(Video uploaded 10/2025)

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Infants and Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for growing bones. Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants, however, it does not contain much vitamin D. If your baby is exclusively breastfed or is taking both breast milk and infant formula milk, it is recommended to give your baby a vitamin D supplement of 400 International Units (IU) (10 micrograms) every day. This can ensure your baby gets enough vitamin D.

Vitamin D supplements for babies come in the form of liquid drops. They are available at chain dispensaries. The amount of vitamin D may vary among different products. If you buy one at a store, make sure to check the product label and choose the one with a daily dosage of 400 IU of vitamin D.

At Maternal and Child Health Centres, we provide newborn babies with a bottle of vitamin D drops, where each drop contains 400 IU of vitamin D. Whether you buy the product yourself or get it from the Maternal and Child Health Centre, it's important to follow the instructions on the product label or drug label carefully. This helps avoid giving your baby too much vitamin D.

The following will explain how to give the vitamin D supplements provided by the Maternal and Child Health Centre to your baby.

The vitamin D supplement you get from the Maternal and Child Health Centre comes with a drug label that says:

This is cholecalciferol drops, which is vitamin D drops. Each drop has 400 IU of vitamin D. The instructions say to give your baby one drop once a day. Please follow the label and give only one drop each day to your baby.

Here's how you can give one drop of the vitamin D supplement to your baby. First, use the dropper to take a little bit of the vitamin D supplement from the bottle. If you take too much, you can squeeze some of the supplement back into the bottle. So, there's only a small amount left at the tip. This way, you won't give your baby too much vitamin D. Then, gently squeeze out one drop for the baby.

You can give your baby the vitamin D supplement in a few different ways:

First, you can give the supplement directly to your baby. Or you can mix the drop with a little bit of breastmilk or infant formula milk in a sterilised spoon and give that to your baby. If your baby has started eating solid foods, you can mix the supplement with some pureed food on a spoon and offer it that way. Or you can put the supplement onto the nipple or surrounding area of the breast and let your baby suckle for 30 seconds.

You should store the vitamin D supplement in the fridge after opening according to the instruction on the drug label. Please check the expiration date on the label. Don't give the supplement to your baby if it has been more than five months since you opened the bottle. Throw it away and use a new one. It's a good idea to write down the date you opened it as a reminder.

Your baby needs 400 IU of vitamin D every day. Just give your baby one drop of the vitamin D supplement daily, and that's enough.

Finally, a reminder for everyone:

Be careful not to give your baby too much vitamin D. Don't give more than 400 IU of the supplement in one day. Also, don't give your baby other products that also contain vitamin D, such as cod liver oil or any other nutrient supplements containing vitamin D.

If you have any questions, please talk to a healthcare professional.