Vitamin D is very important for a child, since its deficiency can lead to the appearance of problems with the musculoskeletal system at an older age. Some mothers, learning about this, rush to the pharmacy for another jar of artificial preparation with this organic compound. However, this is not necessary. Only a doctor can prescribe this vitamin, because sometimes the harm from it can be more than good. Today we find out what consequences the lack of this element in the body can lead to, whether all children can be given it and in what dosage. We also determine in what form of release the drug with this organic compound is sold, and to what age it is advisable to give such funds.
Role in the body
Whether to give vitamin D to the child is decided only by the mother with the attending doctor. But everyone should know about the importance of this element. So, a sufficient amount of vitamin D guarantees:
- The growth of muscles, bones.
- Strengthening the immune system.
- The strength of the teeth.
- Prevention of the development of rickets.
- Great work of the heart.
- The fight against cancer cells.
- Uninterrupted thyroid function.
- Excellent blood coagulability.
What the lack of this organic compound can lead to
A lack of vitamin D in children can provoke the appearance of such negative consequences:
- Lack of appetite.
- Slow tooth growth.
- bone deformation.
- A decrease in calcium levels, as a result of which rickets can develop.
- Increased excitability.
- Anxiety, timidity.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Problems with internal organs.
- The appearance of bald patches on the back of the head in an infant.
- Delay in development.
- The curvature of the legs.
- Sour smell of sweat, ammonia “aroma” of urine.
- An increase in the fontanel.
Does everyone need to give
When asked if a child needs vitamin D, some pediatricians say no. In Soviet times, everyone was given fish oil to everyone. Now medicine has changed, doctors began to think differently. Some doctors do not consider it necessary to specifically buy this vitamin in a pharmacy. Other pediatricians, on the contrary, prescribe it for the prevention of rickets. Therefore, there is no single answer to the above question. Moms should trust the pediatricians assigned to their babies and already with their specialist discuss the need for taking fish oil or another drug.
Vitamin D is needed for the baby if:
- He started showing signs of rickets.
- The family lives in the north.
- The baby is on artificial feeding.
- During walks, mother uses a baby sunscreen for her baby.
- The newborn is dark-skinned. The fact is that in babies with dark skin, vitamin D is poorly produced.
- They don’t walk the kid, they don’t go out with him.
- The family lives in a large city with a polluted environment.
Organic intake for babies up to 12 months old
Vitamin D for children under one year of age is often prescribed by pediatricians. However, parents should not thoughtlessly run to the pharmacy for the drug. You can talk with the doctor, discuss with him your pastime with the baby. Tell that you walk daily with the baby on the street, breathe fresh air, the face of the son or daughter do not hide from the sun. Also, be sure to tell the pediatrician if you often go out of town with the baby to the country, for example. Indeed, clean air will in no way interfere with the retention of sunlight and the synthesis of vitamin D.
And if the doctor listens to you and analyzes the situation, then of course he will not insist on artificially obtaining this element.
But if the mother really rarely goes out with the baby for a walk on the street, then it is advisable to prescribe vitamin D. Today, the pharmaceutical market offers parents a large selection of products with this element.
Feasibility of using the additive after 1 year
Pediatricians prescribe vitamin D to patients in different ways. Up to what age to give this supplement to the child, only the doctor determines, based on many factors: living conditions, skin color, crumbs, etc. Many doctors recommend taking this vitamin for up to 2 years. However, some experts believe that babies do not need to drink an artificial supplement after 1 year. After all, children in 1 year old already go, their mothers no longer hide under the hoods, so boys and girls receive the necessary dose of vitamin. In addition, if up to 1 year old, the diet of newborns is uniform and the babies who are breast-fed do not receive this element, then after 12 months the babies eat almost everything. Their food becomes diverse, rich in various microelements, including such an organic compound as vitamin D. Children at what age are usually given this element? Pediatricians try to prescribe it up to a maximum of 3 years. After this, the children are prescribed other drugs - complex drugs.
