Recommended amount of VIT D for young

This is very important for newborns, infants, children and adolescence. So moms please take note.

The amount of VIT D given to our children must be doubled. This is according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). All children should receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life to prevent Rickets and Vitamin D deficient in infants, children, and adolescents.

If you can recall, the previous recommendation which was issued in 2003 was only 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life.

"We are doubling the recommended amount of vitamin D children need each day because evidence has shown this could have life-long health benefits," said Frank Greer, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Nutrition and co-author of the report. “Supplementation is important because most children will not get enough vitamin D through diet alone.”

The new recommendations include:

• Breastfed and partially breastfed infants should be supplemented with 400 IU a day of vitamin D beginning in the first few days of life.
• All non-breastfed infants, as well as older children, who are consuming less than one quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk, should receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU a day.
• Adolescents who do not obtain 400 IU of vitamin D per day through foods should receive a supplement containing that amount.
• Children with increased risk of vitamin D deficiency, such as those taking certain medications, may need higher doses of vitamin D.