What to know
Vitamin D supports healthy bone development. It helps prevent rickets, a condition that causes weak or deformed bones. Learn more about vitamin D considerations for breastfed infants.
Do infants get enough vitamin D from breast milk?
No. Breast milk alone does not provide infants with enough vitamin D. Shortly after birth, most breastfed infants will need an additional source of vitamin D through a supplement.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that breastfed and partially breastfed infants receive 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily beginning in the first few days of life.
Families who do not wish to provide a supplement directly to their infant should discuss the risks and benefits of maternal high-dose supplements with a health care provider.
All children need vitamin D beginning shortly after birth.
Children younger than 12 months old need 400 IU of vitamin D each day.
Children 12 to 24 months old need 600 IU of vitamin D each day.
Why are breastfed infants at risk for vitamin D deficiency?
The risk for vitamin D deficiency increases when there is limited exposure to sunlight or when an infant is not consuming an adequate amount of vitamin D.
Other factors that decrease the amount of vitamin D a person can make from sunlight include:
- Living at high latitudes (closer to the polar regions), particularly during winter.
- High levels of air pollution.
- Dense cloud covering.
- The degree to which clothing covers the skin.
- Use of sunscreen.
- Darker skin types.
Because adequate sunshine exposure varies and sunshine exposure may increase the risk of skin cancer, vitamin D supplementation is recommended for breastfed infants.
Did you know?
Learn more:
- Micronutrient Facts: Vitamin D
- Infant and Toddler Nutrition: Vitamin D
- Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents—American Academy of Pediatrics
- Policy Statement on Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure for Children and Adolescents—American Academy of Pediatrics
- How to protect children from too much sun exposure—CDC
- Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals—National Institutes of Health
- Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Consumers—National Institutes of Health