Breastfed Babies Need Extra Vitamin D

Infants who receive all of their daily nourishment from breast milk should be given vitamin D supplements to prevent rickets, a bone-weakening childhood disease, says the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).




Quick Facts



  • Rickets is a childhood disorder involving softening and weakening of the bones, primarily caused by lack of vitamin D, calcium and/or phosphate.

  • Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for the normal development of healthy teeth and bones.





  • Vitamin D is also known as the "sunshine vitamin" because the body manufactures the vitamin after being exposed to sunshine. Ten to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times weekly is adequate to produce the body’s requirement of vitamin D.


    Source: The National
    Institutes of Health  


    • The study, published in the April, 2003 issue of Pediatrics, recommends that exclusively breastfed infants receive multivitamin supplements containing 200 international units of Vitamin D beginning at 2 months of age. Parents should continue to give their babies these vitamins, available as over-the-counter liquid drops or tablets, until they are able to take at least 17 ounces daily of vitamin D-fortified milk, the AAP says in a     new policy statement.

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