Birth to 2 years
Birth to 6 months
Babies who are exclusively or partially breastfed should be given supplements of 8.5 -10 μg/day in the form of drops.2 Babies who are fed more than 500ml of infant formula a day do not need supplements as the formula is fortified with vitamin D.
6 months to 2 years: Introduction of solids
From 6 months to 1 year, Public Health England recommends between 8.5-10μg of dietary vitamin D per day, which can be achieved through supplements or food sources. Due to the range and volume of a complementary diet, it is difficult to obtain the required amount of vitamin D from diet alone; therefore, the majority of vitamin D will come from follow-on formula or supplement drops. Breast fed infants who do not take vitamin D drops could be at risk of insufficiency, so should take supplement drops up to the age of 12 months.
The diet and nutrition survey of infants and young children (DNSIYC) found the following in relation to vitamin D intake in infants from 6 months to two years:9
