What is it?
Vitamin D helps to keep bones and teeth healthy by helping the body absorb calcium from the foods we eat. It’s very important for babies to have enough vitamin D, because they grow and develop very rapidly in their first few years of life and need it to support this process
A lack of vitamin D can lead to a condition known as rickets. Although there may be enough calcium in the diet, there isn’t enough absorbed and available for normal bone growth, and this causes the bones to soften and bend. Bowed legs are a common feature of rickets
What causes it?
- Lack of exposure to sunlight, as vitamin D is made in the skin due to the action of sunlight on the skin. Those with darker skin and those who cover up in the sun, will have slower rates of vitamin D production in their skin
- Babies who are born to mothers with low vitamin D levels will also have low vitamin D stores. There is also a risk that if the baby is breastfed, the breast milk will be low in vitamin D as well
- Once weaning begins, babies on a restricted diet such as vegetarians, or vegans may not receive enough dietary vitamin D
How is it prevented?
Vitamin D deficiency can be prevented by taking the following precautions:
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women are recommended to take a supplement of 10 µg of vitamin D per day
- The UK Department of Health recommends vitamin drops that can be given from the age of 1-5 years. They should be given from six months if a baby is drinking less than 500 ml of breast milk or formula each day. These drops contain the vitamins A, D and C
- By eating foods that contain vitamin D. These include fortified margarines and fat spreads, oily fish such as salmon, tuna and pilchards, eggs, meat, fortified breakfast cereals and formula milk which has added vitamin D
- Being out in the sun for a few minutes each day. Just a few minutes of sun exposure on the arms and face is often enough. But due to risks of skin cancer, it is a good idea not to keep children out in the sun for too long