Newborns and Vitamin D: What You Need to Know

By Karen Robock

Vitamin D performs several important health functions. It’s crucial for grown-ups and growing babies, but how do you make sure your infant is getting enough? We consulted Dr. Henry Ukpeh, a consulting paediatrician in Trail, B.C., for the lowdown on really little ones and this essential vitamin.

What it is

Vitamin D is a complex molecule whose main job is to aid in the body’s absorption of calcium.

Why it’s important

Without adequate levels of vitamin D babies are at risk of soft, weak bones. At the extreme, this can become a disease known as rickets, which can delay growth and lead to painful skeletal deformities like bowed legs or a severe curvature of the spine. Researchers are also finding that vitamin D deficiencies could be linked to a host of disorders and diseases in kids and adults, including certain forms of cancer, says Ukpeh.

Getting enough D

There are two main ways get the vitamin: through supplements and the sun. (It’s also present in some foods like milk, salmon and egg yolks, but not in large enough quantities to meet our daily needs.) When the sun shines on our skin our bodies create vitamin D, but infants can’t be safely exposed to enough sunlight for this to be a viable option on its own. (Plus, sunshine is scarce during the fall and winter).

Nursing mothers can pass on low levels of the vitamin through their breastmilk (between four and 40 IUs per litre), but not enough to meet baby’s needs. Health Canada recommends that all breastfed, healthy-term infants aged 12 months and under receive 400 IUs of a vitamin D supplement (which comes in an easy-to-administer liquid) every day.

Most tots who are receiving formula, and drinking about 500 mL daily, won’t require a supplement since it’s already fortified with the vitamin. But the Canadian Paediatric Society does urge parents in northern communities to give their bottle-fed babies a supplement during the darker months of October through April, to top up their stores.

Tip bubble Attention new moms: You could be deficient in D, too. According to Dr. Henry Ukpeh, a consulting paediatrician in Trail, B.C., up to 60 percent of Canadians are deficient in vitamin D by the end of the winter months. He encourages moms to continue taking their prenatal vitamins, to keep their levels up.