Tony:
Most well nourished mothers will not need to give vitamins to their infants.
Vit A deficiency is uncommon in the US, though it is very common in some
undeveloped countries.  Rickets from vit D deficiency are rare in bf infants
unless the mother has extremely dark skin and gets little or no sunlight, the
custom of giving vit D started before we knew that there is a water soluble
form of vit D in breastmilk (25 hydroxy vit D3).  When they looked in the fat,
there "wasn't enough".  Moms who drink flouridated water will pass low levels
of floride into their breastmilk as well.  There is a risk of hyperflorosis in
children getting floride supplements.  It is not appropriate to routinely add
anything to human milk, as every nutrient is perfectly balanced to maximize
the absorbtion of every other nutrient.  Don't mess with a perfect system,
unless there are clear indications (blood tests) that an individual infant
needs supplementation.  AAP does not recommend universal vitamin
supplementation any more, correct?
        Guess who manufactures and aggresively markets these vitamin drops for
infants?
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC  [log in to unmask]