A doctor's advice on giving your baby vitamin D correctly

Vitamin D helps your baby absorb calcium. Newborns can start taking vitamin D from their first days because breast milk contains very little vitamin D. Today, let's learn with Momby how many forms of vitamin D there are, what happens when babies lack vitamin D, and the right dose so your baby develops well without getting too much or too little!
Content reviewed by Dr Le Pham Anh Vy, Specialist Level I, Nutrition Manager, American International Hospital (AIH)

Vitamin D comes in 2 main forms:

• Vitamin D2 (also called ergocalciferol) is commonly found in milk and food
• Vitamin D3 (also called cholecalciferol) is made in the skin thanks to ultraviolet rays. Sunlight converts provitamin D (7-dehydrocholesterol) into vitamin D3

Vitamin D deficiency in children causes: impaired calcium and phosphorus absorption, rickets, short stature and delayed teething
The right vitamin D dose for children:

• Babies under 12 months are recommended: 400 units/day.
• From 12 to 24 months: 600 units/day

In addition, once your baby starts solids, you can add vitamin D through foods rich in it such as: mackerel oil, sea fish, eggs, mushrooms, butter,...
We hope this information helps you understand how to give vitamin D to young children correctly!

References:

• Nutrition textbook, Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, page 45

• Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vietnamese People, page 89