Your pediatrician told you to give your baby Vitamin D, but all the moms on Facebook are saying it’s toxic and it’s a hormone. You don’t know what to think. Is Vitamin D safe for babies? Here’s the truth about giving your baby vitamin D drops.
- Is Vitamin D Safe for Babies?
- A Link Between Vitamin D and Childhood Disorders
- What Puts Babies at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency?
- Do Babies Get Enough Vitamin D from Breast Milk?
- Can Babies Receive Adequate Vitamin D from Sun Exposure?
- Are Vitamin D Supplements Safe for Babies?
- When Can You Start Giving Vitamin D Drops to Babies?
- How Do You Administer Vitamin D to Babies?
- The Best Vitamin D Drops for Babies [Reviews]
Is Vitamin D Safe for Babies?
Vitamin D is important in helping your baby’s body grow properly. Specifically, it helps the body build strong bones and a healthy immune system.
Surprisingly, most babies, whether breastfed or formula-fed, do not receive enough vitamin D every day. This can have dangerous effects on a baby’s health in the long and short term.
If your baby is low in vitamin D, they will not be able to properly absorb calcium and phosphorus, making it difficult for the body to build strong bones and teeth. A vitamin D deficiency can even lead to rickets, which causes weak or deformed bones.
For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends giving 400 IU of vitamin D to breastfed babies and partially breastfed babies who receive less than 1 liter (32 oz) of formula per day.
Despite all the noise online, I highly recommend vitamin D supplementation for babies. No, it’s not poison (anything taken in toxic doses can be toxic, including water) and no it’s not going to mess up your child’s endocrine system or do anything but help support their health and immunity.
This article has been reviewed by Gina Jansheski, M.D., FAAP
A Link Between Vitamin D and Childhood Disorders
Proper vitamin D levels are crucial throughout life, but especially during childhood. More and more studies are linking vitamin D deficiency to chronic illness and disorders in children. A deficiency has been shown to increase the risk of respiratory infections and type 1 diabetes in children.
Additionally, vitamin D supplementation was found to help children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD. This is because vitamin D deficiency interferes with important developmental processes, which can lead to the onset of developmental diseases and other health issues such as infertility. Vitamin D also plays a key function in methylation and genetic expression.
Similarly, vitamin D deficiency is also commonly a factor in childhood eczema, food sensitivities, and food allergies. From my personal experience, I can share that a few weeks after I began supplementing myself and my son with vitamin D, his eczema almost entirely cleared up.
In fact, the Vitamin D Council states:
Of all the health conditions helped by vitamin D, few respond as well as eczema…. At least a dozen studies have found that both children and adults with eczema are more likely to have low levels of vitamin D. 7
There are many important reasons to ensure your baby has adequate vitamin D levels. If you or your baby are deficient or low in vitamin D, you should take it seriously. If your baby is deficient, don’t attempt to remedy it by correcting your own levels, as the success could be variable and the consequences to your baby’s health could be severe. Be sure to discuss your options, given your particular situation, with your and your baby’s licensed providers.
Related: The Best Infant Probiotics
What Puts Babies at Risk for Vitamin D Deficiency?
Several factors may contribute to vitamin D deficiency in babies. These include:
- Limited exposure to sunlight (especially in the winter months)
- Living at higher latitudes
- High levels of air pollution
- Mom is deficient in vitamin D
- Mom or baby do not eat meat
- Wearing clothing that covers the skin
- Regular sunscreen use
- Darker skin types
If you have some of these risk factors, your child’s pediatrician may recommend a higher dose of vitamin D. For example, the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that breastfed babies in northern communities receive 800 IU of vitamin D per day. Speak to your pediatrician about the correct dose for your child based on your risk factors.
Do Babies Get Enough Vitamin D from Breast Milk?
If you’re breastfeeding, you might wonder why your baby needs a vitamin D supplement because breast milk is so nutritious.
Breast milk contains very low levels of vitamin D; in fact, the breast milk of a mother with normal levels of vitamin D contains less than 50 IU per quart.
If a breastfeeding mom is deficient or low in vitamin D, it is expected that her baby will also be deficient. Even women who take prenatal vitamins while nursing are still likely to be low in vitamin D.10
That said, it is also possible for your baby to get enough vitamin D through your breast milk if you take 6,400 IU or more of vitamin D daily. However, this may be dependent on your own baseline vitamin D levels; a severely deficient mother may need more vitamin D as determined by labs and her licensed practitioner.
Some moms opt to take vitamin D directly instead of giving their baby vitamin D drops. (This is the brand of vitamin D3 that I personally use.) If you go this route, I would caution that you should know your own vitamin D level (through labwork), and discuss this plan with your doctor and your baby’s pediatrician beforehand. It is not a
Can Babies Receive Adequate Vitamin D from Sun Exposure?
Vitamin D is nicknamed the sunshine vitamin for a good reason. When you are outside in the sun, your skin absorbs ultraviolet light (UVB rays), which helps your body produce vitamin D.
If your baby is 6 months of age or older, you can spend a few minutes outside each day during non-peak sun hours (before
Otherwise, consider spending time outdoors safely with your baby by doing the following:
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- Avoid sun exposure for babies under 6 months of age.
- Avoid the sun between the peak hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Keep your baby out of direct sunlight, and stay in the shade whenever possible.
