Do Infants Need Vitamin Supplements?

I wondered this myself when I had my first child, and set about find out why there are vitamins for infants and if I should be giving them to my own baby. I learned that a baby usually runs out of his or her stocked up supply of iron from when they were born at about 6 months old, and begins to need a source of iron to keep up their iron content in their blood.

They don't need much at all, not nearly as much as we do, and if you can start your child on eating ground meats or vegetables with a high iron content, and cereals fortified with iron at 6 months old, this is usually enough. If baby is on formula, this usually will have iron in it also, and so there is no need to be concerned about it. If you are breastfeeding, you may want to consider the one-a-day vitamins drops with iron for infants because breastmilk has no iron in it.

Even if baby is on formula and eating solid foods, it doesn't hurt to provide him or her with some extra nutrients, especially on days that you may be rushing around and not paying attention to the quality of nutrition going into your baby. Cheerios are fine, but if she eats them  all day without any vegetables, its not so good. Vitamins can help soothe your guilty conscience and give you reassurance that she has a boost of nutrients that day.

The most common infant vitamins are the Enfamil line of infant vitamin drops, Poly-vi-sol, Fer-in-sol, and Tri-vi-sol.


Enfamil® Poly-Vi-Sol® Multivitamin Drops are specially designed to help meet the nutritional needs of your growing infant or toddler.  They are an ideal vitamin supplement during your child's transition to solid foods, during growth spurts, or for the picky eater.  Poly-Vi-Sol Drops (0.5 mL) provide Vitamin D as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the exclusively breastfed infant and for infants and toddlers who consume less than 17 fl oz of milk or formula per day.
One daily dose of Poly-Vi-Sol drops provides an excellent source of 9 vitamins and is fruit flavored.

Enfamil® Fer-In-Sol® Iron Supplement Drops are specially designed to help meet the nutritional needs of your growing infant and toddler.
Although improved nutrition has dramatically reduced the incidence of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, the condition continues to affect many children in the United States.  One daily does of Fer-In-Sol Drops provides an excellent source of supplemental iron.

Enfamil® Tri-Vi-Sol® Vitamin Drops are specially designed to help meet the nutritional needs of your growing infant.  They are an ideal vitamin supplement for breastfed infants.  Tri-Vi-Sol Drops (0.5 mL) provide Vitamin D as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the exclusively breastfed infant and for infants who consume less than 17 fl oz of formula per day.
One daily dose of Tri-Vi-Sol Drops provides an excellent source of vitamins A, C and D and is fruit flavored.