Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms and Treatment in Infants

itamin D is a very important building block for child development. However, in some cases, vitamin D deficiency can occur from the neonatal period. So, what causes vitamin D deficiency in babies and how is it treated?

In this article, we have told you everything you need to know about vitamin D in babies.

Let’s find out first: What is vitamin D, what does it do?

Vitamin D; It is a type of vitamin that is fat-soluble and can be stored in our body’s fat tissue and liver. The biggest source is undoubtedly the sun! Some foods are also very rich in vitamin D.

Vitamin D has great benefits for the body. It provides the greatest support especially for bone and dental health. It also helps the muscle and nervous system to work properly. Not to mention that it increases the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the small intestine!

With all these features, vitamin D is very important for the healthy development of a baby.

What causes vitamin D deficiency in babies?

• You will be the source of vitamin D for your unborn baby. Eating foods rich in vitamin D and making use of sunlight correctly and adequately will enable your baby to synthesize vitamin D as well.
• When the baby is born, it first uses the vitamin D stored in the placenta. However, if you did not take enough vitamin D and you were also deficient in this substance during your pregnancy, there is a high probability that your baby will also suffer from vitamin D deficiency.
• Breast milk is very rich in many nutrients. However, it does not contain enough vitamin D. In such a case, it is possible for the baby fed only with breast milk to experience vitamin D deficiency.
• As we said above, the biggest source of vitamin D is the sun. However, it is not possible for babies to stay under the sun for a long time. It is known that most sunscreen creams disrupt the synthesis principle of vitamin D. This is an element that increases vitamin D deficiency in infants.

Apart from all these;

• Not enought feeding,
• premature birth ,
• Being constantly in dark environments,
• Conditions such as the low socio-economic level of the family also cause vitamin D deficiency in infants.

By the way, let’s mention that vitamin D deficiency in babies becomes clear after about 2 months.

What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency in babies?

• late hardening of the skull,
• deformity in bones,
• Delay in motor skills
• Inability to lengthen the neck
• Muscle weakness (inability to sit and crawl correctly),
• Moodiness,
• Tiredness,
• anorexia ,
• Conditions such as sweating indicate vitamin D deficiency in infants.

“Does vitamin D deficiency in babies cause insomnia?” Let’s answer the question. Yes, vitamin D deficiency can lead to insomnia as it severely affects other hormones as well.

Rickets is the most important disease seen in vitamin D deficiency in infants. Rickets is a disease that includes all the symptoms mentioned above and manifests itself with bone development disorder. In particular, the legs that have taken the form of braces are typical. “What causes vitamin D deficiency in babies?” As an answer to your question, we can tell you this disease.

How to fix vitamin D deficiency in babies?

We said above that breast milk does not contain enough vitamin D. Therefore, treatment of vitamin D deficiency in infants is usually done with drugs in the form of drops. Babies are given vitamin D supplements as soon as they are born. The choice of vitamin D for babies is made by the doctor and the dose is adjusted with the advice of experts. In other words, “How should the use of vitamin D in infants be?”, “Which vitamin D is the best for babies?” You can only get answers to questions like these from your doctor. Do not try to give your baby vitamin D medicine without consulting his doctor, based on hearsay information!

It should be noted that if the baby is formula-fed, he may not need a vitamin D supplement. Because vitamin D in formula foods can be enough to meet its deficiency. The doctor will make this decision based on the baby’s values.

As the baby starts complementary foods, the need for vitamin D supplements will gradually decrease.

Let’s come to “What is good for vitamin D deficiency in babies?” to the answer to the question! With the approval of your doctor, you can prevent vitamin D deficiency in babies by following the recommendations below.

• Make sure your baby gets 10-15 minutes of sunlight a day. Sunbathing in the middle of the day will be beneficial. However, in the summer months, you should apply sunscreens with clean content that will not prevent the synthesis of vitamin D.
• If you are breastfeeding your baby, you should pay attention to your nutrition. You can consume foods such as fish, eggs, dairy products that contain vitamin D. But these alone are not enough, for your information.
• The most important thing is, of course, that you offer the supplement given by your doctor to your baby without interruption!