The proper development of a child and his health largely depend on how much the baby’s body receives all the necessary vitamins. The main task of vitamin D is to provide calcium to bones, muscles, teeth and strengthen the skeleton. Thanks to this component, the nerve cells also receive the necessary nutrition, which is extremely important for the development of the baby’s nervous system. Just one percent of the total amount of vitamin D intake is enough to prevent heart disease, strengthen the immune system and prevent the development of rickets in infants.
Why do children need this vitamin?
The benefit of preparations with vitamin D is that this compound is necessary for good absorption of beneficial minerals from food - calcium and phosphorus. In tender childhood, this is especially important, because bone formation and teeth growth occur. In addition, the “sunshine” vitamin helps strengthen the baby’s immune defense and normalizes metabolism.
An insufficient dose of the vitamin can lead to calcium deficiency in a growing body, and this is fraught with rickets - an extremely unpleasant disease that leads to softness and curvature of bones.
Deficiency Symptoms
Vitamin D is essential for a child of any age. By participating in phosphorus-calcium metabolism, cholecalciferol protects against bone tissue deformation (rickets), prevents heart pathologies, and accelerates physical and mental development.
Signs of vitamin D deficiency in children:
- Discomfort in the legs. With a lack of cholecalciferol, babies suffer from pain in the bones, get tired quickly, refuse to run and are reluctant to move. The gait becomes waddling (duck-like).
- Dental problems. Thinning of the enamel, late eruption.
- Nervous excitability. The child is capricious, sleeps poorly, moves his head on the pillow, refuses food, and sweats.
- Skeletal changes. The bones become thinner, the legs acquire an arched shape, an increase in the frontal, parietal and occipital tubercles, and an expansion of the chest attract attention.
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Vitamin D deficiency is especially critical for children under 1 year of age. At this age, increased growth and hardening of bones occurs, so a violation of mineral metabolism can lead to a slowdown in physical development. In the future, the child will be shorter and weaker than his peers.
Attention! In most children, the first symptom of vitamin D deficiency is fraying of the hair on the back of the head. It is this sign that mothers and pediatricians most often pay attention to.
Manifestations of vitamin D3 deficiency in newborns are lethargy or increased excitability, convulsions, night sweats. The literature describes cases of intrauterine development of rickets, the cause of which was a lack of cholecalciferol in the mother during pregnancy.
Congenital vitamin D deficiency is diagnosed in the first 4 weeks of life and is manifested by softening and thinning of the skull bones in the area of the greater and lesser fontanelles, loss of skeletal density and mass, and symptoms of hypocalcemia (low calcium levels in the blood). Premature infants may have problems disconnecting from respiratory support systems.
When should you start taking sunshine vitamin supplements?
In the Soviet Union, fish oil was clearly recommended for use by all young children. And although the kids didn’t like him very much, Soviet mothers were not going to expose their children to the danger of rickets. Today we look at the problem a little differently. Each pediatrician decides whether to give a child vitamin D, based on data about a particular patient.
To avoid an overdose of vitamin D, it is not recommended to give it to children who:
- have no hint of rickets;
- live in the southern regions;
- in small settlements with little air pollution;
- often and for a long time (at least an hour a day) walk on the street;
- have very light skin color (in dark-skinned children, the synthesis of the substance is somewhat difficult);
- do not use creams to protect against UV rays before a walk;
- breastfeeding mothers leading a healthy lifestyle.
Should I give vitamin D to a healthy child in the summer? From all of the above, it becomes obvious - no.
What products contain
Vitamin D3 for children and adults can be obtained naturally by being outside on sunny days. Exposure to ultraviolet rays stimulates the production of provitamin under the skin into the necessary vitamin. Sun rays are a natural and most effective source of the component.
In winter, autumn and spring, you can compensate for the deficiency of the substance with the help of the right products:
- Fatty fish, fish oil, caviar;
- Liver;
- Dairy products;
- It is best to buy quail eggs;
- Corn oil;
- Butter;
- Mushrooms.
