Vitamin supplement guidance for babies is not complicated, but it does differ depending on age and on whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. Here is the current position.

Under 6 months, breastfeeding

A breastfed baby under 6 months needs vitamin D, up to 10 micrograms a day.

Breastfeeding mothers also need calcium and vitamin D supplements themselves. This part gets forgotten, and it should not.

Your baby will take what they need from you and leave you a little depleted, so it is important that mothers look after themselves too. It is not an optional extra.

Over 6 months, breastfeeding

From 6 months, it is recommended that a breastfed baby has vitamins A, C and D.

That continues until the age of 5.

Formula feeding

If you are formula feeding, you only need to give vitamins if your baby's intake of formula is less than 500 mL a day.

Above that volume, the formula is already providing what is needed. Below it, supplementation applies.

Choosing a product

There are lots of different brands available, so it is worth shopping around to see what suits you and your baby.

A few things to consider:

• Some products include extra iron, which can be useful given how sharply iron requirements rise between 7 and 12 months.
• Vitamin D drops on their own are available if that is all you need.
• Formats vary, and what your baby will actually accept matters as much as what is in it.

Why vitamin D specifically

Vitamin D appears in every version of this guidance, across breastfed and formula fed babies and right through to age 5. That is not accidental. It is one of the nutrients hardest to get reliably from diet alone in the UK, which is why supplementation is recommended rather than left to chance.

Supplements do not replace the weaning diet

Worth saying clearly: vitamin drops are not a substitute for the nutrients your baby should be getting from food.

Iron is the clearest example. A baby's iron stores from birth run low by around 6 months, requirements rise sharply from 7 months, and the answer is iron rich foods paired with vitamin C to help absorption. A general vitamin supplement does not do that job.

The same applies to omega 3. If your baby will not eat fish, is allergic to fish, or is vegan, they will need an appropriate omega 3 supplement specifically, and you should ask your healthcare provider which one is most suitable.

If you are unsure

Guidance is updated as new research comes in, so it is worth checking current advice rather than relying on what applied with an older child.

And if your baby has a specific dietary restriction, an allergy, or you have concerns about their intake, get personalised advice rather than working from general guidelines. This article covers the general position, not your individual situation.