No Vitamin D?

[mama2bay1]

My DD is 6 months old and exclusive breastfeed no solids just mama, do I need to start giving her vitamins at the ped suggestions for vitamin D he suggested polyvisol? what do you think? We only get out now or days due to the cold for minutes a week usually to the car and to the house is all we are out side.

[mamacita]

We did the polyvisol. I'm not big on medicine in general, but our pediatrician is really holistic and said it really would be a good idea. I suppose "nature" is not always perfect ... sigh ...

[SMKelley]

I would strongly advise against it. That Poly-vi-sol stuff smells like crap and probably tastes just as bad. It also causes gas/constipation.

Give Baby some time out in the sun (or have play time near a sunny window) and that should help if she has any Vitamin D deficiency.

[Jz_Doll]

is poly-vi-sol a multi vitamin? I give my LO D-vi-sol. It does smell strong and have a very sweet taste. At first Marissa didn't like it, and sometimes gagged on it, but now she takes it with no problem. My ped only recommended adding vitamin D, not all the others. I know that we don't get enough sun and would rather she have good strong bones then worry about possibly not. Particularly this time of year. What little sun she does get cannot possibly be enough, that is the whole reason milk is fortified with Vit D.

[Calideedle]

Never gave vitamins or anything. Let her play by a sunny window or take her in the front/back yard for a few mins everyday - that should be fine!

[Kris5135]

You cannot absorb vitamin D through most types of glass windows. My son took Poly-Vi-Sol (added to his bottle) & had no problems with it, but I don't think it's a necessity for them to take it. I think I was over concerned about since I took my son for frequent walks. Can you take your little one for a walk in the sun?

[vickieboggs]

I give my baby D vi sol and it is only a d supplement and it smells like candy and my son takes it no problem and has no constipation problems......my midwives told me it's important to start baby on the vit.d immediatley.

[Shawna in CA]

The cool thing about vitamin D is that the body stores it until it's actually needed, and then the vitamin D is released into our systems.

So, take advantage of any sunny days that you possibly can. Dress warmly, and head out. Just a few minutes per week, like maybe 30 minutes spread out over the course of 7 days, is all you need.

Supplements of vitamin D can be toxic (vitamin A can be toxic, too) because the body DOES store it (stores vitamin A, as well), so you have to be careful how much you're taking.

[Jamie]

Breastmilk is the perfect food. Nature didn't "forget" to include all the necessary vitamins, and there is no way you can convince me that 100 years of research knows more than billions of years of evolution.

I didn't give my DD any vitamins or supplements until my milk dried up this past September, and I'll stop giving them to her as soon as my milk comes back in.

[ishyfishie]

Lots of good info about vitamin D here: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vi...vitamin-d.html

Our peds wanted us to start TriViSol as of dd's 2 week appointment, and want her on a prescription vitamin with flouride after 6 months. We're not doing either one.