- Dress your baby in lightweight clothing that covers the body in full.
- Dress your baby in sun-protective clothing and use sun hats.
- Take advantage of your stroller’s sunshade to keep your baby covered.
- Use baby sunscreen made with safer ingredients during prolonged exposure for babies 6+ months of age.
Read our complete sun-safety tips for babies guide for more details. Since limiting sun exposure is safest for young babies, per experts, it should not be considered your baby’s primary source of vitamin D.
Are Vitamin D Supplements Safe for Babies?
Yes, vitamin D supplements are safe for babies when used properly, according to manufacturer directions and AAP guidelines.1
The one cautionary tale is to make sure you use the dropper that comes with the baby vitamin D bottle because if you use a different dropper you might find in your medicine cabinet, the measurements could be inaccurate and lead to a vitamin D overdose.15
When Can You Start Giving Vitamin D Drops to Babies?
According to the AAP, breastfed babies can begin receiving vitamin D supplements in the first few days of life. If your baby is drinking more than 32 oz. of formula per day, you probably do not need to supplement with vitamin D drops.16
How Do You Administer Vitamin D to Babies?
Vitamin D for babies comes in liquid form in a dropper bottle. Always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions as well as any guidelines given by your doctor. Most D3 drops for babies can be administered by adding the correct dose to your baby’s bottle, to the breast, to your finger, to their food or drink, or even to a pacifier. Most manufacturers advise against administering it directly to your baby’s mouth.
The Best Vitamin D Drops for Babies [Reviews]
It’s important to give your baby a vitamin D supplement that is specially made for babies, mainly because it will help you get proper dosing.
Also, be sure to look at the complete list of ingredients. I found many brands of vitamin D drops for babies that contain unnecessary and harmful ingredients, including:
- Polysorbate 80: an emulsifying agent that has a host of contamination concerns and has been linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity
- Natural flavors: this is a catch-all term for a number of ingredients and additives that a manufacturer doesn’t want to disclose, many of them are not even natural, to begin with
- Palm oil: can be difficult to digest and cause harm to the digestive tract
- Sunflower seed oil: an inflammatory oil that is best to be avoided when possible
I searched for vitamin D drops with the cleanest—and fewest—ingredients. Here are my top recommended brands of vitamin D drops for babies. These brands of D drops do not contain preservatives, natural flavors, or unhealthy oils.
1) Nordic Naturals Baby’s Vitamin D3
This gluten-free and dairy-free vitamin D supplement for babies is made from the natural form of vitamin D, cholecalciferol D3, which is better for absorption than D2. Sourced from organic lichen, this D3 is not sourced from lanolin (and some, like myself, might prefer to avoid lanolin when possible).
Nordic Naturals’ baby D3 is suspended in extra virgin olive oil, which has many additional health benefits for your baby such as contributing to good cardiovascular health and an optimal omega ratio. Nordic Naturals is a trusted brand.
- Ingredients: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and organic extra virgin olive oil
- Dose: 400 IU per drop
- Made in Norway
- Vegetarian D3 sourced from organic lichen
- Free from artificial preservatives
- Comes with an easy-to-use dropper
2) UpSpring Baby D Vitamin D3 Drops
If you’ve had trouble with dosage when using glass bottles, or you want to avoid that altogether, try UpSpring Baby Vitamin D Drops. They come in a plastic dropper bottle that is easy to use and can be applied to the breast, or added to the baby’s bottle or pacifier. Many parents gave this brand positive reviews because, unlike other brands, this supplement doesn’t upset their baby’s tummy.
This gluten-free vitamin D3 supplement is free from added sugars and preservatives.
- Ingredients: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and fractionated coconut oil
- Dose: 400 IU per drop
- Made in the USA
- Free from dyes, added sugars, and preservatives
- Free from dairy, gluten, lactose, and soy
- Packaged in an easy-to-squeeze plastic bottle
3) Baby Ddrops Liquid Vitamin D3
One of the most popular brands of vitamin D drops for babies, Baby Ddrops is another great choice. Also made with D3 (cholecalciferol), Baby Ddrops uses fractionated coconut oil as a carrier oil (non-organic). Some parents found that this caused gassiness, so if your baby is especially sensitive you may want to try a different brand like Nordic Naturals.
Baby Ddrops also makes higher dose versions, 600 IU per dose and up (but check with your pediatrician first).
- Ingredients: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and fractionated coconut oil
- Dose: 400 IU per drop
- Free of common allergens
except for coconut - Tasteless and odorless
Hoping you found a wonderful brand of vitamin D drops for your baby!
What do you think about the Carlsons babies super daily D3 brand? The other ingredients are coconut and palm oil. It has 400 IU.
I don’t like to use palm oil if I can avoid it. It is hard on the digestive system and if it’s not sustainably sourced it is damaging to the environment.
I’ve read that you should never supplement vitamin D without also supplementing vitamin K. Are you familiar with this? If so, is there a K supplement you’d recommend for a baby to accompany this?
Yes, I have and I would probably just run it by your pediatrician first because I am not sure there are recommended doses for babies. But the one I would probably use if I wanted a D3/K2 combo is the Seeking Health children’s version, but please note it has a slightly higher dose than what the AAP recommends (500 IU of D3 vs. 400 IU per their recommendation). Here’s the one I am referring to: https://amzn.to/2O3hlsp