03-01-2017

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This article is based on scientific evidence, written and reviewed by experts. Our team of licensed nutritionists and estheticians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and present both sides of the argument.

I also faced this question. My daughter was born in the summer, for the first three months she was breastfed, then we switched her to formula. Plus, due to the bad autumn weather and early frosts, we rarely managed to walk in sunny weather. Our previous pediatrician strongly recommended giving our child vitamin D3 for children. When my husband asked what drug she would recommend. She answered briefly: “Anyone.” I, as a responsible parent, immediately began to study this issue. I know from myself that many vitamins and complexes that are available in local pharmacies are, at best, ineffective. I'm not ready to risk my child's health. We carefully selected vitamin D3 for children, studied reviews from experienced mothers, opinions of leading pediatricians, and finally found what we needed on the website. There's plenty to choose from! A wide range of original, and most importantly, high-quality vitamins for both adults and children. I would also like to note the prices. They are available and cheaper than in pharmacies, even with delivery.

Which is the best Vitamin D3 for children?

It is necessary to select vitamins taking into account the age of the child and only after consulting a doctor. Drops are suitable for newborns and children under 3 years of age. For my daughter, I ordered the following vitamin D3 preparations for children:


I'm happy with the result. The child is active, healthy and there are no signs of rickets and other ailments that may appear due to a lack of vitamin D3.

How much vitamin D3 should I give my child?

I gave almost all vitamins 1 drop per day. In addition to vitamin. According to the instructions, this supplement must be given 4 drops to ensure the daily requirement. The norm for vitamin D3 for children is 400 IU.

Remember that before giving any drug to a child, be sure to consult a doctor. The required dosage is determined by the pediatrician or advised to adhere to the doses indicated in the instructions.

An overdose of vitamin D3 is rare. All parents should know that an excess of this vitamin can lead to the formation of calcium salts in the baby’s blood. This will cause severe poisoning, which will damage the kidneys, liver, digestive and cardiovascular systems. Be careful!

Why does a child need vitamin D3?

Vitamin D3 for children ensures the growth of bones and muscles, helps calcium to be absorbed in the body, and strengthens the baby’s immune system. Its deficiency can lead to rickets, dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system, excessive excitability, developmental delays and even seizures.

Whether to give a child vitamin D3 or not depends on the conditions in which the child grows. For example, if a baby was born in the summer, walks a lot on the street and is breastfed, then he receives vitamin D3 from the sun and mother’s milk. In this case, you should not drink this vitamin additionally, so as not to cause an overabundance, which also has negative consequences.

Vitamin D3 in capsules for children

Children over 3 years old can safely be given vitamin D3 in capsules, tablets in the shape of animals or their favorite cartoon characters. For my nephews I ordered:


I can say one thing - the children are happy. My brother even had to hide these vitamins from them so that they would not eat them all at once.

Vitamin D is important for the normal functioning of the body, especially in infancy. This element regulates mineral metabolism and is also responsible for the accumulation of calcium in dentin and bone tissue. If there is a lack of it, the full development of the musculoskeletal system and immune system of the child is impossible.

The source of vitamin D is sunlight, as well as large amounts of food. In case of acute vitamin deficiency, the pediatrician may prescribe special pharmaceutical preparations

  • participation in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus;
  • regulation of tissue growth process;
  • stimulation of immune cell production;
  • coordination of insulin synthesis;
  • support normal transmission of nerve impulses;
  • participation in the process of muscle contraction.

A sufficient intake of vitamin D into the body of a newborn child is the key to normal skeletal growth, strong teeth and resistance to various diseases. Element deficiency in children leads to a deterioration in the absorption of microelements and minerals important for the body.

With a long-term lack of a substance, consequences such as:

  • rickets is a pathology that is characterized by softening of bone tissue, increased fragility and deformation of the skeleton (we recommend reading:);
  • caries (tooth decay) and gum disease;
  • general weakening of the body's defenses;
  • decreased visual acuity;
  • violation of skin barrier function;
  • growth retardation - the child may not reach the parameters laid down by nature.

How much vitamin D do children need for full development? The generally accepted norm is up to 12 mcg per day.

Ways of getting vitamin D into the body

There are 3 ways vitamin D enters a newborn’s body: with food, with pharmacological agents and under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. For infants, the main food is mother's milk, which contains vitamin D. To maintain a normal amount of this element, a woman should consume foods in which it is present in high concentrations.

