What You Don't Know May Hurt You

Sunlight.
Reports of harmful UV rays and skin cancer have us slathering on sunscreen, covering up from head to toe, or staying out of the sun all together.
But there is another affliction lurking in the shadows--literally.
Staying out of the sun or preventing its absorption by wearing sunscreen or too many clothes prevents your body from producing vitamin D, which helps bone growth and calcium absorption into our intestines, blood and kidneys. Wearing a sunscreen with an SPF higher than 8 reduces absorption by 95%!
There are other ways to get vitamin D. Fortified orange juice and milk are good ways, or taking multi vitamins, but 20 minutes of sunshine on your face and arms without any sunblock gets you about 100 times more than the required amount.
This is easy enough to remember for us, but what about our babies? We tend to cover our infants with clothing, sun shades and sunblock from the moment we step out of the house so their sensitive skin will not burn and babies under a year old do not drink milk and usually not orange juice.
And another thing; even though breast milk provides tons of amazing nutrients and antibodies for your little one, it does not contain an adequate amount of vitamin D! So, infants are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.
What does this mean, exactly?
Well, vitamin D deficiency in children usually leads to Rickets.
Rickets is the softening of the bones and can result in bowlegs, knock knees, stunted growth and deformed chests.
So, how can you make sure your child is getting enough vitamin D?
As mentioned above, 15 to 20 minutes of sunshine a day is enough. Just wait a little while before you put on the sunscreen.
But what about times during the year when sunshine is weak? If you live 40 degrees north or south latitude, (places like New York City or Wellington, New Zealand), for at least half of the year, sunlight does not provide enough vitamin D.
So, if you live in these places, talk to your pediatrician. Most will have prescribed a supplement anyway, especially if your baby is exclusively breast fed.
We need about 400 international units (IU's) of vitamin D a day and there are 98 in 1 cup of fortified milk and 400 per quart so once your baby starts drinking cow's milk, they will be getting enough vitamin D.
Before that, a little sunshine every day in the spring and summer and maybe some vitamin drops in the fall and winter will make sure his or her bones are strong and healthy.

Sources:

The National Institute of Health
New England Journal of Medicine
The Vitamins and Supplements Guide