HV advised formula as breastmilk doesnt contain enough iron

[giraffesCantCeilidhDance]

My friend was advised to FF baby after 6 months or give baby iron suppliments as HV says after 6 months the baby needs more iron.

I have never heard this before and sounds like tosh to me but what do I know?! So thought I would ask the wisdom that is Mumsnet!

actually, I think it is advised that a BF baby has vitamins from 6mo, not sure about the iron though.

Someone will be along soon with more info - try the archives too

No vitamins or iron needed. It's a load of crap.

Why would a baby need extra vitamins and iron if they are being weaned on decent stuff like fruit and broccoli? If baby was being fed nothing but chocolate pudding, then I could see why they may need supplements, but not on a sensible weaning diet.

I think the HV is full of guff, myself.

I am pretty sure that it's a load of tosh - neither of mine had any supplements
Article on kellymom

It's complete bollocks and one of myriad ways in which breastfeeding undermined.

This has to be nonsense, surely, provided the mother is healthy and the baby's diet, aside from BM, is healthy and varied. Why would a mammal evolve to produce milk that is insufficient to nourish its young?

Babies do gradually need more iron from about 6 mths. This is normally provided in solid foods. There is absolutely no need to switch to formula and no guidance anywhere in the UK suggests this - why is the HV saying this, I wonder?

Vit D might be needed in individual cases if the baby never gets outside and is from an ethnic group that needs more sunlight.

tiktok - could you have a look at teh other thread about weaning please? Just in active convo now.

It must be "crap advice from HV" day. This is the third thread I've looked on with regard to HVs (am one so always look when HV is in the title). Some utterly shite advice has been given out today - oh and to the OP - yes it's utter tosh your friend's HV speaks.

I think HV's say this because of certain ethnic groups who may not get enough exposure to produce vit D then just apply the advice in a blanket fashion?

So as long as weaning is going well, baby has balanced diet etc etc formula/supplements aren't needed.

This is like that mental advert running at the moment about 'growing-up milk' saying a toddler would have to drink 12 litres of cow's milk to get enough iron. Well yes they probably would if all they ate was cows milk but toddlers should be eating fruit, veg, protein. Nuts that advert is, makes me shout at the TV every time its on.

I went to a special HV weaning session a couple of weeks ago and they said categorically that a bf baby MUST be given vitamin drops from 6 months. That was assuming that you were weaning them then too. I asked if you had to even if you were giving iron-rich foods - yes, apparently.

Mind you, the same HVs had never heard of BPA or BPA-free bottles and assured one of the other mothers that it would be a brand name/marketing tool.

JollyPirate, I wish you were my HV.

They should get enough iron in solids. Breastmilk has less iron than formula but what there is will be absorbed better, rather than passing straight through. I think.

moomma, can you ask the hv to give you a copy of the cow and gate sma aptamil NHS weaning leaflet which backs up that claim.

what kind of birth did she have? dd's iron levels were low after 6 months (bf) but I always wondered if it was because the cord had not been allowed to finish pulsating but was cut straight away- read something about that somewhere once upon a time lol. with regards to vit d I lean more towards the french approach of a few massive vit d doses in first year of life rather than small doses in vit drops.

sorry - I thought I was correct in my advice, bit was only repeating advice givento me on here.

what a load of rubbish!! BF babies get iron from the BM aswell as the diet if it is varied and healthy. it is likely to be going from that stupid advert pushing 'growing up' formula

no supplements are needed if the diet is good and the child is already healthy

Hi I was at an infant feeding stratedgy update today in Glasgow, am a midwife and we were discussing this subject.
Glasgow is reccommending vitamin supplementation for all childen from 6 months to 4 years, however we were discussing Vit D primarily and how rickets is rising in this population. Glasgow has a large percentage of children living in poverty and with all the accociated health inequalities associated with this.
Whether other healthier and sunnier populations need such supplementation, I am not sure really.
Where does your friend live OP and are they caucasion (less risk of vit d def)?

Forgot to add third stage management time of cord clamping is relevant too.
Less iron deficiency anaemia in babies where there was delayed clamping.
www.homebirth.org.uk/thirdstage.htm

noshouting - yes, that one I do know.
[glad i'm not totally ignorant]

Oh dear, we humans do have a serious design flaw don't we? Strange how it hasn't actually done the human race any harm over the millenia.

I was just reading the NHS Birth to Five book last night and it says after 6 months babies who are BFing should have vitamin drops, but those on formula won't need it. Really gives the impression there is something deficient about breastmilk, doesn't it

Glad to hear lots of you say it's rubbish. DS is 5.5 months old and I would probably have dutifully been buying vitamin drops in a few weeks had I not come across this thread!

YanknCock - thank you, that's where I read it! I knew I wasn't going mad.

I give DS vitamins (he's 2.2) because he's a terrible eater (no veg or fruit, not even raisins ) so reckon he needs it.

I thought breastfeeidng was reccommended till 2 years along with a healthy varied diet??