Vitamins for Babies Can Help Support Early Brain Development

Prenatal vitamins are highly encouraged during pregnancy for women. Doesn’t it simply make sense to continue to provide vitamins and minerals to your baby after birth?

Yes, breast milk provides most of the nutrients needed for a growing infant or baby. However, vitamins for babies can also help support brain and body development especially during the crucial early stages of life.
Vitamins B12, C, and D are particularly important for early brain development, and many pediatricians are now prescribing these vitamins for babies to complement either breast milk or formula.

Interestingly, a baby is born with over one hundred billion brain cells. Because of this, balanced nutrition is vital for healthy brain development. The following vitamins for infants and babies are vital for getting the right nutrition to support a growing baby’s brain.

Folic Acid
One of the eight B vitamins, folic acid is a must for expecting mothers. It’s also one of the most important vitamins for babies. Why? It helps support the healthy development of the brain and spinal cord.

Vitamin C
Also known as L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C helps produce neurotransmitters enabling the brain to transmit information from one neuron to another. It also supports the development of intelligence, cognition, and even eyesight. New studies are showing that vitamin C can even help prevent behavioral problems. Nearly all multi vitamins for babies have at least 100 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C.

Vitamin D
Deficiency of vitamin D is becoming an increasing problem as parents are minimizing sun exposure for their babies. This vitamin that is necessary for the development of the cerebrum is derived for the most part from the sun’s rays. Without it, a baby can suffer from problems with memory, motor control, and learning development.

Of course, it’s important to discuss vitamins for babies with your pediatrician before administering any supplement to your child. If a nutritional supplement such as a multi-vitamin can be beneficial, choose a natural, sugar-free formula like Nature’s Plus Animal Parade. It’s a high quality, multivitamin liquid drop that is balanced for optimal absorption and formulated for supporting development during these early stages of life.

How Many Vitamins for Infants Are Enough?

Vitamin D is particularly important for babies during their first 12 months of life. During this time, bones are growing rapidly, and vitamin D along with other vitamins for infants are necessary to facilitate healthy growth and development.

A growing number of health care providers are now encouraging parents to give their infants a daily vitamin D supplement. However, there is still some debate over how much should be given.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the recommended dosage of vitamin D is now 400 IU for infant health.

According to Hope Weiler, a professor in the school of Dietetics and Human Nutrition at McGill University, “There’s sometimes a feeling that more is better. But until now, no one had compared the popularly recommended daily doses of vitamin D to see what will result in optimal health for infants.”

Interestingly, debate over vitamin D for infants is global. For example, the recommended dosage in France and Finland is 1,000 IU. However, in Canada, the dose is 400 IU. The Canadian Pediatric Society takes the recommendations even further by recommending that infants receive 800 IU of vitamin D in the winter months and 400 in the summer.

Vitamin D is often called the sunshine vitamin because most healthy individuals produce enough of the vitamin with exposure to the sun. However, infants and babies who are protected from the sun and who aren’t consuming vitamin D fortified foods are often deficient.

Most researchers now believe that there are no advantages of giving high dosages of vitamin D for infants that exceed 400 IU per day. And, in the case of infants and older babies who are obtaining vitamin D through fortified formula, there may be no reason to supplement at all.

However, vitamins for infants, particularly vitamin D, are often beneficial to those who are breast fed and have minimal sun exposure. For these babies, liquid drops of vitamin D3 can be a smart option. The best choice for vitamin D for infants offers the bioavailable form of vitamin D along with complementary nutrients to optimize absorption and utilization.