Sources of vitamin D:

  • butter;
  • fermented milk products - cheese, milk, sour cream;
  • fish liver (record holders - halibut and cod);
  • fatty fish - mackerel, tuna, herring;
  • seafood;
  • fish fat;
  • yolk;
  • vegetable oil;
  • potato;
  • oats;
  • alfalfa, dandelion leaves, horsetail, parsley, nettle.


 Sunlight and breast milk are natural sources of vitamin D for infants. In order for the baby’s body to receive the vitamin in the proper amount, a nursing mother needs to monitor her diet.

These products should be on the menu of a nursing mother. As the child grows older, they should be added to his diet as complementary foods, taking into account age standards and the recommendations of the pediatrician.

The second way to get vitamin D is through sunbathing. Ultraviolet rays trigger the synthesis process of the element in skin cells. It is better to take baths in the morning.

Biochemist scientists have found that the amount of vitamin D produced depends on skin color. The lighter the integument, the more actively it is produced under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. This characteristic made it possible to classify the element as a hormone-like substance.

You cannot take pharmacological vitamin D substitutes or give them to your child on your own. Vitamin deficiency is less dangerous for a newborn than hypervitaminosis. An overdose can lead to disruption of the functioning of all organs of the baby.

The doctor may decide to prescribe a pharmaceutical drug if he is sure of its shortage. In this situation, it is imperative to follow the recommendations and give the baby the drug in order to provide his growing body with a valuable substance.

Types of drugs

To prevent or compensate for vitamin D deficiency, its natural form is used - vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). It can be produced in the form of various pharmacological agents. Types of drugs:

  • fish fat;
  • drops;
  • complexes.

Fish oil is a dietary supplement sold over the counter. It is obtained from the liver of whales, cod, mackerel, and herring. In past times, fish oil was actively used to treat vitamin deficiency. It is a source of not only cholecalciferol, but also vitamin A (retinol). For this reason, it is not prescribed to pregnant women and infants.



Fish oil is a drug popular since Soviet times that saturates the body with vitamins E and A. Fish oil is not used for infants; it is suitable for older children

Drops are a solution of vitamin D3, which is available in two forms - oil-based and water-based. It is considered the most convenient form of the drug for children under 1 year of age. Pediatricians usually prescribe drops for infants and newborns.

Multivitamin complexes are intended for children over one year of age. They are produced in the form of capsules, tablets, gel, marmalade and so on. The preparations contain all the vitamins and microelements that are beneficial for a child in a daily dose. The standard amount of cholecalciferol in them is 400 IU.

How to give vitamin D to a newborn?

Which vitamin D supplement should I give my child? In what quantity? The dosage form and dosage are determined by the doctor. It takes into account three factors:

  • region of residence – southern or northern;
  • current time of year;
  • type of feeding.

Breastfeeding patients are usually prescribed 400 IU of cholecalciferol per day. If a child is fed an adapted milk formula, the dose is reduced, since all high-quality modern formulas are enriched with microelements. The amount of vitamin D in a product can be found by studying the information on the packaging. In some cases, the doctor recommends giving the medicine in winter. After 6 months, the child receives vitamin D not only from milk or formula, but from complementary foods such as eggs and fish (fatty varieties).

When should you start giving cholecalciferol to your baby? Some experts consider it advisable to use it from birth, others insist that the lower limit is 6 months. This issue should be resolved individually with a pediatrician. The doctor will evaluate the child’s health, type of diet, place of residence and other factors. On this basis, he will formulate recommendations regarding the advisability of taking vitamin D3 and its amount.

It is important not to forget that cholecalciferol is synthesized naturally under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Famous pediatrician E.O. Komarovsky advises not to neglect sunbathing to prevent rickets, but not under direct rays, but under diffused ones. Two sessions of 15 minutes per week are enough.

Vitamin D in the diet of children from 1 year to 3 years

Until what age should children be given vitamin D? Some doctors believe that it should be taken for up to 5 years. Other doctors are inclined to believe that after a year the child should receive it from food and exposure to the sun. To do this, you need to create a balanced menu.

