How Much Vitamin D Do Babies Need and How Can They Get It? Here’s What Parents Should Know to Ensure Their Baby Gets Enough of This Essential Nutrient.
As a new parent, it’s normal to worry about whether your baby is getting all the nutrients they need. After all, babies grow at an astounding rate, doubling their birth weight within the first four to six months of life, and proper nutrition is key to supporting that growth.
Vitamin D is crucial for all aspects of this growth because it helps the body absorb the calcium needed to build strong bones.
However, the challenge is that vitamin D is not naturally found in many foods, and although it may seem counterintuitive, breast milk does not contain enough vitamin D to meet your baby’s needs.
Why Do Babies Need Vitamin D?
Babies need vitamin D because it is essential for bone development, helping your baby’s body absorb calcium and build strong bones.
Babies with extremely low levels of vitamin D are at risk of having weak bones, which could lead to conditions like rickets (a childhood disorder where bones soften, making them more prone to fractures). Additionally, building strong bones early on helps protect them later in life.
Breastfed babies are at higher risk for deficiency compared to formula-fed babies because, although breast milk is the ideal food for a baby, it does not provide enough vitamin D to meet your baby’s daily requirements. This is why your pediatrician will typically recommend a supplement in the form of drops.
Breastfed babies need vitamin D drops for as long as they are breastfeeding, even if they are supplementing with formula, until they begin to get enough vitamin D from solid foods. Consult your pediatrician about when exactly to transition from vitamin D supplements.
How Much Vitamin D Do Babies Need?
Both newborns and older babies need 400 IU of vitamin D per day until they are one year old, after which they will need 600 IU daily, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
It’s important to ensure your baby gets enough vitamin D because (and it’s worth repeating) it is necessary for helping the body absorb calcium. Vitamin D also promotes cell growth, neuromuscular function, and immune function.
But, you can overdo it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously issued a warning about the risk of babies overdosing on liquid vitamin D supplements, especially when the dropper contained more than the daily recommended dose.
Excessive vitamin D can lead to several side effects, including nausea, vomiting, confusion, loss of appetite, excessive thirst, muscle and joint pain, constipation, and frequent urination.
Where Can Babies Get Vitamin D?
Newborns and breastfed babies should take a vitamin D supplement prescribed by their pediatrician. Formula-fed babies may or may not need a supplement. Formula is fortified with vitamin D, which may be enough to meet your baby’s daily needs. Check with your pediatrician if your formula-fed baby requires vitamin D drops.
Breastfed babies should continue taking vitamin D drops until they transition to solid foods and are getting enough vitamin D from those foods. (Again, ask your pediatrician when you can stop giving your child a vitamin D supplement.)
Generally, when babies begin eating solid foods, they can get vitamin D from other sources, such as fortified milk, orange juice, yogurt, and cheese, salmon, canned tuna, cod liver oil, eggs, fortified cereals, tofu, and fortified plant-based milks like soy, rice, almond, oat, and coconut.
If you are concerned that your baby is not getting enough vitamin D or any other nutrient, you can also add a daily multivitamin once they become a toddler.
Although the AAP says most healthy children with a well-balanced diet do not need vitamin supplements, if you want your child to start taking a multivitamin, consult your doctor about whether it’s appropriate for your child and which brands are best.
Can Babies Get Vitamin D from Sunlight?
It’s no surprise that doctors are cautious about excessive sun exposure, especially because your little one’s skin is so sensitive. The AAP states that babies under 6 months old should be kept completely out of direct sunlight, and older babies who go outside should wear sunscreen, hats, and other protective clothing.
This means it’s difficult for babies to get a significant amount of vitamin D from sunlight alone, making it even more important for breastfed babies to take a supplement.
If you are going outside, make sure to apply baby-safe sunscreen with SPF 15 (preferably between 30 and 50) to babies 6 months or older at least 30 minutes before going outside, and reapply every few hours.
Babies under 6 months should not be covered in sunscreen from head to toe but can have small areas of their body, such as the back of the hands, tops of the feet, and face, covered.
Do Prenatal Vitamins Contain Enough Vitamin D for Babies?
Mothers who breastfeed should continue taking their prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding, but the supplements do not contain enough vitamin D to meet the needs of their babies. This is why breastfed babies need vitamin D drops until they can get enough through their own diets. A typical prenatal vitamin contains only 600 IU, which is not sufficient to cover both the mother and the baby.
That said, mothers who supplement with 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily have breast milk that typically contains 400 IU per liter or 32 ounces. But since newborns are unlikely to take a full feeding of breast milk, you’ll still need to give them a vitamin D supplement, at least initially, to ensure your baby is getting enough until they take a full feeding.
Although this is not a practice that most new moms typically follow, most experts say it’s safe. However, always consult with your pediatrician and obstetrician/gynecologist to ensure what you’re doing is sufficient for your baby.
Pregnant mothers should also ensure they are getting enough vitamin D for their future babies by taking at least 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunlight (without sunscreen) every day and eating foods rich in vitamin D, such as those listed above.
