The CDC recommends that breast-fed and partially breast-fed infants receive supplementation with 400 IU of vitamin D per day. It can be shocking in a society where women are taught that “breast is best” and that breastmilk can supply all of the nutritional needs of a newborn and infant. Newborns especially are prone to jaundice because their livers may not be mature enough to process excessive bilirubin in their first week of life.
Likewise, newborns and infants need to be protected from ultraviolet exposure, with vitamin D being the sunshine vitamin they may not have enough ultraviolet exposure to make vitamin D for themselves. Therefore, infant and newborn vitamin D drops are a vital part of a new parent’s front line of defense whether feeding with breast, formula, or both.
What Does Vitamin D Do?
Everyone
knows that calcium and vitamin D work together hand-in-hand to build
strong bones. Children who become deficient in vitamin D can develop
rickets in childhood and brittle bones later in life. However,
vitamin D is also linked to a healthy liver – hence its use as a
treatment for newborn jaundice.
New research also indicates that vitamin D deficiency also plays a role in chronic liver disease in adults. Not only that, but chronic hypovitaminosis D seems to play a role in increased whole-body fat, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and type II diabetes. Starting your child out with adequate vitamin D can save them from a lifetime of ailments.
Pick the Best
Vitamins for children, infants, and newborns can’t simply be cut down doses of adult formulas. Little ones have their own unique dietary needs, and newborn vitamin D drops are made to meet those needs. Consult with a holistic pediatrician about supplements made just for your little one and learn about other supplements such as probiotics, multivitamins, and DHA made just for them. Give them a great start and a bright future with the best nutrition possible.
