Everything to Know About Vitamin D for Kids

Sometimes the letters of the vitamins sound like practicing the A-B-C’s, but there’s more to the vitamins than just their letters! Each vitamin has a unique role in supporting your kiddo’s health and development. Among these essential nutrients, vitamin D is particularly unique because it can be made from sunshine or found in foods and supplements. Let’s learn more about vitamin D benefits and why it’s important for kids.

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is important for overall health and wellness for all ages.* Vitamin D comes in two main forms in foods and dietary supplements – vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D is the overall name for the different sources of vitamin D.

What are the benefits of vitamin D?

Vitamin D has several important roles in the body:

• It supports bone health.*
• Vitamin D helps promote calcium absorption and calcium is critical in supporting bone health.*
• It provides immune support.*

How much vitamin D for kids?

The Daily Value for vitamin D is 15 mcg (600 IU) for children ages 2-3 years and 20 mcg (800 IU) for children ages 4 years and above.

Where do you find vitamin D?

There are three different ways to add vitamin D to your kiddo’s day:

Sunlight

There’s a reason why vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin!” Our skin has the unique ability to create vitamin D from sunlight. Sunshine through a window doesn’t produce vitamin D though, so your kiddos do need to be outside to reap the benefits. How much vitamin D is made from the sun depends on several factors, such as:

• Cloudy weather: When it’s cloudy outside, your little one’s body cannot make as much vitamin D.
• Geography: Living in northern climates means getting less direct sunshine, which can affect how much vitamin D your kiddo’s body can make.
• Sunscreen: While very important to protect your kid’s skin, sunscreen does limit how much vitamin D their bodies can make.
• Skin pigmentation: The more melanin in darker skin decreases the amount of vitamin D that can be made from sunlight.

If you have any questions or concerns about how much vitamin D your child is getting, please talk to your healthcare provider.

Vitamin D foods for kids

Vitamin D is available in a few foods. Some have vitamin D naturally in them, while others are fortified with vitamin D.

Food	Serving Size	Amount of Vitamin D
Trout, cooked	3 ounces	16 mcg
Salmon, cooked	3 ounces	14 mcg
2% Cow’s Milk	1 cup	2.7 mcg
Soy Milk, fortified with vitamin D	1 cup	3 mcg
Egg	1 egg	1.25 mcg
Ready to eat cereal, fortified with vitamin D	Serving size listed on package	2 - 4 mcg
Orange juice, fortified with vitamin D	1 cup	2 mcg

Note that some canned tuna is a good source of vitamin D, but check the package nutrition label to make sure.

Vitamin D supplements

Since it’s not always easy to get vitamin D from the sun or food, vitamin D supplements are available that can help your kids get vitamin D every day.

Is there a vitamin D supplement for kids?

There are a variety of kid-friendly supplements that include vitamin D. L’il Critters provides a few yummy gummy options your l’il ones will be sure to enjoy:

• L’il Critters Vitamin D gummies for kids are a great way for your children to get their daily dose of vitamin D. With yummy raspberry, peach, and blackberry flavors, these vitamin D3 gummies help promote calcium absorption and support immune and bone health.*
• L’il Critters Bone Support* gummies provide both calcium and vitamin D to support bone health.* In bumbleberry blast and sour blue raspberry flavors, these unicorn and dragon-shaped gummies make taking a calcium gummy fun!
• L’il Critters Gummy Vites gummies are a tasty multivitamin that include essential nutrients to support health and development, including vitamin D!*

Vitamin D for bone support! A D-lightful vitamin!

Vitamin D is a rockstar for kids! It helps support strong bones, promotes the absorption of calcium, and supports immune health.* While vitamin D is only found in a few foods, your kiddo’s body can make vitamin D from the sun. But if you’re worried they aren’t getting enough vitamin D, L’il Critters has your back with a variety of tasty gummies to support your child’s health and development.*

Brought to you by the L’il Critters™ nutrition experts.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.