Do you give your toddler Vitamin D?

[Jen78fl]

Hi all. Well I am trying to figure out if I should give my 16 month old daughter Vitamin D. I have some drops that are 600 IU each. I am still BFng and I take 1000 to 2000 IU of Vit D a day, but I am not sure if that is enough for her to get much in breastmilk. My son tends to bring home a lot of viruses and Im wondering if I should give my DD extra Vit D to keep her from getting sick. I appreciate any advice!

Jennifer

[ellairiesmom]

Hi there,
We are also worried about lacking Vit D & getting sick...I am 27 weeks preg & am going to have my Vit D level checked tmrw to see what I should be adding into my routine. I am still nursing but I think my milk stopped around 24 weeks of the pregnancy. DD is 25 mos & I just started her on a gummy bear vit d I found at Whole Foods. I never did the drops they suggested at the Ped when she was younger because we were breastfeeding but I also never checked my own level so I guess I don't know if that was enough.

Since DD#2 will be born in a few months, I want to make sure I have enough Vit D to give her while BFing to keep her safe from germs/flu etc.

The more I am reading about Vit D & our immune systems, the more I am convinced it is the way to go.

[Megan73]

Originally Posted by ellairiesmom

The more I am reading about Vit D & our immune systems, the more I am convinced it is the way to go.

Me, too. I've heard adults need 2,000 IU a day but how much for kids? I'm still nursing so DS gets some there, plus he drinks some cow's milk at DC but I'm still thinking it would be good to supplement. I know the 400 IU they say kids need is just enough to prevent rickets – not to get all the benefits.
Must research this...

[ellairiesmom]

I read some threads here where folks who were taking a decent amount still tested in the 30 range & were told to add more to their daily intake but I am still learning the #s a little??? And for the LOs, unless you need to have bloodwork done for something else & can have the Vit D thrown in, we have no way of knowing their level & how much is enough to give them???

Also gotta learn more on this...

[sh0rtchica]

subbing for more info too! i just started taking 2000 IUI/day for myself, and have really felt great since then. i bought infant drops for DS but am unsure about giving them to him - he's only 8 mos. i just don't want him to get sick this winter, especially since we had a "falling out" with his pedi and i haven't lined up a new one yet. i'd love to hear if anyone is giving them to their LO!

[desamom]

I have always been skeptical about Vitamin D because it's always been presented as a necessary supplement when breastfeeding and then I go to the drugstore and see that all the major formula companies are the ones who make Vitamin D for infants.

However, I've been reading a lot more recently about the benefits of Vitamin D, especially in light of the recent "scare" around H1N1. So I decided it was time for DD and I to start taking it. She is 19 months old and I have never given it to her before.

I asked my naturopath for a recommendation and she told me 1000IUs/day for my DD and 2000IUs/day for me. We take a Genestra Brand that is a liquid (emulsified) and really easy to take (drops that taste lemony!).

[deditus]

Heck yeah. We live in MN so I know we aren't making any from the sun. Dd gets 400iu in her multivit and I give her 1 drop of Carlson's 400iu D drops, and usually about once a week I give her 1 drop of my D Drops, the 2000iu so she gets around a 1000ius/day on average.

[lifeguard]

I hadn't done vit. d with ds until just recently. For the first year of his life we were in Costa Rica & then Canadian summer so I didn't feel he needed it but now it's getting darker here & we've all upped our vit. d intake in this house. Dh has been doing a lot of reading about lately too & feels it's really important.

[Drummer's Wife]

My toddler is a bit older - he's 31 months, 34 lbs - but I give him 1,000 iu a day (well, most days.)

Myself, I have been taking 5000 iu a day for the past several weeks. I plan to get my levels checked sometime in the near future, but I am sure I am on the low end.

[kdescalzi]

I have talked to a few naturopaths who say that the rdi is very low. I take at least 4000iu or more daily (the amount needed to fend off viruses) dd is 5 mos and gets at least 400iu or double that. ds is 3 and gets about 1000iu daily.

[Yiskah64]

We do.. especially since we don't really get it from the sun October-April (live in PA). My doctor said I should take 8000 and give DD 1000. It seems like that is the general consesus for LOs. I use the LiquiD3 and just put a drop in some yogurt for her every other day (she is 13 mo).

[Jen78fl]

Thanks everyone for the input!

[mama2soren]

Yes, we use Source Naturals Vit. D. I give DS (18 months) 1000 mu (one drop), and I take 2000 per day. I bought it at Whole Foods.

[Picard]

Yes. We apply it trans-dermally. We started about a month ago. DS is 18 months. We're not very consistent. Still on the fence if it is all hype or not.

[sunshadow]

Yes I give her drops. They are not for kids specifially. I got them from her ped and they are aprox. 400 iu a drop. She also gets fish oil which has vit D in it also and her multi vitamin. If she has the sniffles I up the amount. I personally take 4000 iu. I started doing that when I was breastfeeding her. I cut back to 2000 iu in the summer, thinking it was summer and I am going out to get vit D, yet I was still borderline low. So, I started taking more again. I also take fish oil and prenatal. So I get at least 5000+ iu a day.

[hrsmom]

So far I just make sure we spend a lot of time in the sun. I think the need for supplementing depends on where you live and how much time you're able to spend in the sun. We have lots of sunny days where I live and it doesn't get too too cold during the day, so we're lucky that way.

[doudat]

Geez, I thought I was being moderate, but dd gets 2000iu and I take 6000iu. I'm really trying to boost our immune systems since we're not getting vaxed for H1N1 and we get little to no sun around here these days, at least none without hand, head and total body coverage (hurray for Canadian winters )

[St. Margaret]

I do. When DD was a baby, we just would walk in the sun with just a dipe on, every day at a good time or two. But now I give her the drops, and I'll probably give drops to my next baby starting at a fairly young age. There's just been too much impressive research lately about the importance of vit D and how we don't get enough without spending time outside totally naked . Seriously, if it can help prevent cancer, any baby of mine (lots of BC in my family) is getting it.

[gbailey]

I was giving DD (18 months) one drop of Carlson's (400 I.U.s) per day until her pediatrician told me that's not enough. She suggested 800 to 1,000. I give DD 800 for now. One drop with her milk in the morning and one drop in the evening.

[jadedqueen123]

I also supplement DD (18 months) and have since she was about four months old. During the summer we are outside a lot so I didn't then but now that fall is here (northern MN) we don't see hardly any sun for many months so she gets a drop of 2,000 IU's every other day. If I can get her to eat her multivitamin she gets an extra 200 IU's. We still nurse as well and I take between 2-5,000 a day. I use the carlson's drops and just put the drop on her chewable acidophulus and she has not problem taking it.