Release form
So, you have decided that additional vitamin D for the child will come in handy. When you go to the pharmacy, you will hear from the pharmacist the question of what form of release you need the drug for. But you do not know anything about him, although you should ask about it in advance. So, vitamin D for a child is made in three forms:
- Alcohol solution.
- Dragee.
- Oil solution.
Dosage
- Premature babies - 8 thousand IU per day.
- Healthy full-term babies - from 2 weeks to 500 IU per day.
If you need to cure rickets, then use an oil or alcohol solution. It is better to use the first form of the drug, since in the second case there is a high likelihood of hypervitaminosis. In this case, you need to take 1 drop daily for a month.
Vitamin D2 is prescribed for softening bones. The dosage in this case is 3 thousand IU for 1.5 months. It is also prescribed for insufficiency of the parathyroid glands, for bone diseases (up to 1 million IU per day).
And if you go too far
Some people believe that a lack of vitamin D in a child is worse than an excess of it in the body. But this is not so. Parents should be aware that the uncontrolled intake of this element can negatively affect the health status of the child. With an overdose, such negative manifestations are possible:
- Fragility of bones.
- Impaired renal function, heart, liver.
- Loss of appetite.
- Nausea.
- Headache.
- General weakness.
- The appearance of protein in the urine, white blood cells.
- An increase in body temperature.
- Irritability, nervousness.
If such symptoms are observed, then you need to stop feeding the baby with such an element as vitamin D. How much to give the child this synthetic product, only the doctor should decide. Mom alone should in no case establish the dosage of the drug.
Optimal release form
Many parents are lost and do not know which vitamin D to give the child: oily or aqueous? If you buy the drug as the first option, then you can overdo it and give the crumbs too much. But an aqueous medication often causes an allergic reaction in babies, as well as inflammation in the intestines. But this is not always and not at all. There is no optimal form of release, for a single newborn, its own dosage and type of drug is suitable.
Pharmacy medicines: names
Some parents do not think about whether to give their child vitamin D - they go straight to the pharmacy for medicine. To their surprise, there are many other drugs sold besides Soviet fish oil. For example, the popular means are Aquadetrim, Vigantol. Also, the pharmacist can recommend the drug "Kolecalciferol." There is a more expensive tool - "D3 Devisol Drops." Some doctors think this is the best vitamin D for children. Although Dr. Komarovsky has different views on this topic. The famous pediatrician believes that the sun and a varied diet are considered the best vitamin D. And various synthetic drugs will never be better than natural methods of influencing the body.
Expediency of application in the summer
If vitamin D for a child in winter is necessary due to the fact that the sun in the winter season does not secrete enough of this necessary element, and babies rarely go outside in the cold season, then drinking this organic compound in the heat is not right. If children walk outside in the summer, eat animal products, then they do not need additional intake of this important element. It is enough to be in a children's or sports ground for half an hour so that the body independently develops the necessary amount of vitamin D in the skin. However, if a child doesn’t even go outside in the summer due to certain circumstances (he is in the hospital, does not get out of bed due to an illness, etc.), then he needs to take this element for prevention.
It is interesting
Vitamin D is of several types, the most common are D2 and D3. In the first case, a person receives it with food, and in the second - with sunlight. D3 is a more powerful organic compound, it covers up to 95% of the body's needs for this element.
Cost
The price of preparations containing vitamin D can be different and depend on several factors: the form of release of the product, the amount of packaging, the number of tablets, the location of the pharmacy and its wrapping. For example, for an oil solution with a volume of 10 ml, you will have to pay about 130 rubles. If you buy vitamin D in capsules (60 pieces), then you need to pay about 900 rubles. When purchasing an aqueous solution (10 ml), you need to prepare about 200 rubles.
Conclusion
From the article you learned a lot of interesting information regarding such an organic compound as vitamin D: how old it is to give this element to a child, is it obligatory for children under 3 to take it, which is fraught with a lack of this vitamin in the body. We realized that doctors are ambivalent in the opinion that artificial preparations with this organic compound are so necessary for children. Some believe that it is enough to be outside, bask in the warm sun and eat right. And then you do not need to buy additional synthetic preparations with vitamin D.