Vitamin D in your child's diet

Vitamin D is crucial for children's good health and development. Read on to find out how much vitamin D your child needs, which sources are the best, and how to avoid getting too little or too much.

Why vitamin D is important

Vitamin D helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and builds strong teeth and bones. According to researcher Michael F. Holick, professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, vitamin D deficiency can not only cause rickets (a disease that can lead to bone deformity and fractures), it can also keep a child from reaching her genetically programmed height and peak bone mass.

Vitamin D also functions as a hormone with many other jobs in the body, including regulation of the immune system, insulin production, and cell growth.

How much vitamin D does my child need?

Infants up to 12 months old need 400 international units (IU), or 10 micrograms (mcg), a day. Children older than 1 need 600 IU, or 15 mcg, a day.

Your child doesn't have to get enough vitamin D every day. Instead, aim to get the recommended amount as an average over the course of a few days or a week.

The best sources of vitamin D

Vitamin D is called the "sunshine vitamin" because the body can produce it when the skin is exposed to sunlight. But your child's body isn't able to make vitamin D when covered with clothing or sunscreen to block the sun's rays. Other obstacles to vitamin D production from sun exposure include smog, clouds, dark skin, and geographic location.

Though it's hard to estimate how much time a person needs to spend in the sun to make the recommended amount of vitamin D, some researchers say spending 5 to 30 minutes outside between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at least twice a week should do it.

But experts warn that UV radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer, and it's hard to judge whether you can get enough vitamin D from the sun without increasing your risk of a potentially deadly skin cancer. So consider finding other ways to get the vitamin D you need.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all infants, children, and teens take vitamin D supplements of 400 IU each day. Kids who are too young for chewable vitamins can take liquid supplements.

Some of the best food sources of vitamin D:

1 ounce salmon: 102 IU
6 ounces fortified yogurt: 80 IU
1 ounce canned tuna, drained and packed in oil: 66 IU
1/2 cup orange juice, fortified with 25 percent of daily value for vitamin D: 50 IU
1/2 cup fortified milk (whole, low-fat, or skim): 49 IU
one slice fortified American cheese: 40 IU
1/2 cup fortified, ready-to-eat cereal: 19 IU
1 ounce mackerel: 11.6 IU
1/2 large egg yolk: 10 IU
1/2 teaspoon fortified margarine: 10 IU
1/2 ounce Swiss cheese: 6 IU
The amount of vitamin D in a food varies somewhat, depending on the brand of the product.

Kids may eat more or less than the amounts shown, given their age and appetite. Estimate the nutrient content accordingly.

Can my child get too much vitamin D?

It's unlikely but possible. On the contrary, many health experts are concerned that the current recommended amount is too low and that children actually need much more.

That said, vitamin D can be harmful if you get too much. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements (a department of the National Institutes of Health), the safe upper limit for infants up to 12 months old is 1,000 to 1,500 IU daily. For kids 1 to 8 years old, the safe upper limit is 2,500 to 3,000 IU each day.

Vitamin D is stored in body tissue, so it's best not to get more than what health experts recommend. (Vitamin C, by contrast, isn't stored in the body – any excess is simply eliminated in urine.)

To be safe, if you have a very young child, stick to the 400 IUs recommended as an infant supplement. More than 400 IUs may be fine for an older child, but check with your child's doctor to be sure.

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