Infants who are exclusively breastfed but who do not receive supplemental vitamin D or adequate sunlight exposure are at increased risk of developing
Manages Jaundice or Yellowing of the Skin
Sunlight helps break down bilirubin – a yellowish compound that occurs in the natural catabolic pathway – so that a baby's liver can process it more easily. The unchecked growth of bilirubin can cause the yellowing of a newborn baby's skin.
Sunlight exposure has a lots of health benefits for infants, it helps the body to produce vitamin D that helps the body to absorb calcium [1]. Also has a function of strengthening bones thereby preventing rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults and possibly inhibiting growth of some cancers [2].
While children under 6 months old should never be exposed to the sun, once they reach 6 months, they should wear sunglasses outside. If they require prescription glasses, they should also wear prescription sunglasses.
The exposure time must be limited and controlled. Between 7 and 10 minutes per day is ideal, though it depends on the amount of sun that penetrates through the window. Changing the baby's position during the exposure is recommended, so that it is uniform.
Since 90-95% of the body's vitamin D comes from sunlight, many health experts suggest that babies be exposed to indirect sunlight on a daily basis; up to 10 minutes per day. If their skin is darker, children can be in the sun for a little longer.
Later, a lot of studies have shown that exposing babies to sunlight for 30 minutes a week helps children get enough essential vitamin D for the body. Daily exposure to the sun is very beneficial for the overall development of your child.
So the recommendation is that the baby should receive its own oral vitamin D drops containing 7-8.5µg per day from 4 weeks of birth until the age of 5 years. Waiting until the baby is 6 months may be too late to prevent development of symptoms. Mothers may also develop symptoms of deficiency themselves.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children from infancy through adolescence receive at least 400 IUs of vitamin D daily. But the AAP also recommends that babies and children be kept out of direct sun as much as possible (and to wear sunscreen when outdoors) to protect against skin cancer.
The sun's damaging UV rays can bounce back from sand, snow, or concrete; so be particularly careful in these areas. Most of the sun's rays can come through the clouds on an overcast day; so use sun protection even on cloudy days.
Studies have shown that in order for the newborn to sleep soundly through the night, you should let him/her spend enough time in the sunlight during daytime. This is important especially for babies up to 3 months of age.
At home, we recommend placing your baby in indirect sunlight with just a diaper on. You can do this in the home next to a window, even on a cloudy day. Hold them in the light for ten to fifteen minutes at a time, three to four times a day. The sunlight helps to break down the bilirubin.
Most people with a vitamin D deficiency do not have any symptoms. If they do, common symptoms are muscle weakness or cramps, bone pain, feeling tired or being depressed. Vitamin D deficiency can cause babies and children to get rickets. Rickets is a disease that causes thin, weak and deformed bones.
Breastfed babies need vitamin D drops the entire time they're breastfeeding, even if they're supplementing with formula, until they start getting enough vitamin D from solids.
You can't get Vitamin D through a window and most people don't spend enough time outdoors to meet their needs. The best way to increase Vitamin D levels is through a combination of sunlight exposure, diet, and supplementation.
pain – the bones affected by rickets can be sore and painful, so the child may be reluctant to walk or may tire easily; the child's walk may look different (waddling) skeletal deformities – thickening of the ankles, wrists and knees, bowed legs, soft skull bones and, rarely, bending of the spine.
Drops should be given on a daily basis for babies who are breastfed. Your child's doctor might ask you to supplement your breastfed baby's diet with vitamin D drops. These drops can help protect your child against rickets and sure up their bone health.
Begin the drops in the first week or two of life. Then, at 4 months of age (sooner if a baby is born at less than about 5 1/2 pounds), make sure the drops have both vitamin D and iron. Secondly, older children need their vitamin D, up to 600 IU daily.
I forgot to give my infant a vitamin D drops!
It's okay if you forget most days, or you didn't know to supplement your baby. Sometimes a complicated birth experience can leave you worrying about other things. Again, it is okay!
When Does My Child Need Vitamin D? And How Much? All children need vitamin D beginning shortly after birth. Children younger than 12 months old need 400 IU of vitamin D each day.
As long as your baby is younger than six months, it's best to keep her out of direct sunlight completely. However, if your newborn is born with jaundice, your doctor might ask you to expose her to sunlight for 15 minutes each day.
Instead, take steps to keep newborns and young infants out of direct sunlight: Seek trees or other sources of shade. Dress babies in a wide-brimmed sun hat and sunglasses to block the sun from their face and eyes. Use a stroller shade or umbrella to block the sun from babies' arms and legs.
To sunbathe the baby, put him in a bassinet or on a blanket near a window with sun or indirect light (even on a cloudy day). Make sure the room is warm and take off the baby's clothes except the diaper. Sunbathe the baby like this for 20-30 minutes twice a day.
In short, children should not sunbathe indirectly through the glass because it does not help children absorb the vitamin D needed by the body. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to sunbathing properly to help children stay healthy and limit the bad effects of UV rays in the sun.