When should babies start having vitamin D in the UK?

At Ddrops Company, we understand that as a parent, you want to give your baby the best possible start to a healthy life. The National Health Service (NHS) recently reviewed the data on vitamin D. Based on the difficulty of getting enough vitamin D through food and the medical evidence related to the benefits of vitamin D, the NHS has updated recommendations on the intake of vitamin D.

According to these latest recommendations, you should be following these guidelines when it comes to vitamin D and your baby:

• Breastfed babies should start receiving vitamin D at birth up until one year of age, regardless of whether the breastfeeding mother is taking vitamin D supplements herself. The recommended dosage is 8.5 to 10 micrograms (ug).
• Formula-fed babies that drink more than 500 mL of infant formula per day do not require vitamin D supplementation

Baby Ddrops was designed for easy administration with newborns. Just put one drop on a clean surface and let the baby suck. This video shows you how easy it is to give Baby Ddrops. For example, you can place the vitamin D drop on a clean finger or on the outside of a baby bottle if the mother pumps her milk. It’s that easy. Baby Ddrops is tasteless and odourless, and 1 drop is barely noticeable even to your baby.

While the NHS recommends that babies begin receiving vitamin D supplements at birth, it is perfectly alright if you did not begin doing this until later. It is common for new parents to not receive this recommendation until their infant’s first medical visit. What is important is for you to begin supplementing your infant’s breast milk with vitamin D as soon as you are informed and ready to do so.

Now that you know when and how to start giving vitamin D to your baby up to one year of age, you’re probably wondering what happens past one year? Well, the NHS recommends that children between the ages of 1 to 4 years continue to be given a daily vitamin D supplement of 10 μg.

Don’t worry if you miss a dose on occasion. Just start your baby’s vitamin D routine again as soon as you remember and continue from then on. There are tricks and tips that you can use to make sure that the baby’s vitamin D routine stays on track. Choose the one that best suits your lifestyle.

Congratulations on your new baby! All of us at Baby Ddrops wish you and your precious bundle of joy lots of love and good health. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Looking for vitamin D recommendations for toddlers to teens, for adults, or pregnant women in the UK?

Interested in the guidelines for Canada or the US? Click here.