Discussion Board

Hi Everyone,

I would be very appreciative if the moms out there could give me their advice from their experience about supplementing B12 for a baby.

I am still breastfeeding my 1yr old and will do so until she is 2, but what once she is weaned?
I cannot ask my pediatricion as I was first at one doctor, when my daughter was 6 weeks old, who flipped when I said that I was vegan and wanted me to stop breastfeeding my daughter immediately so that she would get all her nutrients from formula. The alternative she offered was to start taking blood from my little girl every 4 weeks to make sure she wasn't deficient. That is outrageous, so I left.

So I then went to the only other doctor in my vicinity who is slow in prescribing antibiotics for kids and uses alternative methods first and is very good in general care, so I don't want to blow this one. I don't want to tell him we're vegan as if he starts reacting like the other one, I'll have to leave and that would not be in my interest as far as the whole care goes.

I have emailed Dr Mcdougall and others and of course, and rightly so, they don't want to give any advice of this nature.
Haven't any of you moms had your pediatricions tell you that is ok or not ok? My little girl is absolutely healthy and has reached all her milestones and at her 12 month checkup the doc said she was doing great.

Would appreciate any advice here. I probably still have time as I do breastfeed her morning and evening still, but want to be on the safe side.
Many thanks,
and hope to hear from you soon.
Julia

Most of the B12 supplements are chewables so she should be able to handle them at age 2, but there are also liquid ones available. I breastfed longer than 2 years, so it was easy to make the transition to B12 tablets. Just make sure you are getting enough B12 while you are nursing!

BTW, your doctor was waaaay out of line with her advice to stop breastfeeding your baby!

thanks so much Jamie.

did you doctor tell you it was ok for you to give your 2yr old B12 supp?
The pharmacist also freaked when I was buying it and asked if the liquid version I was buying was suitable for babies - between one and two. She said "little children have difft metabolisms that we do and it can be dangerous etc etc and I must speak with the pediatricion.

Were you told this stuff? I mean what choice would we have anyway as there is no way that I would feed her any of the meat and dairy and whatever, so I must be able to give her supplements. I breastfeed her now in the morning and the evening and I hope that is enough for her to get enough B12 - what do you think?

Thanks for your comments

julia

Julia, I didn't have to worry about it at age 2 because we were still nursing a LOT at that point. I didn't ask the doctor. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I'm pretty sure Dr. M recommends nursing until 2 and we know he recommends this way of eating. I'll bet there's something published on this website (somewhere?) about B12 and toddlers...

I've seen Jeff recommend this guide before:
http://veganhealth.org/b12/rec

Dr McDougall recommends the Methyl version of B12. (http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/nov/b12.htm)

thanks Debbie and especially Stirfry for that link.

That table does indicate that you can give b12 supplements to infants - or more exact 1-2 yr olds.

I have the methylcobablmin drops source.

What I just find curious is that both Dr Mcdougall and Dr Janice Stanger (and the pharmacist in Germany) didn't want to give any advice regarding young children. They all said I should consult with my pediatricion. I can fully understand them not wanting to give advice on the net, but if it is not risky and the literature says you can give it to a small child, why is it such a "hands-off" area? If I had asked could I feed my 1yr old cow's milk, I definitely would have got a definitive answer - or at least I think so.

Does anyone know why B12 is such a complex issue as far as children under 4 go?

Thanks so much for being active on this forum. I find it very helpful to know I have a place to go to ask and give info.

Julia

I wanted to let you know that I buy a liquid form of B12 from Pam Popper's Wellness Forum located in Columbus, Ohio. She is friends with Dr. McDougall and the other big names in the veg community.

I emailed Dr. Popper when my daughter was 20 months old about how much of the supplement I should give her. She emailed me back and recommended "one drop every few days."

I stopped nursing my child at 25 months, and I give her two or three drops of B12 on Sunday and Wednesday. I just talked to my pediatrician about this, and he was fine with this schedule. He was also happy with my daughter's growth and development, and he didn't have any problems with the vegan diet...

