It's common to worry about whether your baby is eating well and getting all the nutrition needed for healthy growth and development. You might wonder whether you can fix certain nutritional deficits with vitamins. But if your baby refuses breast milk or formula, either because of illness or simply a nursing strike, vitamins aren't really the answer.
Baby Nutrition
Your growing baby has specific nutritional needs that are best met by providing either breast milk or formula as the major source of energy for at least the first year of life, Dr. Scott Cohen explains in his book "Eat, Sleep, Poop." Many parents start to introduce solids, juices and other beverages at around 6 months of age, but these should represent only a small portion of daily caloric intake, with breast milk or formula still making up the bulk of the diet, according to Dr. Cohen.
Supplemental Milk
It's probably best to stick with breast milk or formula during the first year of life. If you do introduce regular cow's milk earlier than 1 year of age, however, it should still represent only a small portion of your baby's diet, so that a refusal to drink it won't be a serious concern -- your baby will still be getting the vitamins and nutrients necessary from formula or breast milk.
Refusal of Formula or Breast Milk
If your baby isn't refusing supplemental milk but is instead refusing the major component of her diet -- formula or breast milk -- you may need to contact your pediatrician. Some babies go on nursing strikes and won't eat for several hours or most of a day, but babies need to eat frequently and shouldn't refuse meals for long periods of time. If your baby refuses to eat for more than several hours, contact your pediatrician -- don't attempt to fix the problem yourself with vitamins.
Vitamin Guidelines
In general, if your baby is consuming formula as the primary component of his diet, you don't need to provide any supplemental vitamins, even if he is fussy with introduced solids. If your baby consumes mostly breast milk, you may need to supplement with vitamin D and possibly iron-containing solids, depending on the age of the baby; your pediatrician can help you determine what vitamins you need. Regardless of your situation, vitamins shouldn't ever be used to "fix" fussy or improper eating. Talk to your pediatrician if you're concerned about your baby's eating habits, and in general, don't worry about minor day-to-day eating variations.
References
- "Eat, Sleep, Poop"; Scott Cohen, M.D.; 2010
- "What To Expect The First Year"; Heidi Murkoff et al; 2009
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