An important source of cholecalciferol and calcium is fermented milk products. The combination of these valuable substances is present in milk and sour cream, while cottage cheese and kefir are saturated with calcium, but do not contain vitamin D3. Some manufacturers solve this problem by adding cholecalciferol to their products. You can find fortified yoghurts, cottage cheese, kefir intended for baby food. Such information is indicated on the label.

Hypervitaminosis

Hypervitaminosis resulting from an overdose of vitamin D3 is dangerous for children (see also:). The peculiarity of this substance is the fact that it is not excreted in the urine, but accumulates in the body.



 Lack of appetite is one of the symptoms of hypervitaminosis D, that is, the accumulation of too much of a vitamin compound in the body.

Overdose symptoms:

  • decreased appetite;
  • convulsions;
  • constipation;
  • dehydration.

These symptoms occur if the child regularly takes an excessive dose of the drug. Their appearance is a reason to stop using the drops and consult a doctor.

Overdose can be avoided by strictly following the recommendations for use of the drug. Do not exceed the amount of medication prescribed by the doctor. Upper limit of permissible norm per day:

  • for babies from 0 to 6 months – 1000 IU;
  • after 6 months – 1500 IU.

If a child accidentally swallows more than the daily allowance, this is regarded as poisoning - the baby requires urgent help. The parents' task is to call doctors and receive instructions from them regarding urgent actions that should be taken before their arrival. When choosing a place to store medications, it is important to make sure that it is not accessible to your child.

A lack of vitamin D in a baby’s body leads to rickets (also called English disease, since it was first described by the British doctor Glisson). The disease was considered extinct for some time, but it still appears. Vitamin D is often vital for infants to prevent the development of rickets.

Thanks to vitamin D, calcium is well absorbed in the bones, the baby’s legs and chest are not deformed, he grows well, he has wonderful teeth, normal blood clotting and metabolism.

Vitamin D has two forms: ergocalciferol (aka D2, enters the body with plant foods) and cholecalciferol (or D3 - found in animal foods, formed in the skin under the influence of ultraviolet radiation).

The functions of vitamin D and the development of rickets

Vitamin D is necessary for children, as it performs a number of important functions:

  • regulates calcium absorption (in the intestines), maintains calcium levels in the body;
  • enhances the absorption of phosphorus (in the kidneys) and creates phosphorus-calcium salt, which mineralizes bone tissue;
  • regulates the synthesis of hormones in the thyroid gland;
  • stimulates the development of tubular bones;
  • stimulates the production of proteins that transport calcium.

If young children do not have enough vitamin D in their bodies, phosphorus-calcium metabolism is disrupted, which causes damage to many organs, but mainly to bone tissue - the skeleton is deformed.

Main causes of rickets

  • Premature birth. Premature babies have an immature body, which means the necessary “reserve” of calcium and phosphorus has not been formed, and the absorption of vitamin D is reduced.
  • The child was born in the spring. If the third trimester of a mother’s pregnancy occurs during a sunless season (in this case, winter), too little vitamin D is stored in her body.
  • The baby is growing very quickly. Bone tissue is intensively formed, which is why there is a deficiency of a number of vitamins, including A, B, D, as well as calcium and phosphorus.
  • Little sun and walks. Walking outside is best: even if there is regular sun in the house, useful ultraviolet light (UVB rays) does not pass through the glass.
  • Dysbacteriosis. It interferes with the absorption of a number of microelements.
  • Frequent colds. The body uses all its resources to fight the disease, and growth and physical development slows down.
  • Cow's milk, potatoes and cereals. In excess quantities, they interfere with the normal absorption of calcium. Does not protect against rickets and breastfeeding. Timely introduction of complementary foods and vitamin D is necessary.

Rickets occurs to varying degrees in many children, but the supervision of a good doctor and timely prevention make it possible to avoid severe forms of the disease and prevent its complications.

How to tell if your child is lacking vitamin D

The main symptoms of vitamin deficiency in the body are delayed teething and closure of the fontanel, as the process of bone mineralization slows down. You can find out whether you have enough vitamin D in your body through a blood and/or urine test.

Here are the signs that are noticeable from 1 to 4 months. You can see exactly how vitamin D deficiency manifests itself in children: the symptoms of the phenomenon are very characteristic.