I have been afraid at times to talk to doctors about her foods, but I must say for the most part I haven't had too much criticism. I would try another doctor for sure if you are having troubles...

I think as parents we obviously want what is best for our kids, and it can be a bit frighting figuring all this stuff out. I'm finally starting to relax because my daughter is perfectly healthy, and the doctor was really happy with her....

Here is Pam Popper's email. You could try her with your questions, and she may be able to help you. pampopper@msn.com

Thanks so much for that advice. The liquid form of B12 that you are using - is it Methylcobalamin? How many micrograms are in one drop?

Pam Popper is definitely of similar if not the same opinion as Dr Mcdougall and the others, so that is very encouraging. I have just done the plant based nutrition course and her part in that was very good as well.

Many thanks,

Julia

The Wellness Forum drops that I have are actually cyanocobalamin. They also contain folic acid. A serving size is 7 drops:
Folic Acid- 400 mcg
Vitamin B12 - 125 mcg

So, one drop would be:
Folic Acid - 57 mcg
Vitamin B12- 17.8 mcg

I'm not sure why she is selling this form and not methylcobalamin, but I'm sure she would have a reason...

I'm planning on switching my daughter to the daily regiment instead of the the twice a week regiment. After looking over Jeff's chart, I wonder why the daily dose amounts do not equal out to the twice a week amounts? The math doesn't compute. Perhaps it has to do with the body's ability to absorb b12?... http://veganhealth.org/b12/rec

I just wanted to mention that my B12 levels became very low while I was nursing. So, I started supplementing my daughter earlier than when we weaned to make sure that she was getting enough b12...

I hope this helps you.

I'd beware of supplementing with folic acid. It's something you might need if you didn't eat enough vegetables, but I think too much can cause cancer. I'm sure Dr. McDougall has mention of it somewhere on his site. I know Dr. Fuhrman warns about it.

Hi Veggiefamily and Stirfry,

I would also beware of folic acid. Dr Mcdougall warns about, too. Many doctors give folic acid with B12 to lower the homocystein levels for people with heart disease. The studies that have been done show that folic acid as a supplement might lower the levels but actually increases the risk for heart disease. Folic acid as a supplement is at best toxic according to Dr M's summary of the studies. You can find it in his newsletter archives on supplements. Both he and Dr Lederman, who was one of the lecturers on the T.Colin Campbell Plant Based Nutrition course, recommend the methylcobalamin form for B12 and disadvise using cyanocobalamin. Dr M says that it is unsure if the cyanocobalamin form actually helps with neurological issues and Dr Ledermann said in his lecture on the course that the cyanocobalamin form leaves traces of cyanide which is not good and so he would avoid that form.
I have started giving my little one a drop (200mcg) of Methylcobalamin once a week now. Thanks so much for all the info.
BEst, Julia

Thanks for your input. I probably should shop around some more...

Does anyone have a good recommendation on where I could buy B12 drops that are made from Methylcobalamin and do not contain folic acid? (preferably and internet source, but if not a physical store like Whole Foods or pharmacy?...)

Last week the Whole Foods Jacksonville, FL branch had 1 fl oz bottles of B12 methylcobalamin drops for $10.39. The "Other Ingredients" are: vegetable glycerin, deionized water, raspberry and berry natural flavors, citric acid.

Have you &/or your baby had B12 levels tested? Labcorp charged $42.45 last week. Mine tested 146 but McDougall recommends >150 so I've started 1 drop per day.

Ok, just saw this and I'm worried now. For the past 6 months I've been giving my 3 year old son a vitamin b12 supplement and have just noticed that it contains folic acid, as does his multiviatmin. Together they have 400 micrograms of folic acid, and I've been reading the upper tolearble level for a 3 year old is 300 micrograms. Have I done damage to my son by giving him these vitamins? I feel like such an idiot, I just went on the advice of our pediatrician without second guessing and now I'm worried that I have done damage to my little boy. He doesn't seem to have any side effects of a folic acid overdose, and I will obviously stop giving him the supplement, but have any other parents experienced this?