It depends on your doc and where you live. Up North it's a bigger issue than in warmer, sunnier places.

Is it normal to be told about them when baby is young? I stupidly never researched and didn't know my son needed them. The doctor didn't mention it until his 1 year check up.

Dd never took vitamin d. Only one pedi tried to make us. We switched and never heard of it again. Like pps say, as long as your baby gets enough time outside they will be fine. Since it's almost winter here I would probably just sit baby in a swing or bouncer by the window for a little bit.

Try also going outside for 15-30 min a day for some full sun to skin action!!

Unfortunately vitamin D doesn't transfer well in milk, breast or otherwise. We get most of it from sun exposure. Low vitamin D in kids has been a problem for a really long time and in the industrial revolution people had to start actually sunning their kids directly because of rickets. If you can get baby about 10-15 minutes of sun every day, the drops probably won't be necessary.

Everyone should take vitamin D unless you go outside enough. But remember... as soon as anything is free (i.e. Breastfeeding) doctors and the farmaceutic industry will try to go against it and tell you you need something that you don't. They want to make money. People have been breastfeeding for thousands of years without vitamin D supplements for babies (except cod liver oil for adults and children). As long as the mother is not deficient it should be fine. Just my thoughts on this...

Yes I was given the drops with both children 3&5 years ago

Yes. It's because we don't get nearly as much sunlight as we used to with concern for skin cancer and all that. So I've always been given vitamin d for my kids.

Your baby needs the vitamin D drops.

Yes it's best to give them to your LO. I thought breastmilk had everything my baby needed too and didn't use them. DS ended up being hospitalized with it D deficiency and was low for his weight. I had to give him adult strength vitamin D to get him back healthy again. Best to give it to your child. ETA - I'm not deficient in Vit D either

I've never given vit D drops and I've had 3 kids. They say it helps but none of my peds ever brought it up to me so I don't know.

You can also just take more yourself and then you pass it through your milk. That is what I do instead of trying to give to my baby directly.

You can give it but our breastmilk does not lack vitamin D. Most people are deficient that's why they recommend it.

I gave to mine when I breastfed

Thanks ladies

I gave to baby to when I breastfed

Actually its the one thing our milk lacks. Its normal.

We were EBF and gave vit d drops ?

I have. My pedi gives me free samples every time I take my lo.