  • Anxiety, fearfulness, irritability and moodiness, sleep disturbance.
  • Decreased appetite.
  • Sweating of the hands, feet, and especially the head, causing itching (due to itching, the child rubs his head on the pillow, and the hair on the back of the head becomes very thin, up to the formation of a bald spot).
  • The smell of sweat is sour, and the smell of urine is ammonia.
  • The muscles of the limbs are flaccid.
  • The fontanel is enlarged.

There is nothing left but to give vitamin D to the child, otherwise rickets will progress in a couple of weeks or about a month. This manifests itself in the following symptoms:

  • pallor;
  • coated tongue;
  • frequent regurgitation, bloating, unstable stool;
  • noticeable flattening of the back of the head, deformation of the legs and pelvic bones;
  • late appearance of teeth.

If treatment is started late, flat feet, muscle weakness, deformities of the skeleton (especially the sternum, legs) and skull remain, and in addition, teeth are often affected by caries.

To avoid all this, you need to consult a doctor and start taking vitamin D for newborns. Let's figure out which drugs to prefer, how, in what quantity and for how long they should be given, and whether an overdose is dangerous. Or maybe there are cases in which this remedy is not needed at all?

How to use

According to the pediatrician’s prescriptions, already at the age of 3 weeks (for premature babies this can be the 10-14th day of life), the child must begin to be given vitamin D - of course, not in the form of the usual pills, but a special one, in drops. More precisely, it is vitamin D3, that is, cholecalciferol.

As we already mentioned, vitamin D is produced thanks to the sun's rays - this occurs between approximately May and September. At this time, the child spends a lot of time in the fresh air and “automatically” takes sunbathing. Therefore, there may not be a need for prophylactic use of a pharmaceutical product (we will talk about this later). But if the baby is premature, the doctor can prescribe him a vitamin year-round. It's quite normal.

How to give to infants

At the pharmacy you can find an oil or water solution of the vitamin. Doctors do not see much difference, but there is an opinion (supported practically) that it is the oil solution - the drug "Vigantol" - that is better for absorption. The only caveat in its use is that it is not absorbed with dairy products and does not dissolve in water. But it stimulates the production of its own vitamin D in the child’s body.

An aqueous solution of vitamin D “Aquadetrim” is recommended to be added to a teaspoon of drinking water and given to a newborn. If a diagnosis of rickets has already been made, the doctor will recommend increasing the dose of the vitamin. And when increasing the dose, an aqueous solution is usually preferable, since it lasts longer (not 1-1.5 months, like an oil solution, but 3 months), and is absorbed more quickly in the gastrointestinal tract.

You can give the product to your child in the evening, or you can dissolve it in milk or formula in the morning. It is believed that the drug is well absorbed in the first half of the day. As for the time of administration (before or after meals), it is better - after feeding. Some doctors believe that meal times do not need to be taken into account at all, but this is due solely to the characteristics of the individual child. Therefore, listen to what the doctor tells you.

By the way, if your baby is bottle-fed, he already receives a certain amount of vitamin D, which the milk formula is enriched with: about 1 drop per liter of formula. If the baby is breastfed, then the vitamin enters his body exclusively through prophylactic administration - and only the attending physician can decide which drug is best to give and how much the baby needs. The doctor is guided by the nature of the pregnancy and the characteristics of childbirth, and also makes conclusions on the first periods of the child’s life. In addition, the dosage and method of taking the drug largely depend on the region you live in (climatic conditions, how many months the weather is sunny, etc.)

Feedback from Yulia, mother of two children: “The doctor advised to drip Vigantol directly into the child’s mouth. This is what I do - I give 1 drop of oil solution every three days. My son likes the taste of the vitamin, I see that he is growing healthy and cheerful, and is developing correctly!”

Is there an overdose and is it dangerous?

If you give your baby complementary foods enriched with vitamins and microelements, additional intake of the drug can cause an overdose of vitamin D in children (hypervitaminosis). The body experiences “toxic shock”, which manifests itself, for example, in the following symptoms:

  • pain in muscles, joints;
  • headache;
  • dry mouth, nausea, vomiting;
  • poor appetite;
  • constipation;
  • swelling;
  • weight loss.

Everything is good in moderation. In the case of Vigantol oil solution, an overdose may occur (which is detrimental to the kidneys, even leading to kidney failure). It cannot be given to the baby in the same doses and with the same frequency as the Aquadetrim aqueous solution. You must strictly follow the instructions for use, unless the doctor recommends a different dosage regimen.