But it is problematic to compensate for the deficiency of this substance only through nutrition. Therefore, many doctors recommend the use of special pharmaceutical drugs.
Vitamin for infants
Almost every newborn needs to take additional vitamin D in varying amounts. The exception is, as a rule, those who are consistently breastfed and receive the required dosage of the compound, as well as babies in whom, over a certain period of observation, no signs of impending rickets have been identified, and, therefore, they do not require prophylaxis. If the doctor nevertheless advised you to take a course of the drug, then it is better to take this recommendation into account.
She can arrive already in the first or second month of the baby’s life. During this period, the usual dosage is about 500 IU, or one drop per day. An oily or aqueous solution of calciferol is easily absorbed by a fragile body and does not cause side effects. If any health problems are detected, the daily portion may be larger.
The norm of vitamin D in drops for the prevention of rickets in a child can be increased to 3 drops if he lives in unfavorable conditions. When treating rickets, the dosage of the drug increases significantly.
Daily requirement
To prevent the body from experiencing a deficiency of the element, there is a certain daily requirement of vitamin D3. The dosage of vitamin D3 per day is as follows:
- An adult needs to receive at least 0.025 mcg per day;
- Children over 12 require 0.025 mcg;
- Infants (regardless of whether they are bottle-fed or breastfed) require 400 IU of the component;
- Elderly people (after 65 years) should take at least 800 IU per day.
The indicated doses are only typical values. Dosage is prescribed by a doctor if there are problems in each specific case individually. He will also tell you how to take vitamin D3.
Should I continue taking it if my child is already a year old?
Most doctors advise not to limit vitamin D intake to the first year of life, but to continue giving it to your baby until at least two years of age. Another thing is that it makes sense to revise the daily dosage over time. After a year, the toddler is already given foods that contain healthy substances in good quantities, and he can walk more and more freely, and not hide under the hood of the stroller, as in infancy. The wisest thing to do would be to talk to your pediatrician again, who can give advice based on your child's living conditions and general health.
What is it needed for
What is vitamin D3 for? This is a question asked by many people who care about their health. This vitamin is called cholecalciferol. Its benefits for the body are as follows:
- Strengthening muscle tissue and joint apparatus, ensuring their full formation and development;
- Increasing the protective functions of the immune system;
- Prevention of diseases of the heart apparatus and skin;
- Prevention of cancer;
- Prevention of disorders in the hematopoietic system, increasing blood viscosity;
- Help and prevention of diseases of the endocrine system;
- Positive effects on the heart and normalization of blood pressure.
Vitamin D3 is very important for newborns, since in infancy the skeletal system, muscle and joint apparatus are formed. With a lack of this substance, rickets and other unpleasant diseases can develop.
Symptoms of vitamin deficiency and overdose
As already mentioned, a lack of vitamin D in a small child’s body leads, first of all, to improper exchange of phosphorus with calcium. Because of this, bone tissue loses its hardness. Your health worsens and there is a risk of developing rickets.
The first symptoms of vitamin deficiency in a child are itching of the scalp and abnormally high sweating. If such signs are observed, it is necessary to urgently take measures to restore D3 reserves in the child’s body. If this is not done, then in about six months you can expect a worsening of the condition and a progressive disease. A disproportionately large head, a changed shape of the occipital part, thickened ribs, crooked legs, anemia and degradation of the child’s motor skills will become noticeable - a deterioration in the ability to walk and crawl.
Hypervitaminosis, or excess vitamin D, leads to an overdose of calcium. The latter will come out of the bones and accumulate where it should not - in soft tissues. This is fraught with diseases of the cardiovascular system and kidneys.
An excess of vitamin D can be determined by the following symptoms:
- high body temperature;
- joint and muscle pain;
- irritability due to constant headache;
- poor appetite;
- nausea or vomiting;
- frequent urination.
Drops
Dietary supplements are available in different versions. Children can be given the liquid product in drops or chewable candy form.
