Do babies need vitamin drops?

The rules, by feeding method

• Breastfed (fully or partially): daily vitamin D drops of 8.5–10 micrograms from birth. Breast milk is superb at most things; vitamin D isn't one of them, and UK sunlight can't fill the gap for most of the year.
• Formula-fed: no drops needed while baby takes 500ml+ of formula a day, because formula is already fortified — adding drops on top would double up.
• From 6 months to 5 years: daily vitamin A, C and D supplements for all children, again unless they're still drinking 500ml+ of formula daily.

Practicalities

Own-brand baby vitamin drops from supermarkets and pharmacies meet the NHS-recommended doses for a fraction of heavily-marketed brands — check the label for the microgram amounts rather than the packaging claims. Give drops at the same point in the routine (first morning feed works) so they actually happen.

Free through Healthy Start

Families receiving qualifying benefits (and all under-18 parents) get free Healthy Start vitamins, plus the prepaid card for milk, fruit and vegetables — many eligible families never claim it. Check the Healthy Start site; it's genuinely quick.