Vitamin D supplementation for babies « Back to Group Discussions

[birdhappy85]

At our 2 week pediatrician visit, the doctor recommended we start giving our baby Vitamin D droplets since we're approaching winter weather here in Wisconsin and won't be able to get the baby outdoor sunlight until springtime. I asked if my diet and my Vitamin D supplements would give enough to the baby and the doctor said no, I'd have to ingest "toxic levels" to give enough through my breastmilk.

I haven't started giving the baby Vitamin D yet. I wanted to gauge what other people might be doing. Is anyone else here in a climate like mine and giving your baby Vitamin D? If so, what brand? How necessary do you see this being? I don't want to not give her the vitamins if it's crucial to her development at this age... but it is also one more thing to worry about that I'd rather not if I don't have to.

[seraf]

We're in Ohio, so not as cold, but we certainly cover up all winter.  My older kids weren't supplimented but that was before the recomendations  changed.  The doc hasn't mentioned anything yet, but a nap by a sunny window doesn't sound awful. I will certainly ask at our next appointment.

[TalkToMeNow]

My pediatrician recommends them for all breastfed babies regardless of the climate. I haven't gotten around to getting any yet, though.

[meesh933]

I think the newest rec is to give them to all babies, regardless of climate. That said, we live in Texas. It's 70 degrees here today. We get outside most days. I've never supplemented any of my kids, but I have friends who are very natural-minded who absolutely do. If we were in Wisconsin, I'd definitely consider it.

[FaithF]

Here is a link about Vitamin D and breastmilk: http://www.007b.com/vitamin-d-breast-milk.php

Basically they found a minimum of 2000 IU daily in the mothers diet was enough to effect the baby. Any less it did not. 

Article from Kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html

[Jaimee]

As far as I know you should be able to dose yourself high enough to get a good amount of vitamin D to baby.  I'm currently taking 5000 IU a day.  I wouldn't dose the baby unless I saw a real reason for it.

[seraf]

Thanks for these links, Faith.  
 

Originally Posted by FaithF 

Here is a link about Vitamin D and breastmilk: http://www.007b.com/vitamin-d-breast-milk.php

Basically they found a minimum of 2000 IU daily in the mothers diet was enough to effect the baby. Any less it did not. 

Article from Kellymom: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d.html

[jbk21]

I forgot about this but I take a few thousand mg a day so I likely won't be supplementing baby yet- perhaps when he starts solids and is getting less milk.  

[xakana]

I've had two babies in MO winter and never dosed myself or baby and they've never had a deficiency. The D is in the calcium I take (and I need to take more than that--for depression, not that I'm having a problem with it right now--but haven't got the money for it). Everything I've read about that recommendation for the last 5+ years that I've been a mom is that it's hooey. Even though modern medicine has some benefits for improving infant health outcome (although the US is not really very high on the list, so I'd look at other countries' recommendations first), I seriously doubt nature would design us with such a glaring flaw as a serious vitamin deficiency from the perfect food. If our D levels are low in the milk, there's a reason for it.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by xakana 

I seriously doubt nature would design us with such a glaring flaw as a serious vitamin deficiency from the perfect food. If our D levels are low in the milk, there's a reason for it.

Agreed, but nature didn't intend for us to stay indoors all day long, wear high SPF sunscreen, or, for that matter, to even live in cold sun starved climates.  Humans were designed to live in warm, sunny climates where vitamin D is a-plenty.  Now that most of us do not live in such climates it makes sense to me that we could easily become deficient and compromise our immunity.

[xakana]

Yeah, except after thousands of years living in seasonal climates, you'd think we'd have adapted, like we did with lactase permanence, etc. I wonder if there's a difference between people with ancestries from colder climates and those with ancestries from warmer?

[jbk21]

Side question:  What is lactase permanence?  Do you mean our tolerance for digesting lactose (just guessing because I can't find any info on that term).  

[xakana]

Originally Posted by jbk21 

Side question:  What is lactase permanence?  Do you mean our tolerance for digesting lactose (just guessing because I can't find any info on that term).  

My bad, that was supposed to be lactase persistence! Yes, that we continue producing lactase beyond the biological period of childhood milk consumption.

[birdhappy85]

I decided to give my baby vitamin D just in case. I'm taking around 5,000 IU a day myself, way higher than the recommended dosage for an adult, so I don't really feel like extra Vit D is harmful. I'm no expert of course... but I'm comfortable with it. And everything I've read says that not much Vit D passes through breastmilk to baby. The baby probably has good stores of it from my high intake during pregnancy, though.

The pediatrician had given us an Enfamil D-Vi-Sol sample. I didn't feel comfortable giving that to my baby. I read the ingredients and was so turned off. I bought Carlson's Kids Ddrops instead. All natural and only one drop needed per dose. Easy peasy!

[CDsMom1031]

Thanks for this thread!

My pediatrician told me the same thing (I'm in Indiana), but I was all, O_o and didn't think twice about it. I was like, "I'll keep my blinds open and let him nap in the sunlight." LOL

Maybe he spent a gabillion dollars on college for a reason.

[SoCaliMommy]

  I'd never heard of giving Vitamin D drops til when i had Harlan and the Dr suggested giving him some * we aren't*.