Daily Dose of Vitamin D (as seen on babyvibe.com)

Spring is coming…and with it, more natural Vitamin D from the sun shining on our children’s faces.

In April 2003, The American Academy of Pediatrics announced that breastfed infants should get a Vitamin D supplement to prevent rickets, a bone-softening disease linked with inadequate intake. Weakened bones in small children result in bowed legs, soft skulls, and delays in crawling and walking and doctors were seeing a resurgence of cases. Infants and children get all the Vitamin D they need to prevent rickets by getting ten to twenty minutes of sunshine every day.

The problem for Canadians, especially on the West Coast, is twofold – we can go days without sunshine during our winters and the increased use of sunscreens blocks the natural synthesis of Vitamin D. But there is more to this incredibly complex fat-soluable vitamin. Recent studies have stated that Vitamin D is vital in activating our immune systems, one of the reasons why kids are more sick with flus and colds in the winter. Researchers have found that our T-cells (“killer cells”) require Vitamin D to attack the bugs that we catch – without enough of this vitamin, our T-cells stay asleep. So to not only keep our children’s bones strong and healthy but to boost their developing immune systems and kick the T-cells into action, make sure you are supplementing with adequate Vitamin D along with daily sun exposure (but pass on the sunscreen for the first 20 minutes – in the heat of the summer, take your kids for a walk before 10am or after 2pm to prevent burns).

For food sources, you’ll find Vitamin D in salmon and eggs, both very nourishing for the whole family.

As for how much to supplement, experts are still trying to determine the optimal dose but are presently recommending 25-50 micrograms/1000-2000IU for adults and at least 400IU for infants and children.

So enjoy that sun peaking out behind the clouds, especially while we have it!

Thanks to Dr. Stephanie Bonn for this article!