Vitamin D3 for immune support

[SilverMoon010]

For those who choose not to vaccinate, how much vitamin D do you give your children daily (specifically toddlers around 2 or 2 1/2 years old) to keep their immune systems strong? I've been trying to search what the daily allowance of D3 for toddlers is (my son is a little over 2 years old (28 months). I can't find an accurate figure on this and I don't want to give him too much D3. He is taking a multivitamin with 400 iu of D3 in it and I just bought an additional supplment of D3 today that has 200 iu in it. I was thinking I could give him the additional supplement of D3 in addition to his multivitamin which would equal 600 iu daily. He also gets yogurt every day and he loves cheese. Is this too much in supplements daily? I want his immune system to be as strong as possible, especially in wintertime months when he gets no sun at all. If anyone has a reputable link that explains the max. limit allowed, please feel free to share. Thank you!

[Fraurloth]

Hi Mandy,
I'm not sure, but I recommend you post a question on Mike Adam's Facebook page. He talks about Vitamin D all the time, actually he just made a recent video. So, he may have mentioned what kind of blood levels young people might need to build the immune system.

Plus, if you are of lighter complexion or as people call it "white", then your child needs about thirty minutes to an hour of sunshine a day to produce enough Vitamin D. If you're of darker complexion or as some people call it "black", you need about two to three hours of sun a day.

You can find Mike Adam's website www.naturalnews.com or his Facebook page which is called Natural News. You can post a question there and he'll probably answer it via video. He seems to really enjoy talking about Vitamin D and immunity.

[ema-adama]

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Poke around this website.

[SuburbanHippie]

My kids all get 2,000-3,000 IUs daily from August through May. They are 11, 7, 5, and 3.

[Ethelpea]

My 4 children get between 2,000 IUs per day of D3 during the warmer months when they are out more often (April-August/Sept) and 5,000 IUs per day the rest of the year.

My children are 2, 5, 7, and 9.

We are in NE Ohio and if we're famous for anything, it is our cloudy days.

[SilverMoon010]

Do you guys get your children tested regularly for vitamin D, or did you initially test for vitamin D before or after giving D supplements? I just read an article by Dr. Mercola and he said you should test regularly for vit D to make sure you are not deficient or that you don't have too much vitamin D. My first thought is that there is no way my 2-year-old will allow me to get him tested regularly!!! I know it would be ideal to get tested regularly but I don't see it happening.

[Fraurloth]

This is not necessary, but I would say try an initial test and supplement from there. Really the most crucial months are about September through as late as May, depending on where you live. Because I live here in Florida I see little point in doing VD3 supplementation until about September into February.

Even then it's generally warm enough to go outside in shorts and a light jacket. The main thing is taking enough antioxidants (cacao, goji berries, etc.) and getting proper sun exposure in the summer months. So, once winter rolls around you may need a light supplementation. Never forget the super foods because they are essential, too.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Mandy F

Do you guys get your children tested regularly for vitamin D, or did you initially test for vitamin D before or after giving D supplements? I just read an article by Dr. Mercola and he said you should test regularly for vit D to make sure you are not deficient or that you don't have too much vitamin D. My first thought is that there is no way my 2-year-old will allow me to get him tested regularly!!! I know it would be ideal to get tested regularly but I don't see it happening.

My 2 yr old was taking 2,400/day, but had actually dropped since his last test 6 month ago when he was taking 1600mg, so is now taking 3,400mg.

Personally I think everyone needs to get tested regularly. It is so easy and you can test a 2 yr old yourself. I joined grassroots health. They send you a kit every 6 months (they are about 70 bucks including shipping and lab fee) and it is a finger stick (ZRT labs). How can you supplement if you don't even have a baseline?

http://www.grassrootshealth.net/

[amnesiac]

Since this is about immune support rather than vaccines I'm moving to H&H.

[SweetSurrender]

I would love to get our whole family tested to have a baseline like pp said but that's not possible right now. Regardless, I feel pretty comfortable giving my kids (ages 5, 4, & 2) 2000 IU's daily during the winter months and a bit more if anyone gets sick. Hubby & I take between 4000-6000 IU's per day in the winter. Supplementing with those amounts made a huge different in our whole family not getting sick very often last winter. It was our first year doing so and we saw a big difference in our overall health & well being.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by SweetSurrender

I would love to get our whole family tested to have a baseline like pp said but that's not possible right now. Regardless, I feel pretty comfortable giving my kids (ages 5, 4, & 2) 2000 IU's daily during the winter months and a bit more if anyone gets sick. Hubby & I take between 4000-6000 IU's per day in the winter. Supplementing with those amounts made a huge different in our whole family not getting sick very often last winter. It was our first year doing so and we saw a big difference in our overall health & well being.

Ditto.

Plus Blue Ice or Radiant Life cod liver oil for the vitamin A that D also needs to work in complement.