How often should newborns take vitamin D supplements?

Many new mothers believe that their babies are just born and therefore they are definitely not lacking in any nutrition. In fact, this perception is still debatable, because even newborn babies are prone to lack of certain nutrients in their bodies, which is related to the nutrition supplemented by pregnant women during pregnancy. Take vitamin D for example, some newborns need to be supplemented in time, so how often should newborns supplement vitamin D?

The content of vitamin D in breast milk is very low. According to research, the average vitamin D content in colostrum is 16.9 international units per liter, and the average vitamin D content in mature milk is 26 international units per liter. Especially in the cold seasons in the north and the rainy seasons in the south, because children have little outdoor activities and cannot sunbathe, relying solely on breastfeeding cannot meet the vitamin D needs of children's development. Vitamin D deficiency is prone to occur, causing vitamin D deficiency rickets in children, and children will experience mental and bone changes. Therefore, breastfed children must supplement with an additional 400 to 800 international units of vitamin D every day.

Exclusively breastfed infants may need to supplement 400 to 800 international units of vitamin D daily starting 1 to 2 weeks after birth. Babies in the south need to supplement 400 to 600 international units every day during the rainy season. Babies in the north need 600 to 800 international units per day during the cold winter season. Premature babies should also increase the dosage to 600 to 800 international units per day. For those who have difficulty taking vitamin D orally every day, infants can be given 50,000 to 100,000 international units of vitamin D orally once a month.

To prevent the occurrence of rickets, the first thing to do is to ensure that children get enough vitamin D. However, infants and young children under three years old grow and develop very quickly, and their bodies have a relatively large demand for various nutrients, so it is difficult to get enough vitamin D from food. Therefore, experts recommend that preventive vitamin D supplementation should begin two weeks after the child is born, or at the latest four weeks, that is, 400 international units of vitamin D per day, until the child is three years old. Premature infants and low birth weight infants should supplement 800 international units of vitamin D daily in the first three months, and then reduce to 400 international units per day. After a child turns three, their growth and development slows down, their outdoor activities increase, and their diet becomes more diversified, so preventive vitamin D supplementation is generally no longer necessary.