Infant Vitamins
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When I proudly announced to my doctor that I would breastfeed my baby exclusively, the first thing she did was congratulate me on making a good choice and then she wrote out a prescription for infant vitamins. It came in a liquid form, and every day I had to give my baby a dropper-full of the stuff. I tasted it myself - because I always tasted everything my baby had to take so I knew if I was forcing her to swallow some vile tastes - and it was really sweet and a little bit gross. She took it pretty easily, but I wondered if it was something that was really necessary.
The way my doctor explained it, the main reason my daughter needed the supplemental vitamin was mostly for the Vitamin D. I don’t know if formula is fortified with Vitamin D or if she just instinctively knew that I would keep my daughter out of the sun, but for whatever reason she felt it was necessary. My daughter took the vitamins for almost a year, and when my son was born he followed suit. Once in a while they would spit the vitamin liquid right back out, and I’ll be the first to admit that I never did get those stains out of my shirts (I tried). I didn’t worry about them not getting 100% of the dosage every single day, though, because I wasn’t completely sold on the idea that my breastmilk wasn’t enough for their needs at this early age.
I’ve seen infant drops sold over the counter, but the version we used was from the pharmacy. The vitamin drops that are sold in stores probably taste better, but then again I wonder if they are also laced with more sweeteners. I don’t know if vitamins are a necessity or if my doctor was just overly cautious, but either way I begrudgingly gave them to both my kids when they were infants. I suppose they were of some benefit, because neither of my kids had a Vitamin D deficiency. I wonder, though, how much of a threat that really is.
Science-mom says...
Milk products in Germany and Switzerland (and many other European countries I`ve heard) are not fortified with Vitamin D like in the US. My twins never had to take any vitamin supplements when I was breastfeeding them and when I shifted them to formula. As far as I know, prescribing vitamins is not standard here. Our ped`s advice is to take the baby out everyday for sunshine and fresh air. And that`s what people do. I guess medical standards vary from country to country.