They are convenient to add to your child’s favorite drinks if he refuses to take the product in its pure form. Most drops are made from high-quality coconut oil, broken down into triglycerides, which serve as an excellent “vehicle” for vitamin D and are also very well absorbed by the body.
For a child with allergies, you can purchase tasteless and odorless drops with the simplest possible composition: vitamin D3 and oil, which will also act as a preservative.
All drops most often have a dosage of 400 IU per serving, which is equal to 1 drop. For a five-year-old child, 2-3 drops per day is enough to fully satisfy the body’s need for vitamin D.
Which vitamin solution to choose: oil or water
Vitamin D for children is found in pharmacies in two forms: in aqueous or oil solution. Both are completely safe even for a sensitive child’s body; the likelihood of any side effects is practically excluded. The only thing that can cause them is deviation from the instructions for use.
However, the vitamin dissolved in oil is not recommended for use by children who have problems with their gastrointestinal tract or kidneys. This form is also more difficult to accurately dose.
Pediatricians often prescribe an aqueous solution in drops. This is caused by easier absorption of this form of the vitamin. In addition, the effect of the aqueous solution lasts longer, and there are almost no contraindications to its use. Moreover, one drop contains exactly one daily preventive dose of 500 IU, and an overdose of vitamin D is practically excluded.
For young children, calciferol is especially necessary. Without it, it is almost impossible to build a healthy child’s body. But if you approach this issue with attention and intelligence, then helping your baby grow up healthy is not particularly difficult. The doctor will tell you how to give calciferol to your child. The advisability of taking the vitamin and its dosage depend on many factors.
Recommendations from pediatricians
In recent years, specialists from different countries have reconsidered their attitude towards vitamin D. Not so long ago, it was believed that it was enough for children from birth and adults to take 400-500 IU per day. However, the results of multiple studies have refuted this opinion.
According to preliminary estimates, 70-80% of the population is deficient in the substance. And the worst effect it has on a growing child’s body. 400 IU is the dose that an infant needs. As we get older, it increases as the skeleton continues to grow at a rapid rate.
According to research results, increasing the daily dosage of the substance to 1000-1500 IU provides additional benefits for children's health.
Not only foreign doctors, but also Russian specialists agree with this. In 2021, a national program was adopted whose goal was to solve problems with vitamin D deficiency in children. The country's Union of Pediatricians has come to the conclusion that children and adolescents are experiencing a lack of the component, which has a detrimental effect on their health.
Thanks to the adopted program, recommendations regarding the preventive daily dose of the substance were revised. Children 5 years old, according to the document, should regularly receive at least 1000 IU per day. In this case, the norm can be increased depending on the condition of the child, the region of his residence and other characteristics.
Admission rules
In the case of children, the same recommendations apply as for adults. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so it is advisable to take it with fatty foods. For example, you can offer your child an egg (the yolk is important), a sandwich with butter, nuts, and avocado. This will ensure more efficient absorption of the supplement.
It is advisable to use dietary supplements in the first half of the day - during breakfast or lunch. If you take it in the late afternoon, your child may become more irritable and have poor sleep.
Feasibility of admission
Vitamin D performs the following important functions for the child’s body:
- ensures normal development of bones and muscles;
- supports the functioning of the immune system;
- strengthens the bone and connective tissues of the body, teeth become stronger.
Vitamin D regulates the functioning of the thyroid gland, improves immunity, and prevents the formation of cancer cells. The condition of the skin depends on its amount in the body: a deficiency can trigger the development of psoriasis.
Should I give it in vitamin complexes or separately?
D3 is a vitamin that is best not used in complexes. If we are talking about products containing a large number of components, then some of them do not interact well with each other. For example, it is not recommended to combine vitamins D and E, since they interfere with the absorption of each other.
In addition, vitamin complexes may contain insufficient amounts of useful components. In this case, it is impossible to increase the dosage of only one substance, leaving others at normal levels.
However, D3 can be combined with certain elements. For example, with calcium and magnesium, since it is designed specifically to improve their absorption.
In addition, the component is often included in probiotic complexes.
