A Drop of Golden Sun

So the verdict is in and it looks like we should all be hoovering up the vitamin D supplements on a daily basis. Especially breastfed babies. New studies are heralding this standard vitamin as the panacea prevention against everything from cancer to osteoporosis. The only natural source of D is the sun (and some mushrooms), so we really need to boost our input during the winter (October to March) when the sun’s rays are particularly feeble in countries like Canada. Milk, baby formula, and some other foods are fortified with vitamin D, but breast milk has none. When I had Young C, the midwives were still allowing that light-skinned babies (who are more susceptible to all the effects of the sun, good and bad) who get some sun exposure might not need supplements. Two and half years later, though, they were swayed by the science and recommending supplements for every breastfed baby.

And what did they recommend? A Canadian product called Ddrops. The major difference between these and the standard infant vitamins is volume. The other types of vitamin D supplements for infants consist in feeding the baby an entire milliliter of a fluid comprised of the vitamin and other additives — it tastes sickly sweet. (And, yes, a whole mil is a lot for a brand-newborn babe.) Ddrops, though, consist only of vitamin D and purified palm-kernel oil and you only need to let one tiny drop of liquid fall onto your nipple or a soother to administer the goodness. It has no flavour.

The company has recently put out a Baby Ddrops that is geared specifically toward breastfed infants. I had been giving L’il I a non-baby specific 400 IU version and wrote to the company to find out the difference:

Thank you for your email and your interest in Ddrops.

First, the 400IU Ddrops product was recently discontinued due to the fact that adults are for the most part being instructed to take higher doses of vitamin D. Outside of some retail shelf stock is not longer being shipped.

Second, there is a new Baby Ddrops being launched March 1/09 with some distinct advantages. This is what we feel you may with to highlight on your parenting blog. After extensive consumer feedback and testing, we have come up with a re-designed packaging format that offers the following advantages:

Lower consumer purchase price point

Smaller volume lending to fresher bottle on hand: 90 drops for 90 days of use. This compares very favourably to the 50 day water based/conventional vitamin D products on the market

More distinctive box for easier awareness on retail shelves

Enhanced package insert with information specific to breastfeeding use

And if you have been giving your baby the old 400IU?

Yes it is very safe to give your baby Ddrops 400 IU

All in all, I’ve been very happy with the product. Feeding my baby a dropper-full of sugary liquid everyday just didn’t sit well. There is, however, one concern related to these especially potent vitamins. Be extra vigilant in storing them out of the reach of small children.

(Image courtesy of Glows Bows and Haloes.)