If you’re a new parent, you know there are many different things to remember. Even remembering to take your vitamins can be challenging, let alone managing your child’s nutritional needs. Therefore, I forgot to give my baby vitamin D drops is an expected phrase from new moms
Don’t worry if you forget to give your infant vitamin D drops. If you miss a dose, it won’t harm your baby.
In this article, I’ll explain the importance of vitamin D, why it’s not a cause for concern when you forget to give your baby vitamin D drops, and offer you a few suggestions on how to avoid making the same mistake again.
What Is Vitamin D?
Since calcium is the main component of the skeleton and helps with calcium absorption, vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth.
Our food chain contains vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 of different types. While vitamin D3 is obtained from animal sources, vitamin D2 is obtained from plant sources.
The majority of our food sources for vitamin D3 include fatty fish, egg yolks, milk (which is required to be fortified in Canada), and other fortified foods.
To increase a baby’s blood vitamin D concentration, vitamin D2, and vitamin D3 are both sufficient.
Why Do Babies Need Vitamin D Drops?
Your baby’s calcium and phosphorus absorption is primarily ensured by vitamin D. As a result, strong bones, and strong teeth are guaranteed. Giving a recommended dose of drops once daily, starting within the first two months after birth and continuing until the child is twelve months old, is the best way to make sure they get the recommended amount of vitamin D.
Otherwise, breast milk would be the best source of nutrition for a newborn since it contains sufficient amounts of vitamin D. Because of a few factors, it is also practically impossible to make up for the lack of it in breast milk by exposing your baby to sunlight.
The delicate skin of a baby may not be able to withstand direct sunlight well, and skin cancer from sun exposure should not be taken lightly. Not all parts of the world receive sunlight equally throughout the year.
A formula-fed baby who drinks 32 ounces per day will get enough vitamin D. If not, they would still require supplementation. Hence, the cause for alarm when you forget to give your baby vitamin D drops.
How Frequently Do Young Children Lack Vitamin D?
70% of kids are Vitamin D deficient all year long in the US alone. It doesn’t matter what season or what time of year it is. Deficit risk still exists for children. The sun will aid synthesis and production on a small scale during the summer.
In addition, children with vitamin D deficiency may develop brittle bones that break much more easily. Due to the subtle nature of the symptoms, the issue is extremely widespread. The warning signs that your child is experiencing often go unnoticed by parents.
What Will Happen If I Forget To Give My Baby Vitamin D Drops?
If you forget to give your child their vitamin D dose, make sure to do so right away. Then, just concentrate on getting back on course.
Avoid taking two doses at once because doing so could be detrimental. After skipping a dose, it’s crucial to resume your baby’s regular dosing schedule.
Also, water does not dissolve vitamin D. It dissolves in fat. As a result, it usually stays in the body for a long time. Given that the baby should have enough vitamin D from the previous drops and the breast milk or formula added together, skipping one day of your infant’s vitamin D supplement routine should not result in a serious deficiency.
I Forgot To Give My Baby Vitamin D Drops Often, What Should I Do?
No harm will come if you occasionally forget to give your baby a vitamin D supplement, despite how crucial it is to do so every day. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something to stop it from happening again. To help you remember to give it to your baby, here are some helpful tips:
- Be Consistent And Make It A Habit.
Try to administer the drop to your infant at roughly the same time each day. It can be done before or after a daily activity that you engage in. Set aside a location and stay with it for feeding your infant. Choose a convenient location, such as close to your baby’s cot or the area where you nurse.
- Keep Vitamin D Drops Handy
Keep a few bottles of the supplement handy. When deciding how many bottles to purchase at once, consider the supplement’s volume in the bottle, the volume of a dose, and its expiration date. Another smart move would be to set a reminder for when your stock runs out.
- Make Use of Checklists
Having checklists on the side of our kitchen refrigerator is helpful. Downloadable, printable checklists are available to help you remember, so you won’t worry if you forget to give your child vitamin D drops.
- Create Reminders
Try using your smartphone’s alarm or reminder functions if maintaining a routine is difficult. Post sticky notes on or close to items you frequently use, such as the refrigerator or bathroom mirror.
What Dosage Of Vitamin D Should I Give My Child?
400 IU of vitamin D per day is what Health Canada advises. This quantity is adequate for infants’ calcium metabolism and bone health. To determine how much to give the baby of the supplement you purchased, look at the bottle.
Most infant vitamin D drops come in liquid form. The supplement is administered using a dropper. Droppers typically disperse a pre-dosed quantity or one drop at a time.
In either case, make sure you read the supplement label carefully to determine the correct dosage. This ensures that your child will receive 400 IU of vitamin D per day.