An overdose can even occur “in utero” - if the mother took all kinds of vitamin complexes in excess throughout pregnancy, especially calcium supplements. This leads to the fact that the child is born with a very narrow or even tightly closed fontanel (passage through the birth canal is very difficult, since the bones of the skull do not move as expected). With a small fontanel, vitamin D3 for newborns is not prescribed until the baby is six months old.

Until what age is vitamin D needed and is it needed at all?

At any age, the dosage and timing are determined by a pediatrician, since much depends on the individual characteristics of the baby. Until what age should a child be given vitamin D? Drugs of this type are prescribed from 1 month to 2 or even up to 3 years. But should we give them in principle?

These remedies used to be recommended for all children, but modern doctors no longer agree on this matter. For example, it is increasingly heard that not every newborn is recommended to take additional vitamins, and even more so, mass prophylactic prescription is unjustified.

Talk to your doctor about how to take vitamin D3 for infants and whether it is worth doing in your case. It is important to remember that the drug may not be prescribed if the following conditions are met:

  • primary signs of rickets do not appear;
  • you take long walks with your child every day (including in winter) and do not use children’s sunscreen in the city;
  • you don’t live in the north of the country and it’s sunny most of the year;
  • the child has fair skin (dark skinned people often have a vitamin deficiency);
  • There are enough products in your menu that contain D vitamins (dairy products, seafood, vegetable oil, fish, eggs, oatmeal, vitamin-rich vegetable salads).

If these conditions are strictly met, most likely your child does not need additional vitamin D. But at the same time, doctors often say that to prevent rickets, just a balanced diet and walks are not enough. They believe that vitamin D3 may be more beneficial for children than too long, sometimes almost uncontrolled, exposure to air. So again: everything is good in moderation!

UVB rays not only help produce vitamin D in the body, but can also cause skin cancer. The lighter the baby's skin, the more dangerous it is for him to be in the sun for a long time, especially during peak solar activity (from approximately 11.00 to 16.00). If you go for a walk, it is especially useful in the morning (9.00-11.00 in the summer and 10.00-12.00 in the winter).

Vitamin D for children under one year of age is prescribed not only on the basis of existing or not yet manifested signs of rickets. The total daily dose must be taken into account: the presence of the vitamin in the milk formula and in the diet in general, exposure to the sun, as well as what goals are being pursued - therapeutic or preventive. Any prescriptions can only be made by a doctor after thorough laboratory tests. They include an examination of the metabolism of phosphorus and calcium, the presence of vitamin D in the body, and only after this can vitamin deficiency be confirmed or refuted. And prescribe (or not prescribe) the required dose of the drug.

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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.

Children at any age need the required dose of vitamins, including group D. Newborns can get it exclusively through mother’s milk, while older babies eat foods rich in this component. However, proper nutrition is often not enough for healthy development of infants and young children. In this case, doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals to restore the correct balance of vitamins in the children's bodies.

When does a newborn need vitamin D?

Even if a nursing mother eats properly and consumes dairy products, sea fish and greens rich in vitamins D2 and D3, their amount in breast milk may be critically low. This entails the threat of developing pathologies of the newborn’s skeleton, problems with the nervous system, skin and thyroid gland. Therefore, doctors often prescribe cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) to the baby, which is best absorbed in the intestines.

The second, no less important source of this vitamin is ultraviolet radiation, absorbed by the skin of a newborn while in the fresh air. Ideally, a baby's body should be in contact with the healing rays of the sun for at least half an hour a day so that it grows healthy. In practice, many mothers protect their baby from the wind, bad weather and coolness, protecting him at the same time from the necessary influence of ultraviolet radiation. In this case, pediatricians attribute the use of artificial vitamin D.

Vitamin D for preschool children

Statistics indicate that about 8 percent of preschoolers experience a serious lack of vitamin D in their bodies. Such babies are at risk for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous and cardiovascular systems. It is absolutely necessary to compensate for the missing vitamin in a timely manner, which forces pediatricians to prescribe pharmaceutical drugs even to healthy children for the purpose of prevention and for full development. In this case, the peculiarity of the absorption of cholecalciferol by the child’s body is always taken into account:

  • The ability to accumulate “for future use” in adipose tissue.
  • Vitamin synthesis in the skin after sun exposure.
  • Consumption with foods rich in this vitamin.
  • Direct connection with calcium.

