Does Baby Need Extra Vitamins and Minerals?
Every infant requires a vitamin K supplement at birth to prevent a bleeding disorder. Experts say healthy breastfed infants typically do not need any other supplemental vitamins or minerals with a few exceptions. Dark-skinned infants require extra vitamin D when they are exclusively breastfed, especially if they don’t get much strong summer sunlight. Ditto for heavily clad babies whose skin doesn’t see much sun. Why? Summer sunlight sparks vitamin D production in the body. There is no need to give nursing infants supplemental iron until four to six months of age. That’s when their own iron stores become depleted. Breastfed babies do not require fluoride supplements during their first six months but may need them thereafter if the water they drink is deficient in fluoride.
