Suppliments for baby?

I was wondering if anyone gives their baby supplements? When we were at the paediatricians the other day I asked about the rice cereal being a bubs 1st food and if that was just for the iron content or if there were other foods he thought were better and what he recommended for iron if I didn't feed my baby the iron fortified rice cereal. We weren't there to see him for diet advice but thought I'd ask the questions seeing we were paying $150 for the visit kwim Anyway he said that he recommends that all babies be given a mulitvitamin and iron supplement pretty much from birth, if not at least by 4 months where he said that some sort of soilds should be introduced and if you weren't starting solids at 4 months than at least start the vitamins.

We had planed to start solids at 6 months but thought it might be ok to start the vitamins soon. My concern is that I know many bubs can get constipted with iron fortified rice cereal let alone suppliments as even I did during pregnancy so I used to take about 30mls of grape juice with my tablet and that balanced things out. For a bub I thought pear could do the same thing but I know that pear can also disturb the digestive system so I'm a bit confused as to what I will do.

So my question is do you give vitamins and when did you start them and what did you give them. He suggested pentavite multivitamin and ferro drops for iron.

If you've given iron did you have problems with it like constipation?

is your bubs breastfed??

if yes then you dont need any suppliments for bubs, now or when he starts solids.... he will get all he needs from you and a balanced diet..if you're going to be doing BLS then feed him what you eat

yes ds is breastfed full time and I thought he'd be getting everything from my milk especially if I was taking vitamins myself. But the pead said he recommended supplements regardless of breastfeeding or formula feeding. I kinda like the idea as I'm big on taking my vitamins so it only makes sense that he would have one too when he starts solids or is not having breast milk anymore even if we are feeding him what we eat. I will need to give him iron anyway as we are vegetarian and I want to make sure he's getting enough so I may as well give a multivitamin at the same time. At first I thought he may of only been suggesting this because we are vego but he is very supportive of a vegetarian diet even during pregnancy and he said he suggests this for every baby especially prem babies.

wow i find that very interesting!

DD1 was formula feed and started solids at 4months and the pead never said anything about her needing any vitamin supplements what so ever! so she has never had them! and i actually asked the chemist the other day, just because i was looking for me and happened to see kids stuff and the chemist said that unless she was showing signs of malnurishment etc than there was no need for her to be on any vitamins?!

Breastmilk has everything they need for now, including iron. There's only a very small amount of iron in breastmilk, but it's in a form that's very easily digested, so better than any supplement (or iron-fortified food) anyway. Most of their iron for the first 12 months comes from their iron stores, I think...
the idea of giving supplements sounds very old fashioned.

Marcellus I think it's more modern to have supplements lol I find it more of an old fashioned view that there is no need to take vitamins, and I say that as a very broad statement and am thinking more in terms of adults then babies. As I said I am big on vitamins for myself and dh as I believe our food really doesn't have it all in it and I feel and see the difference taking vitamins has on my body. An old fashioned view to me is the thought that we don't need any. Babies on the other hand I really thought would get everything from breast milk. When DS isn't getting any I will be giving him some form of multivitamin, extra iron and omega 3.

hj I can't imagine it's something that every pead has the same view on, there are bound to be a dozen different view points just as there are on adults and children needing supplements kwim.

It just struck me that way because, for eg, when I was a baby my mum was told to give me OJ, ribena or something like that from birth to supplement vitamin c. I found that quite funny, in contrast to what we're told now about feeding.
So yeah, I would have thought breastfed babies would be ok too.

I think every doc has a different idea about pretty much everything

I wouldn't be too keen to start such a young baby on supplements if there is no evidence they are lacking vitamins. Breastmilk has everything baby needs for now. A supplement may affect your baby's digestion and, while I do take some vitamins myself, I believe "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

So true Marcellus! Every different doctor you speak to has a different opinion on everything!

It sounds like your paediatrician does not specialise in infant feeding - he doesn't even know the current guidelines. There is absolutely no reason for a bf bub to need a supplement, and in most cases the same is true for a baby starting on solids - especially if they are bfing as well. If you are not going to give your little one meat though, this might be a case where supplements wouldn't hurt unless you make up the iron and zinc levels from other foods. This is something I would talk to a dietician about rather than a paed - they are going to have more specialist knowledge in that area.

FWIW I am not a real fan of supplements. The nutrients in foods are more easily absorbed so a balanced diet is far better at giving you what you need. In the case of iron, the iron in breastmilk and meat is the only iron that is absorbed by the haemo-transporter - all other forms are poorly absorbed and in the case of the iron in rice cereal, less than 5% is absorbed. And if you are getting enough from food than you are basically just weeing the supplements out anyway.

With dd1 she was on ferro grad and pentavite for 12 months, she was a premmie who was always throwing up and she had weight problems. Dd2 was fully bf and we were advised not to use supplements. With ds I was low in vitamin k and my ob recommended pentavite but my gp and pead said there was no need, even on formula as it has all the nutrients he needs. There seems to be a trend towards supplements jic, but I don't see the point, we only use the with dd1 if she is sick and refusing to eat. (dd2 loves her food so it's never an issue with her)

IMO you might as well pour them into his nappy cause that's where they will end up. As everyone have said bm contains exactly what he requires. Unless you come across a diagnosed medical problem you will just be wasting your money. I don't agree with supplement for babies or toddlers. DD1 has bad food aversion issues, my gp decided to test her levels, considering she ate barely anything she was not deficient at all. Their bodies are super efficient at extracting the nutrients they require, far better than adults.

A friend of mine is a micro biologist, and has worked previously for a pathology. He said he can tell by urine samples who takes vitamins because it appears differently to vitamins from food. Basically he has said you might as well flush your money down the toilet (again less their is a diagnosed medical problem). Of course vitamin companies want to make everyone feels they need to take vitamins, cause if no one bought them, they would go out of business.

Personally we follow a fresh is best diet. We only buy fresh fruit and vege direct, and only staple ingredients. I have a 2-3 piece fruit a day rule and min 3 cup vege at night, 2 cups at lunch. I can't take multi's because they actually give me headaches and make me sick, my gp said its like overdosing on vitamins because my levels are already so high. I manage pregnancy vitamins (probably the only ones I truly agree on) for around 12 weeks before the headaches get severe and I have to stop.

Sounds pead is either a but old fashioned (the old feeling that breastmilk is inferior), or he is paid in some way to promote a multivitamin, similar to some doctors promating formula. I think bub will be getting everything he needs from your BM and then a balanced diet, as a PP said, you may as well pour them into his nappy.