It is necessary to clarify that only vitamins D2 and D3 enter the bloodstream with food, the rest are synthesized by the child’s body upon contact with ultraviolet radiation.

It is extremely important for parents to know under what conditions the production and absorption of vitamin D in the baby will be correct, which will help avoid diseases such as rickets. Its first symptoms are easy to miss, since bone curvature is a sign of an advanced form of the disease. In this case, rickets can occur for many reasons:

  • Chronic lack of sunlight.
  • Unbalanced diet.
  • Poor absorption of calcium by the baby’s body, as a result of which vitamin D transits through the intestines and is not absorbed.

Doctors such as a pediatrician, orthopedist and neurologist will help identify the true causes. Laboratory tests are also prescribed.

If the baby is healthy, but receives little sunlight in the autumn-winter period, and also lives in an environmentally unfavorable area, the pediatrician, as a rule, prescribes vitamin D 3 to prevent rickets. This measure will complement other activities necessary for the proper development of the child: massage, walks, gymnastics and proper nutrition.

There are a number of reasons that predispose to the development of rickets in infants, preschool children and even adolescents:

  • The risk of the disease is higher in children born in winter, as well as in premature babies.
  • Pregnancy with complications.
  • Metabolic disorders in a newborn or older child.
  • Taking anticonvulsants.
  • Living in an area with low solar activity.

If your baby is at risk, you should consult a pediatrician in time and start taking medications with a high content of vitamin D. To avoid unnecessary worries in young mothers, it is also worth clarifying the main signs that indicate a clear lack of vitamin D in a newborn or infant:

  • Muscle weakness, rapid fatigue in the baby.
  • High nervous excitability, poor sleep.
  • Changing the shape of the chest.
  • Curvature of the lower limbs.
  • Late closed fontanel.
  • Slow development of a child up to one year.
  • Changes in the shape of the head, the appearance of bulges and bumps.

Regarding the widespread opinion that a sign of rickets is the “rolling out” of the hairs on the back of the baby’s head and his sweating, orthopedists do not confirm this in their comments.

Why is it important to start taking vitamin D on time and not wait until the baby grows up and rickets (if it is present in the initial form) goes away on its own? The problem is that with untimely treatment and lack of prevention, an adult patient may experience the consequences of childhood rickets: curvature of bones, scoliosis, flat feet, which significantly worsen the quality of life.

The child's body is equally sensitive to both deficiency and excess of vitamin D. In infants, it can be observed when the mother uncontrollably took high doses of this drug during pregnancy, or the dosage was incorrectly selected to prevent rickets. This increase in the dose of cholecalciferol is especially dangerous in the following categories of small patients:

  • For gastrointestinal dysfunction.
  • For dystrophy in a newborn or infant.
  • After intracranial birth trauma.
  • With hypoxia.
  • With a protein deficiency in the diet.
  • If there is an excess of calcium in the baby’s menu (lots of cottage cheese, cheese and natural cow’s milk).
  • When taking cholecalciferol simultaneously with fish oil and calcium supplements.

Hypervitaminosis of vitamin D affects the entire child’s body: calcium is deposited in the vessels, the heart and kidneys suffer, there is a risk of osteoporosis, and thyroid dysfunction. Children under 2 years of age suffer especially often, in whom doctors discover pathologies of the heart, kidneys and metabolic disorders. Problems may also arise in children who are sensitive to this vitamin, so its prescription and dose should be strictly controlled by the attending physician.

The child's body receives vitamin D from two main sources: from food (D2 and D3) and produces its own supply when in contact with the sun's rays. The synthesis of vitamin D4–D6 occurs only under certain conditions:

  • Skin contact with a certain spectrum of sunlight. In a polluted atmosphere and in winter, this becomes problematic.
  • It is easiest to satisfy the need for vitamins during sunset and immediately after sunrise, when the length of the rays is most suitable.
  • Light skin absorbs more ultraviolet radiation. Excessive pigmentation interferes with the body's production of vitamin D.

Taking pharmaceutical drugs of group D is justified in the autumn-spring period; in the summer, its natural synthesis increases, normalizing the amount of vitamin in the blood.

