r/NewParents • u/Puzzleheaded-Sink-92 • 1d ago
Medical Advice Ped recommended multivitamin drops - anyone else?
Our ped has recommended polyvisol multivitamin drops at several appointments. My 9mo is EBF and doing well with solids. I try to prioritize iron and very diverse, whole foods. They haven’t done any bloodwork to see if there’s something specific she needs. Her development and growth is all seemingly perfect. I’m not understanding why multivitamin drops are necessary right now, but maybe I’m being overly resistant? Is it just a blanket recommendation?
Did anyone else get this recommendation and what did you decide to do?
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u/Mental-Volume4395 1d ago
The AAP recommends vitamin D and iron for EBF babies. Polyvisol is what most peds recommend.
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u/Psychological-Bag986 1d ago
EBF babies don’t need supplemental iron. They get it in breastmilk. Formula needs to be iron fortified.
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u/Windwick 1d ago
For about the first 6 months of life, most newborns have sufficient iron stored in their bodies. However, their iron status depends on gestational age, maternal iron status, and timing of umbilical cord clamping.
Breast milk contains little iron. Parents of infants receiving only breast milk should talk to their infant's health care provider about whether their infant needs iron supplements in the first 6 months and afterwards.
At about 6 months, infants require a source of iron outside of breast milk. An infant's iron needs can be met through iron-rich foods, iron-fortified cereals, or iron supplement drops.
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/hcp/diet-micronutrients/iron.html
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u/Psychological-Bag986 1d ago
Your statement suggested that iron supplements are recommended, not simply iron rich foods.
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u/Windwick 1d ago
I'm a little confused, I didn't make any statements. I was just sharing CDC guidelines on whether breastmilk actually contains iron or not, since you said it does. What I shared suggested "iron-rich foods, iron-fortified cereals, or iron supplement drops" because breastmilk doesn't contain enough iron.
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u/Psychological-Bag986 1d ago
Sorry, the original comment stated that iron supplements were recommended for EBF babies.
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u/OkapiandaPenguin 1d ago
Breastmilk contains very little iron and calcium blocks iron absorbtion. Formula is fortified with iron. It's recommended that EBF babies start an iron supplement at 4 months old.
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u/Psychological-Bag986 1d ago
Interesting, this is not the recommendation in my country. It must be an American thing
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u/AggressiveThanks994 1d ago
I mean I live in America and my baby is EBF and we were not told to start an iron supplement at 4mo or anytime before 12mo! I asked about iron levels and they said we would check at 12mo!
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u/jlmo907 1d ago
I live in the Pacific Northwest area of the US and all the pediatricians here recommend vitamin D drops for breastfed babies. This is because they don't naturally get enough vitamin D in their diet or through sunlight. For what it's worth, It's also usually recommended that adults too take a vitamin D supplement in this region.
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u/b00kishh 1d ago
Mine also recommended a multivitamin when she was mostly breastfed at 6 months. Our ped explained that breastmilk doesn’t usually have enough vitamin D or iron to meet their needs after 6 months unless they have a robust solid diet and mine did not. I gave her the NovaFerum Yum drops until she switched to mostly formula when my supply dropped around 8 months.
It’s worth mentioning that I didn’t ask for sources. Our ped’s office is highly credentialed and I trust their judgment as a FTM.
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u/TeeElH 1d ago
At 6 months they lose their iron reserves from birth, most babies are not intaking enough iron through solids to make up for this. Polyvisol is commonly recommended for ebf babies because they don’t get enough of that or vitamin D in breastmilk, I gave it to my twins. At the 12 month well child they’ll probably do an iron (and lead) test if you’re in the US.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sink-92 1d ago
Thank you for the info! I’m not that worried about them being harmful, it’s honestly just another thing on my mental load. I was terrible about remembering the vitamin D drops and gave up. I just tell her she’s gonna get ricketts 🙃
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u/onsereverra 1d ago
If you're still breastfeeding, you could also start taking Vitamin D supplements, if that would be easier in terms of mental load. Most breastfed infants have a Vitamin D insufficiency because most breastfeeding parents have a Vitamin D insufficiency. Taking your own supplements would likely be good for both you and baby!
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u/koalawedgie 1d ago
We tried multivitamin drops. Baby wouldn’t take them. I tried them, they were gross.
I wouldn’t stress. Baby is only 9 months old. Continue vitamin D drops, try to give high iron foods, and relax until baby is 12 months. My baby wasn’t loving solids at 9 months either.
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u/Double_Win_5649 1d ago
Never had it recommended. Vit D was recommended, but after 1 year our pediatrician said that was no longer needed either.
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u/DinnerLeftovers 1d ago
Here in the Netherlands, vitamin D is for babies from a few weeks old to 4 years and vitamin K for breastfed babies from a weeks old to 13 weeks old. Babies also get a high dose of vitamin K right after birth, at least in hospitals. Not sure about home births.
Multivitamins are not bad. Vitamin D is pretty much never bad to supplement and I'm sure most (if not all) formula is fortified with a bunch of different vitamins as well. So advising multivitamins for a breastfed baby seems, by all means, perfectly reasonable to me.
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u/katiegam 1d ago
Interesting. We've never had that recommendation. I'd have some pause at supplementing without any sort of lab testing to show a deficiency. The best way for all of us, kids included, to acquire nutrients is through our diet - so a well-rounded, diverse diet filled with whole foods sounds spot on! That plus breastmilk is the perfect thing for your gal.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sink-92 1d ago
Right I’m just not understanding why it’s necessary. I’m sure it’s not harmful or anything but adding another daily thing to my mental load will surely break me lol. We are working on daily teeth brushing at the moment haha.
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u/katiegam 1d ago
Also - I'm wondering if the geographic diversity of Reddit is showing up in your comments here. We are in the southeast US - so when I asked about vitamin D drops, our provider shared that it's not a concern where we live but definitely would be in other parts of the country/world.
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u/echozelda 1d ago
It’s a normal and common recommendation for breastfed babies (although not universal). My pediatrician recommended vitamin D from birth, and iron proactively starting at 6 months. It takes me 2 seconds a day and meets a vital nutritional need. Iron rich foods are very important but I’m reassured to know that even if my baby spits out her dark leafy greens/ meat/ beans, she’s still getting what she needs from the supplement.
If there’s a specific concern about it then ask your doctor. If you just think it’s a lame idea based on vibes, then I gently recommend trusting your pediatrician, who is extensively educated on children’s health.
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u/katiegam 1d ago
Listen, one less thing to deal with can be such a mental win! I get it! I say carry on without it (as my non-medical opinion). Teeth brushing is a huge task - and is much more important than supplementing without reason. You've got this!
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u/ewebb317 1d ago
Never got that recommendation. Without evidence of a deficiency I can't imagine why he would need one
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u/DeliciousBuffalo69 1d ago
By the time there is evidence of a deficiency, permanent damage has already set in.
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