Vitamin D
Vitamin D rich foods
What is Vitamin D?
-
It's a vitamin sometimes known as the 'sunshine' vitamin because it is made when your skin is exposed to the sun. But our unpredictable British weather can make it difficult for toddlers to get enough vitamin D from sunlight, especially from October to April! Plus nowadays, toddlers are outside less and use sunscreen more in the summer
Why is Vitamin D important for toddlers?
-
Toddlers need Vitamin D for the growth and development of their bones
Where can toddlers get Vitamin D from?
-
Exposure to the Summer sun (without sunscreen) for 10 minutes a few times a week is enough for most people to produce Vitamin D. However, some groups may not be able to get enough vitamin D in this way. These groups include young children, those living north of Birmingham in the UK (due to the angle of the sun) and those of African-Caribbean and South Asian origin
-
Vitamin D is added to some foods including margarines and some breakfast cereals. It's also found in foods like egg yolks, liver and oily fish (although some of these can sometimes be hard to get toddlers to eat!)
-
Giving 2 x 150ml beakers of Growing Up Milk daily as part of a healthy balanced diet provides around half of a toddler's recommended Vitamin D intake
Want to know more? Read our Expert Q&A section