What foods contain vitamin D?

Nutrition also plays an important role in providing the required dose of vitamin D in children's bodies. There are a number of products that contain this essential component. First of all, these are animal products: butter, tuna, sea fish, seafood, cod liver. Be sure to eat foods rich in calcium: cottage cheese, cheese, whole milk.

If we are talking about a newborn, then it is precisely this food that will provide the required amount of vitamins in breast milk, so the mother must think through her menu and carefully monitor the condition of the baby. If he has become excessively capricious, is lagging behind in development, or has weak muscles, this is a reason to visit the pediatrician and prescribe a vitamin D solution.

How much vitamin D do children of different ages need?

An adult needs 800 IU of vitamin D per day. Depending on the time of year, age and predisposition to the development of rickets, a baby needs different amounts of this vitamin:

  1. From birth to 6 months - 400 IU.
  2. From six months to 1 year - 400–600 IU.
  3. From 1 to 8 years - 600 IU.
  4. Over 8 years old - 600 IU.

Higher doses may be prescribed for rickets, but should be monitored by the attending physician.

To prevent rickets, a child may be prescribed a vitamin D solution starting at 4–5 weeks of age. For premature babies, the timing is shifted to the second week of life to help the body recover faster and develop properly. In this case, it is imperative to take into account what kind of nutrition the baby receives. With breastfeeding, cholecalciferol enters the baby's body with mother's milk, but if the child consumes artificial formulas, they are often already enriched with this vitamin and its dose together with the pharmaceutical drug may be overestimated.

Preparations containing cholecalciferol are divided into oil and aqueous solutions of vitamin D and capsules containing these components. Today there are several well-known manufacturers producing these pharmaceutical products:

  1. Aquadetrim.
  2. Minisan drops and solution (Finland).
  3. Devisol for infants.
  4. Vigantol oil solution.
  5. Complevit (drops, tablets and chewable tablets for babies).
  6. D3 Vit baby (for newborns).
  7. D-tipat Multitabs drops.
  8. Alpha D3-Teva.

Most often, the drug is prescribed to infants at a dose of 1 drop per day after meals. Children over 3 years old take 1 chewable capsule and 1 tablet per day to prevent rickets. An excellent source of vitamin D3 is natural fish oil, which is taken 1 teaspoon once a day.

An aqueous solution of vitamin D or oil drops: which is better?

Aqueous solutions of vitamin D3 are the safest for newborns. Water-based cholecalciferol is easily and quickly absorbed in the intestines and does not cause allergic reactions even in premature babies.

  1. An example of such a drug is Aquadetrim. It is prescribed not only to infants, but also to preschoolers, schoolchildren and adolescents.
  2. Finnish oil-based Minisan drops have proven themselves to be excellent. They are also available in tablet form for teenagers and adults. The high price of the pharmaceutical can be considered a negative point.
  3. Drops based on peanut or coconut oil Devisol are not recommended for children with diathesis and allergies. Otherwise, the solution has positive reviews from doctors and young patients.
  4. Alpha D3-Teva are oil-based and are available in capsules. Recommended for schoolchildren and adults, but they do not consist of natural vitamin D3, but have a synthetic composition.

To prevent vitamin deficiency in winter, a vitamin complex in drops from Multitabs, including a daily dose of vitamin D, can be recommended.

Useful video

Rickets and vitamin D - School of Dr. Komarovsky

Mmmm, the warm weather has finally arrived and the sun began to shine brighter outside. The debate about how to dress a child in cold weather has subsided. But! In the world of moms there is no controversy. Now, with the arrival of sunny days, many people have a dilemma - whether they need to give vitamin D in the summer or not. Today I decided to study this issue, join me. So should you give vitamin D in the summer? I already wrote about that. Is it necessary to give vitamin D in the summer and now, when the sun is shining so brightly? To understand this, let's understand the mechanism of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is the most unusual of all vitamins.

Let me start by saying that vitamin D is the most unusual of all vitamins. Why? We are accustomed to the fact that vitamins enter our body from food, and vitamin D is special. Our body produces this vitamin itself under the influence of sunlight. This is the difference between vitamin D and all other vitamins. And in principle, it’s not a vitamin at all 🙂 but a hormone. Well, in general, vitamin D itself does not exist; it is a common name for five forms of vitamin D. I will not talk about each of them. I will focus on the one that is interesting to us - vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. I hope you now understand why vitamin D is the most unusual of all vitamins?

