Babies that are exclusively breastfed need liquid Vitamin D daily. This is true. I initially balked because the high pressure breast feeding posters at my OBGYN (that I read out of boredom in the waiting room monthly or weekly for nine months) specifically said breastmilk has everything a baby needs, and is much better than formula. But formula has Vitamin D, and breast milk does not have enough to make up for the sunlight that babies are mostly shielded from. I reluctantly agreed to give my itty bitty daughter an outside, probably not organic, liquid medicine. Gross.

My husband picked up a combo version for newborns that our pediatrician approved. I decided that before I gave it to Julia I would taste it to make sure it was okay for her and this was a mistake.

It is awful – like strong cough syrup. Dismally, knowing this doesn’t change anything for her and I still have to give it in the recommended enormous dose which I’m horrible at doing. I try to get in in her mouth each time, but it mostly lands on her outfits that I have to remove and throw in the wash. So far it has come out of her clothes and mine, but all burpy bibs show stains from a battle where we fought and lost against a child whose age is counted in weeks.