is very thin indeed, but if you are black or Asian (and therefore need more vit d), live in the north (where it is darker), and do not get outside much, there is a strong case for supplementing.

Majority of all bf babies over 6 mths will get all they need simply from being outside, unwrapped, on most days.

There are many posts in the mumsnet archives on this so you could do a search.

Apologies- I'm in the south of Italy, so I guess that's why we're told we don't need any supplements!

tis more of an issue if

• you had low vitamin D yourself (more likely if you are dark skinned / never expose skin to sunlight) meaning your baby had less when born

• you are just going into the winter months in this country. Sunlight at UK latitudes in the winter is not effective for making vitamin D. It's fine in the summer, but not from about Oct-March. My understanding is that that is true for the whole UK, not just the north, but I may be wrong.

Just found this about half way down.

I have never ever been told to give DD vitamin supplements...

Wonder why not? As this site is a government one and so I assume reflects current guidelines.

You would have thought someone might have mentioned it!

I've been told (by both paed and HV) to give DS (7 months) vitamin drops - but I know others who haven't so maybe advice on this one is a bit patchy. I just put them into EBM or, if he's not having a bottle that day, into his breakfast. IIRC it's mentioned in the standard NHS weaning pamphlet too. You can buy them at the chemist - Abidec is one make, I use Dalivit as they don't have peanut oil in (my DB is v v allergic to nuts so just playing safe on that one).

Dammit, posted before I added my last sentence - which was going to be:
I should think that supplementing vitamins is not necessary if your LO's diet and sunshine exposure are fine; I'll probably stop using them once he's a bit further along with weaning and I'm surer about how much food he's taking in.

apparently breastfeeding women are meant to be taking vitamin d supplements too - i read it in an NHS pamphlet about bottle feeding of all place.

advice pretty new in (at least parts of) the NHS - think it is part of the 'maternity matters' strategy. Some northern cities are seeing increase in rickets, more concern is over sub-rickets levels of poor bone health and thus risk of osteoperosis when elderly.

Knowledge is not new, promoting it locally is. Vit D pretty hard to get from diet btw, look for fortified foods if that is how you want to do it.

I think many women take the multivitamins when preg/bf which will have all this stuff in.

Defo was never told about vits for DD.

Wonder if it's one of those things not to worry about if you have a reasonable diet and get out and about? You know the way they always implement something for everyone to catch a few people...

Not saying don't give vits obviously, just trying to reassure myself as I didn't know!

btw, this came up in an earlier thread, just after the U.S. recommended doubling the dose they had already been calling for. They say breastfed infants (and all children) should have supplements of 400ui/day.

And that is a much sunnier place! (mostly)

Thanks for your replies. Did try and post last night but laptop was playing up and have only just had a chance to get onto mumsnet again (and than got baffled by unfamiliar layout!).

I was taking a pregnancare/similar vit throught pregnancy and in the first couple of months of BFing. Not anymore though. I think that my HV was talking about more of a mulitivitamin than a vit D supplement for baby. I am not dark skinned and live further south - also we tend to be out walking for at least an hour every day if not raining, though I suppose it is only her face that is getting any vitamin D (if there is any actually out there at the moment!). Also, I suppose my HV has no idea that we are outdoors so much so maybe she meant this.

Puddock, I may give some in her cereal like you are doing. One of my other DCs is sometimes a fussy eater and so I give them a multivitamin when I remember - or if there are loads of bugs going around. Have checked the bottle and it is suitable from 4 months so will try that.

Tumtumtetum - thanks for link. Sounds like what the HV was saying.