Vitamins for Infants (D, Iron, & Fluoride)

Vitamin D

Current CDC recommendations are for all infants to receive 400 IU of vitamin D unless they are consistently drinking at least 32 oz of formula per day. No other vitamin supplements are necessary for full term, healthy, exclusively human milk fed or formula fed babies in the first 6 months of life.

Vitamin D is not technically a vitamin by strict definition; it’s a hormone that our bodies can make with enough daily direct sunlight exposure on bare skin. However, we should protect ourselves (and especially our babies) from direct sunlight to prevent burns and increased risk of skin cancer. Especially at northern latitudes (where during winter months we don’t get enough UVB light for vitamin D activation), and especially for dark-skinned infants who have higher levels of melanin to block UV light absorption, vitamin D supplements are necessary to ensure healthy bone and teeth formation.

Here are some vitamin D options in Kodiak:

• Tri-Vi-Sol (includes vit A, D, C, artificial flavors and color agents) – available at Safeway or Walmart

• Just D (only vit D, no flavor or color agents) – available at Cactus Flats

• D-Drops (concentrated drop, you can put on your nipple or bottle nipple) – available online (Amazon, etc.)

You can try any of the options above; sometimes one brand works better than another. Some babies don’t like the taste of the vitamin drops. If your baby spits up the vitamins, don’t give a second dose; just try again the next day. If you are already giving your baby a daily bottle of expressed milk, you can try adding the vitamin drop(s) to one bottle each day. Use a small amount of milk in the bottle with vitamin D added to ensure your baby takes the full dose.

Some breastfeeding parents find it difficult to remember to give their babies daily vitamin D. These parents wonder if they can take vitamin D themselves, and if it transfers in their milk to their babies. An article based on a randomized, controlled research study, published in 2015, suggests that 6400 IU daily of vitamin D taken by a lactating parent (not the baby) is sufficient for providing her baby with enough vitamin D. This assumes that the parent is exclusively breastfeeding (baby has to be getting enough volume of human milk to take enough vitamin D). It’s also worth noting that the upper limit for vitamin D intake set by the National Institutes of Health is 4000 IU daily for breastfeeding adults.

Whether you decide to take 6400 IU of vitamin D yourself OR you choose to give 400 IU directly to your infant, it is important to do it daily.

Fluoride

Even before you see any signs of teeth in your baby’s mouth, they are forming! Fluoride is important for tooth formation and prevention of cavities (also known as dental caries). Some communities add fluoride to their water to ensure a fluoride level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water; this is the amount recommended by the AAP‍ ‍and CDC.

Currently:

• U.S. Coast Guard base and housing water is fluoridated, and

• All other Kodiak island water is not fluoridated.

You can use the “My Water’s Fluoride” website to check whether or not your community has fluoridated water.

The CDC recommends talking to your dentist or your baby’s medical provider about fluoride supplementation if you live in a community without fluoridated water. We suggest you have this conversation around the time your baby is 6-9 months old.

Iron

Exclusively breastfed infants need additional sources of iron starting around 6 to 9 months of age. Iron is usually not an issue for completely formula fed infants. Read our blog post on iron-rich baby foods for more information on this topic.

Other Vitamins

If you have questions about other vitamins, minerals, or supplements, contact us!

DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.