Breastfed Babies Need Vitamin D Supplements

Although breast milk is said to contain an array of beneficial nutrients that babies need to grow, it does not provide
sufficient amounts of vitamin D.


Breastfeeding until the first year of life without vitamin D supplementation is said to cause rickets, which results in weak and soft bones.

Vitamin D deficiency rickets among breastfed infants is rare, but it can occur if an infant does not receive additional vitamin D from a vitamin supplement or from adequate exposure to sunlight.

The Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend giving breastfed babies with a daily dose of 400 International Units of vitamin D during the first year of life.