Vitamins for Breastfed Babies
As a new parent, you’re probably doing everything to give your baby a good start. This includes getting plenty of exercises, eating healthy foods, and getting enough sleep.
Food, sleep, and all the love you can muster may leave you wondering what else your child needs.
There could be — and it’s vitamin D.
Product Name | Product Image | Check price on amazon |
|---|---|---|
Carlson’s Baby’s Super Daily |  | |
Nordic Naturals Baby’s Vitamin D3 |  | |
Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Vitamin D Supplement |  | |
UpSpring Baby Vitamin D3 Liquid Drops |  |
List of the Best Baby Vitamin Supplements
Carlson’s Baby’s Super Daily
This brand of supplements has been creating products since 1965. The products are rigorously tested by a lab registered with the Food and Drug Administration. This provides comfort to parents. The supplement comes with an easy-to-use dropper so that babies can get the recommended 400 IU dose. Parents can give their baby the dose by putting it on their tongue, in food, formula, or breast milk.
Nordic Naturals Baby’s Vitamin D3
The Nordic Naturals brand makes supplements that are non-GMO and third-party tested. This means that their products meet very strict international standards. This vitamin D3 supplement is prepared with organic extra virgin olive oil and administered by oral droplet in 400 IU dosages.
Mommy’s Bliss Baby Vitamin D Organic Drops
Several infant cures are available from Mommy’s Bliss, including a probiotic, elderberry syrup, and even gripe water. All of their goods, including their vitamin D drops, are USDA-certified organic.
This supplement is available in a squeeze bottle or a normal glass droplet bottle. The squeeze bottle may make it easier to give the supplement to your baby. The supplement does not have artificial colors or flavors, sucrose, gluten binders or fillers, or petroleum-based by-products.
Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Vitamin D Supplement
Zarbee’s Naturals makes a vitamin D supplement for babies that contains only natural ingredients. There are no drugs, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, flavors, or dyes.
All of their products are gluten-free, and pediatricians recommended them. This supplement is provided as an oral droplet blended with food or given in breast milk or a bottle. To acquire the complete dose of 400 IU per 0.25 ml, your infant must consume everything you mix the drop with.
UpSpring Baby Vitamin D3 Liquid Drops
UpSpring offers a vitamin D3 supplement in an easy-to-administer squeeze bottle. Flavor, color, dairy, gluten, GMOs, sugar, and preservatives are absent.
You can start giving your baby these American drops as soon as they are born up until one.
What to Look for in Baby’s Vitamin D Supplement
Dr. Tolulope Adebanjo, a pediatrician at Orlando Health, recommends vitamin D-only preparations for infants who do not need any other multivitamin supplements.
As a precaution, Adebanjo advises parents to opt for vitamin D3 supplements with 400 international units (IU) per serving.
What to Know About Vitamin D for Babies
A lot of us know that vitamin D is important for our bones. Still, we may not know its other benefits for our children’s mental health, immune system, and normal brain development. Elisa Song, MD, a holistic pediatrician, explains these potential benefits.
Vitamin D supplementation for babies is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends a daily intake of 400 IU. This is complicated because newborns under six months should be kept from direct sunlight. While sunshine is a wonderful source of vitamin D, it has the potential to cause sunburn in babies.
Let’s pretend you’re giving your infant American-made formula. It has enough Vitamin D in that situation. Pediatricians recommend giving your kid a supplement if you are nursing or feeding less than 32 ounces of formula per day.
Breast milk is wonderful nourishment for your baby, but it lacks enough vitamin D to meet their needs. This is especially true if you take dietary supplements.
Some women may take a high-dose supplement. Obviating the need to give their child more vitamin D. Consult your baby’s doctor to determine what you require. Your child may develop a vitamin D deficiency if they do not obtain enough vitamin D.
A 2013 study suggests that a vitamin D deficiency in children may increase the risk for upper respiratory tract infections, including influenza.
Vitamin D is present in fatty fish, cod liver oil, eggs, and mushrooms, among other foods. On the other hand, these meals should not be given to kids until they are at least 6 months old. The food should be mashed up when feeding older infants to reduce choking hazards.
To check for allergies or intolerances, you should introduce foods one at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vitamins for Breastfed Babies
All breastfed babies should have a vitamin D supplement every day. But suppose your baby is drinking more than 500ml of formula each day. In that case, they do not need a vitamin D supplement because the formula already has enough.
At 400 international units per day, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises vitamin D supplementation for breastfeeding infants (AAP). Doctors recommend vitamin D drops for children.
All babies nursed from birth to one year are encouraged by the Department of Health and Social Care. Should get a daily supplement with 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D. This is whether or not you are taking a supplement with vitamin D yourself.
Studies have shown most vitamins, fluoride, iron, water, juice, and formula. Introducing solid foods to healthy breastfed babies before six months is not recommended. They may even be hazardous in some situations.
There are many different ways to give your baby vitamin D. You can put the dose directly in her mouth when she’s relaxed, such as during her bath or while holding her. Another way is to mix the vitamin D drops with the baby’s formula or expressed breastmilk in a bottle. You can also put the drop directly on your nipple before breastfeeding.
Infants have difficulty absorbing the majority of the iron in breast milk. Suppose you are only breastfeeding your infant. You will need to talk to your infant’s health care provider about whether your infant needs iron supplements before 6 months.
Though breast milk is the best source of nutrients for babies, it might not have enough vitamin D. Your baby needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphorus. If there’s not enough vitamin D, the baby might get rickets, which is a condition where the bones become weak and soft.
If you don’t have enough Vitamin D, you might feel weak or have muscle cramps. You might also feel bone pain, be tired, or be depressed. Not having enough Vitamin D can also cause babies and children to get a disease called rickets which causes thin and weak bones to be deformed.
Most breastfed babies need vitamin D drops to protect them from rickets and have strong bones. Your child’s doctor might ask you to give your baby these daily drops.
Babies need less vitamin C than adults. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that babies receive the following amount of vitamin C each day: 0-6 months old: 40 milligrams 6-12 months old: 50 milligrams.
Eat a balanced diet that includes different vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and fat if you want to make more breast milk. Some research shows that garlic, onions, and mint can make breast milk taste different. So your baby may suckle more, and you will make more milk.
If you are thinking about supplementing your breastfeeding with formula, it is important to talk to someone first. This includes your midwife, child and family health nurse, lactation consultant, or GP. Regular mixed feeding can interfere with keeping up a good supply of breastmilk.
Human milk does not have enough vitamin D to meet the needs of infants. Infants need to get sunlight exposure or take vitamin D supplements if they don’t get enough from breastfeeding. If they don’t get enough, they risk developing a vitamin D deficiency as they grow older and their stores become depleted.
Vitamin D is important for building strong bones and teeth. It is especially important for children when their bones and teeth are developing. But vitamin D has other health benefits, too.
Iron deficiency anemia is a condition that results when your body doesn’t have enough iron. You’ll likely have low quantities of red blood cells if you’re anemic because iron is necessary for producing red blood cells. The most common cause of this is excessive bleeding.