Adult and older children’s vitamin D supplements frequently contain higher doses, up to 1000 IU/dose. To ensure proper dosage, I advise buying vitamin D drops for infants, it simplifies things for new and exhausted parents.
Additionally, only purchase supplements with a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Drug Identification Number (DIN). These registration numbers are only given to goods that have undergone a Health review, especially in Canada.
I Forgot To Give My Baby Vitamin D Drops, Can I Take It In Place Of My Child?
Theoretically, yes, but in reality, not exactly because it would only apply to breastfeeding mothers.
This idea has been examined in one randomized controlled trial in the USA. In the first seven months of life, researchers looked at the effects of supplementing mothers rather than infants.
Mothers either took a supplement of 6,400 IU/day for themselves or gave their babies a 400 IU/day vitamin D supplement, as advised by Health Canada at the time. No matter the supplementation plan, all mothers were exclusively nursing.
For the first seven months of life, infants using both methods had adequate vitamin D status, according to research. But! A very high concentration of vitamin D was also present in the baby’s blood due to the mother’s supplementation with such a high dose.
The maximum daily dose recommended by Health Canada was more than 3 times higher than the dose that mothers took (6,400 IU/d). Although the supplementation had no known toxic side effects, there is still no evidence that having a high vitamin D status has any positive effects on health.
When Should I Stop Giving My Baby Vitamin D Drops?
Continue doing so until your child is regularly consuming solid foods, including vitamin D-rich foods. This occurs around the age of two when your baby has adapted to a balanced, adult diet that includes three meals and snacks each day.
Food Sources Of Vitamin D include:
- Fatty fish like salmon and tuna (fresh or canned)
- yolk-containing eggs
- Animal milk
- Vegetable
- Products made from milk that has been fortified.
If your baby drinks mostly cow’s milk (or formula, or fortified plant-based milk), in addition to eating a variety of solid foods three times a day, you can stop the vitamin D supplement.
However, continue the vitamin D supplement if you are still only providing breast milk. Till the infant eats a balanced diet, probably around age 2, give a vitamin D supplement.
How To Check The Vitamin D Levels In My Baby
Small children may experience vitamin D deficiency at any time of the year. It’s crucial to realize that levels can still fall below the reference range even if your child spends a lot of time outside in the sun.
Parents who are curious about their child’s vitamin D levels but haven’t noticed any overt signs of low vitamin D can use the at-home tests method.
Also, all children should have their vitamin D levels checked, and those who are deemed high-risk should have a blood test, advises John Hopkins Medicine.
If you believe your baby needs a blood test, ask your pediatrician to have one. Additionally, you can search online for a suggested at-home test that has received positive reviews from parents and pediatricians.
Having your child’s blood tested periodically while they are young can help you understand where they are.
People who are deficient in vitamin D may benefit from taking supplements because it affects mood stability, immunity to common illnesses, and energy levels. If levels are low, taking supplements may be a gentle way to strengthen the immune system as a whole.
Does it Matter If I Breastfeed or Use a Bottle?
Vitamin D levels in breast milk are only around 50 IU per quart, which is not particularly high. In comparison to breastmilk, formula-drinking babies receive more supplements in their bottles.
This means that mothers who breastfeed should either give their infant a supplement or take up to 6,400 IU of vitamin D per day to help their child meet the recommended daily allowance.
Does Increasing Vitamin D in Baby Pose Any Risks?
It’s not a big deal if you used the dropper too much or if two (or three) drops fell. Nothing bad will happen overnight, but you should follow the posology and aim for 400 IU/d!
However, taking supplements in high doses repeatedly can be harmful. The maximum daily dose of vitamin D that a baby can have before experiencing toxic effects is 1,000 IU (for babies 0-6 months old). For infants aged (7 to 12 months); 1,500 IU/d and 2,500 IU/d for babies (1-3 years old).
Intake of calcium is aided by vitamin D. Overeating can lead to a calcium buildup in the baby’s body, which is extremely dangerous.
Numerous studies on vitamin D indicate that it may be useful in treating or preventing a variety of illnesses. However, there hasn’t been any solid proof to date that giving babies more than 400 IU/d is beneficial.
There is currently insufficient evidence to support vitamin D doses in infants that are higher than 400 IU/d without introducing additional risks.
Conclusion
Your newborn should receive daily vitamin D supplements from the age of two months to twelve months. But you shouldn’t worry if you forget to give your baby vitamin d drops.
Don’t double the dose to make up for the missed one; just keep going. To ensure that you won’t forget again and to have a healthy baby, use some of the advice provided in this guide.
Additionally, it’s unlikely that your baby’s vitamin D levels will be significantly impacted if you forget to give them a dose. Maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D should be considered a long-term strategy to enhance anyone’s quality of life in general and a health booster.
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