Best Organic Vitamin D Drops for Infants and Toddlers
Are Vitamin D Drops Essential for Babies?
Vitamin D supports bone health and a healthy immune system in babies. Sadly, most babies do not receive enough vitamin D every day, which can lead to vitamin D deficiency over time. Nicknamed the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D can be produced by the body when exposed to direct sunlight. However, newborns and infants under 6 months of age should only receive indirect sunlight as the ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage their skin.
With this information, it is with good reason the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends infants under 12 months receive 400 IU of vitamin D every day (1). Supplementing with the correct dose of vitamin D is essential for infants, but researching the best organic baby vitamin D drops can be overwhelming; this article will explain everything you need to know.
Baby’s Health and Supplementing Vitamin D
While the AAP recommends vitamin D to prevent rickets, other childhood disorders can be linked to vitamin D deficiency early in life. Studies have found vitamin D deficiency to be more prevalent in children with ADHD (2) since vitamin D plays an active role in cognitive function. Less harmful but more prevalent, vitamin D deficiency can also be linked to eczema and food sensitivities (3). Vitamin D also aids in calcium absorption, which is crucial for healthy bones.
Vitamin D and Breast Milk
While breast milk is full of critical nutrients and vitamins to support your baby’s growth, it is shallow in vitamin D. For this reason, breastfed babies are the most at risk for vitamin D deficiency. Even when the mother is supplementing with the recommended dose of 400 IU vitamin D daily, breast milk’s vitamin D levels are still too low. Adequate vitamin D supplementation for a mother was found to be 64000 IU per day (4). This amount is still not deemed sufficient by the AAP.
When to Start Giving Vitamin D Drops
Start giving vitamin D drops within the first few days of life and continue throughout childhood for breastfed or partially breastfed infants (1). Formula-fed infants receiving 32 ounces of formula daily do not need additional supplementation; infant formula contains enough vitamin D (5).
Are All Vitamin D Supplements Safe?
While the critical ingredient in vitamin D products is the recommended daily dose of vitamin D, all vitamin D drops are not safe. Many brands include harmful inactive ingredients that infants should not consume. Opting for organic drops
will help reduce the toxic ingredients; however, always vet a product for ingredients, whether organic or not. Below is a list of ingredients to avoid.
Ingredients to Avoid
- Polysorbate 80: Polysorbate 80 is an emulsifier commonly used in food products. Since it is also capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, it is often used in drugs as well. While studies have not found it to be carcinogenic (known to cause cancer), it is associated with increased inflammation (6) and an increase in inflammatory diseases (7).
- Citric Acid: Citric acid is widely used in food. While most of us think of citric acid as derived from lemons, manufactured citric acid is commonly made from black mold (8). It is also an excitotoxin, which means it adversely affects the brain and gut
- Natural Flavors: The term “natural flavors” is a broad category that isn’t strictly regulated. This single ingredient alone can contain several harmful ingredients and additives that are not required on the ingredient label
- Refined Oils: Oils such as palm oil, sunflower seed oil, medium chain triglyceride oil, and canola oil are inflammatory and usually hard to digest in baby’s body
Best Organic Vitamin D Drops
Discover our top picks for organic vitamin D drops, ensuring your baby receives the very best.
–Mary Ruth’s Organic Vitamin D3
Mary Ruth’s Organic liquid drops contain the recommended 400 IU of vitamin D in 5 drops. The second ingredient is organic olive oil, which makes this a safe and effective option. Store them at room temperature in a cool, dry place. With all dropper applications, avoid placing the dropper directly in the mouth. Doing this can introduce bacteria to the bottle, causing it to spoil faster. Mary Ruth drops are a fantastic way to supplement vitamin D for your baby. These are the drops I use.
Baby D Drops contain the recommended 400 IU of vitamin D in a single drop. The second ingredient is organic coconut oil, another safe and effective option. Keep the coconut oil in mind if there is a chance the baby has an intolerance to coconut oil. The directions specify placing a single drop on the mother’s nipple before breastfeeding, a practical approach.
–Nordic Naturals Baby’s Vitamin D3
Another two-ingredient option includes Nordic Naturals, which contains the recommended 400 IU of vitamin D in 0.25 mL, as marked by the dropper. The second ingredient is organic extra virgin olive oil. Since there are no preservatives, it is best to use this within 3 months of opening.
There are more, but these are the most popular. I hope you find a great brand for your baby!
If you’re on the journey to less-toxic living and curious about washing your newborn baby’s clothes and what detergents are safe, check out this article.
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- https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/122/5/1142/71470/Prevention-of-Rickets-and-Vitamin-D-Deficiency-in?autologincheck=redirected
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29457493/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5188444/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29457493/
- https://www.genexa.com/blog/should-you-give-vitamin-d-to-babies
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12616296/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6015121/#:~:text=Polysorbate%2080%20has%20been%20associated,of%20Crohn’s%20disease%20%5B34%5D.
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/citric_acid#section=Methods-of-Manufacturing