Do you give LO a Vit-D supplement?

jillabobilla · March 2011

At our 2 month pedi visit, he recommended we give LO a Vitamin D supplment since I EBF. We bought it, but only gave it to LO about 3 times in the last month [oops]. Honestly, I don't think it's really necessary, but I'm not the doctor.

Do you give one?

kellygirl_1997 · March 2011

we do when I remember.. if you already bought it i would just give it to LO whats it going to hurt?. FOr what is worth i just emptied our first bottle at 9 months so I was a bit forgetful when it came to giving it to her..

~Flossie~ · March 2011

Absolutely! They gave us Vitamin D drops the day LO was born at the hospital, and were told all about them at our prenatal/childbirth classes. Vitamin D is the only vitamin/mineral not transferred well through breast milk so it is recommended for BF'ed babies. My LO has been getting a Vit-D drop every day since birth. A good way to remember it is to leave it next to the change table because you are sure to be there multiple times of the day.

TakeLuck · March 2011

No.

Vitamin D can be transferred via breastmilk as long as mom gets a good amount of it in her diet. Your body also produces it naturally from exposure to sunlight. I can't remember the exact amount of time but in only a few minutes of sunlight a day, your baby can get enough to produce enough vitamin D. I *think* it was seventeen minutes?

Kellina · March 2011

I rarely remember! He gets reflux meds 3 times a day, so trying to shove more stuff down his throat doesn't usually happen!

utlawgirl · March 2011

Nope. We just make sure she gets enough sun exposure (just a short time each day).

koosh ball · March 2011

If you don't think it's necessary then get your LO vitamin d levels checked. Its a simple blood test and the benefits of having healthy levels of vitamin d can be huge. The research is suggesting that it's the cause of a lot of auto-immune disorders like MS.

AimeeL85 · March 2011

When I remember to, which has only been 2-3 times per week, need to work on that!

smelly7378 · March 2011

I try and remember to put a drop in his sippy cup every day Big Smile

My friends son developed rickets from a lack of Vitamin D (but her situation was a little different because she had to eliminate dairy from her diet due to her sons allergies).

IncogNeato · March 2011

Yup! My mom has very low vit D even with supplements and we have depression in our family (both of which indicate that a little vit d wouldn't go awry.) I take vit D every day and LO gets the 1 drop stuff.

olechka · March 2011

Yes. We don't go outside cause of horrible MI weather and i got tested when pregnant and had very low vit D levels.

tokenhoser · March 2011

I will because of where I live. We're too far north to get adequate sun exposure on baby's skin from probably October - May (and the sun intensity isn't adequate to produce Vitamin D for about that period). I supplement myself, but I'd have to go overboard for that to transmit enough via breastmilk.

I think that for us, the data supports supplementation. I might feel different if I lived in California than I do in Saskatchewan.

MandusMaximus · March 2011

Yep same here I live in MI and we aren't getting a lot of sun so I caved and got them and give them once a day. I did some reading up on them and was pretty torn on whether to give them or not but I know I don't get enough sun exposure and it doesn't transfer well and I'd rather not risk rickets or anything even though my mom never gave them to me and I'm better than fine

koosh ball · March 2011

AmyG*:

unfortunately we do not fully understand how certain vitamins work TOGETHER within our bodies to keep health in check. too much of one vitamin sets off a chain reaction thru our bodies.

We as humans tend to latch on to one particular thing as the wonder drug of the century.

I didn't and wouldn't commonly give vitamin supplements to babies. if we are overestimating the need for vitamin D supplementation, and incorrect doseage in and infant can be a much bigger issue.

you can't get too much vitamin D from sunlight, your body stops producing it if you get enough. that's not true of artificial vitamin D drops.

Well I am sure you know that vitamin D actually isn't a vitamin. It's a hormone that works very closely with the immune system.

I don't understand the logic of 'you might take too much so don't take it all'. That makes no sense. If you are concerned about your and your LO vitamin D level then you should get it checked. Everyone should be getting checked.... Half the US doesn't get enough sun in the winter to actually produce Vitamin D so the whole 'go outside' doesn't work if you are in say Seattle.

tokenhoser · March 2011

I asked my doctor about getting my vit D levels checked. She said it was a waste of time; everyone she ever tested came back low. She said for me (and anyone else here), taking a supplement was a great idea.

Back in the day, babies got (unprotected) sun. That's no longer a great plan.

flowerchild77 · March 2011

No, I dont do vitamin D. We go outside and get sun. Your body MAKES vit-d from sunlight. Thats good enough for us.

Moochygirl · March 2011

Our pedi highly recommended vit d, as it's still wintery here in MA. I bought Tri-vi-sol and LO loves it. It smells like licorice. I've never had a problem with him taking it. Of course, I don't always remember, so he probably gets it 5 times a week.

ps, If you do decide, I would suggest using a bib, as it seems to stain clothes.....

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