vitamin supplements for baby...a good idea?

[Nancynew]

I've just been reading a couple of weaning books and both say that the Dept of Health recommend vitamin supplements (A, C and D) for babies of 6 months+ who are breastfed (whilst weaning). I am planning to give dc1 a varied diet when weaning and am interested by BLW. Are the supplements a good idea and, if so, how do you give them? I am a first time mum and all this is new to me .

I believe they are a good idea, I was advised by a paediatrician to give them to dd from weaning, she is now 10 months. We use the Abidec ones, available from Boots, but I'm sure there are other good ones too. They come in a liquid form with a little syringe, and you just pop it in their mouth and squirt! Dd is also breastfed, but doesn't have a great food intake as yet. The vitamin D is particularly important as vitamin D deficiency is becoming very widespread amongst the adult population.

Our HV's (Scotland) recommend AC&D vitamins too from 6 months when breastfed. I am doing babyled weaning, but do give these as a supplement in a bottle in the evening. Don't know if it is a Scottish thing, but you get them from the pharmacy called Healthy Start vitamins. A wee bottle and you drop 5 drops into water, milk or onto food. Cost about £2 ish.

I give my DS (10 months, breastfed, BLW) vit drops. I also just the squirty ones, though not sure if they're Abidec or some other brand (there's a good selection in our local chemist). I'd personally avoid any that you had to mix with water or whatever, it's so much easier to just squirt it into DS's mouth.

DS is a great eater - eats a wide variety of food in great quantities - but my logic is that I take a multivitamin myself so why not supplement my child per DoH advice?

I also did a bit of reading on Vit D deficiency and decided it was something I definitely want to avoid (although I don't think he's that at risk, as pale-skinned and gets adequate exposure to daylight every day!).

DD has Abidec, I started giving it at 6 months although I think for about 2 months she just dribbled it out. Now she actually gets excited when I loom towards her with the syringe, which is weird because they taste disgusting and she's usually very discerning.

Anyway, they don't do any harm.

I try to give with an iron rich meal so that the vit C can help her absorb the iron.