How does vitamin D work in the human body?

Let's figure out how vitamin D works in the human body. When we walk down the street, the sun's rays hit our skin. But this does not mean that our body is already saturated with vitamin D. When the human skin is exposed to sunlight, complex chemical processes immediately begin to occur in the body, which convert the sun’s rays into vitamin D3. A reaction occurs between ultraviolet light that hits human skin and a substance present in our skin (called 7-dehydrocholesterol), due to which vitamin D3 appears in the human body. But here it is important to know this thing!

This reaction occurs only when the ultraviolet wavelength reaches 290-320 nanometers. A little later I will explain how important this is to answer our question - is it necessary to give vitamin D in the summer. Vitamin D3 then travels through the blood to the liver, where it is converted into calcidiol(calcifediol/ 25 -hydroxycholecalciferol). Calcidiol, in turn, enters the kidneys, where it becomes, so to speak, active, and transforms into calcitriol(this is a hormone, by the way). And from here, from the kidneys, vitamin D3 begins to work for the benefit of our body. This is how vitamin D works in the human body. When you eat food rich in vitamin D, the same processes occur, only vitamin D enters the liver directly through the intestines.

By the way, if your baby illiterate pediatricians make a diagnosis rickets(or pre-rachitic state) due to a sweaty nape, then it is best to get tested for the amount calcidiol in blood. It costs a penny. Only this analysis can accurately say whether the baby has rickets or not.

When taking vitamin D, it is important to know the UV index

When taking vitamin D, it is important to know the UV index. Remember when I said that vitamin D3 appears in our body only when the ultraviolet wavelength reaches 290-320 nanometers? I hope that you didn’t close my blog with those words :) So, this wavelength is present in sunlight, when the UV index is 3 or more, and of course in ultraviolet lamps. Therefore, when taking vitamin D, it is important to know the UV index. Of course, many of you will now shake your head and say: “What kind of beast is this UV index?” 🙂 Don’t be alarmed, you can find out the UV index on your phone in the “Weather” program. Well, did you see it? 🙂 If you are interested in learning more about the UV index, here is a link to the WHO website, where this index is described in detail.

UV index (UVI) is an indicator
characterizing the level of ultraviolet radiation.
It ranges from 0 to 11

UV index according to WHO. 1.2 is the safest level for our skin.

You can read about an overdose of the vitamin and how harmful it is for the body.

The UV index depends on the time of day, season, geographic location (the index is higher towards the equator), and altitude. Therefore, it is different in different places. The same WHO website provides average UV index values ​​for different countries. For example, in Russia the UV index varies from 0 to 5 (January, February, November, December - 0, March, October - 1, September - 2, April - 3, May, August - 4, June, July - 5 ). So, now we know that if the UV index is greater than 3, then the sun's rays will promote the production of vitamin D3 in our body. It turns out that in Russia, vitamin D3 is synthesized independently in our body from April to August. What month are we in now? May! This means that the sun is enough for the vitamin to do its job :) Therefore, throw away (or hide away) your Aquadetrims, Vigantols, Vigantolettens and others like them. Well, don’t forget to look at the UV index in the Weather program, because clouds and clouds reduce this indicator.

Ultraviolet doesn't work through glass, so being in an apartment and basking in the sun, you get vitamin D you won't get it.
Sunscreens with a protection factor of 8 or more do not allow vitamin D to be synthesized.

How long do you need to stay in the sun to get vitamin D?

Well, naturally, you will most likely ask yourself another question: “How long do you need to stay in the sun to get vitamin D?” You've been wondering, haven't you? 🙂 The scientific world has not yet given a clear answer to this. Much depends on your skin type. The darker the skin, the more time you need to spend in the sun to get vitamin D. The US Department of Health gives the following recommendations: in order to get vitamin D, you need to spend 5 to 30 minutes in the sun (from 10:00 to 15:00 ) at least twice a week; You can also take a horizontal solarium in moderation (this information is for you, mommies) :) But remember that although the sun's rays give us vitamin D, they are still very dangerous in large quantities. Therefore, do not overdo it in pursuit of vitamin D and use sunscreen.