Vitamin supplementation in children as young as infants is controversial. Does every baby need an extra dose of vitamins to develop healthily and properly? Don’t breastfed infants need additional vitamins? What vitamins does our little one need and can we decide on their own administration? What is true about vitamins and what is only harmful information?
For the first months of life, the baby does not need an additional dose of vitamins, just like it does not need additional feeding and watering. He is satisfied with breast milk containing immune antibodies, nutrients and vitamins. Additional doses of vitamins are neither recommended nor healthy for the baby. Excess vitamins supplied in supplements, breast milk or milk mixtures can even harm the baby.
Vitamins for breastfed babies
The best way to feed your baby is breastfeeding. If the mother eats rationally and eats products rich in vitamins needed by the child, additional supplementation is not needed. Vitamin D is especially important for a baby – it prevents rickets, affects healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D is produced in the skin under the influence of the sun. Rich sources of vitamin D are:
- fatty fish,
- liver,
- milk,
- cheeses,
- cream.
Additional vitamin D supplementation is recommended for infants born in the winter months, when sunlight is weak and natural production of vitamin D is reduced.
It is also important to provide vitamin B12, the lack of which can lead to dangerous symptoms: paleness, irritability, weakness, lack of appetite, headache or tachycardia. Vitamin B12 contained in cheese, fish, milk, prevents anemia and supports the nervous system. Its excess is not toxic but can cause nosebleeds.
Vitamins important for artificially fed children
Milk mixtures available on the market contain a properly selected portion of vitamins needed by a child. However, they do not contain protective antibodies against infections. Additional administration of vitamin preparations may only apply to premature infants or infants with low birth weight who are unable to eat the recommended dose of food.
False information about vitamins
The information that we can decide for ourselves what vitamins and in what amounts to give to an infant is untrue. The excess of some vitamins is not excreted in the urine and can harm the small organism. This includes vitamins A, E and D. An excess of vitamins A and E can cause nausea, headaches and loss of appetite. Also untrue is the information about taking vitamin D from the first day of a toddler’s life. It is important whether the mother took this vitamin in the last trimester of pregnancy. If she supplemented with vitamin D, it is enough for the baby to start giving it from 3 weeks of age. Children who drink formula milk do not need additional vitamin D supplementation if they take the recommended amount of food. Vegetarian moms don’t have to worry either. In addition to vitamin D, they do not need to give the child additional vitamins if their diet is rich in products such as cheese, milk, eggs or beans.