Three in four breastfeeding moms give vitamin D supplements to their baby daily or almost every day

It’s a challenge to get our daily dose of vitamin D from the sun during the long, cold, dark winters. For breastfed babies, no matter the time of year, supplementation is necessary to ensure adequate vitamin D levels. When we asked in the first half of 2022, over 9 in 10 (93%) breastfeeding moms who had a child in the past 5 years told us they provided vitamin D supplements to their baby.

Vitamin D is important for a baby’s growth and development

Health Canada recommends that exclusively and partially breastfed babies should receive a vitamin D supplement of 10 micrograms, or 400 international units, every day to protect against vitamin D deficiency.

Receiving sufficient vitamin D is important for a baby’s growth and development, and it helps prevent rickets, a bone disease. Vitamin D supplementation is not necessary for non-breastfed babies, as commercial infant formula has sufficient vitamin D.

Three in four breastfeeding moms give vitamin D supplements daily or almost every day

In the first half of 2022, 89% of moms aged 18 to 55 who had had a baby in the past 5 years reported that they breastfed or gave breast milk to their baby, even for a short time. Over 9 in 10 (93%) breastfeeding moms reported giving vitamin D supplements to their baby when it was less than 1 year old, up from 89% in 2018.

To meet the vitamin D recommendation, breastfeeding moms must give their babies a supplement daily. Three-quarters of breastfeeding moms reported that they provided vitamin D supplements daily or almost every day in 2022, unchanged from four years earlier.

Almost all Chinese-Canadian moms give their babies vitamin D daily or almost every day

Differences were observed in the daily infant vitamin D supplementation practices among moms belonging to different population groups. In the first half of 2022, Chinese-Canadian moms (96%) were more likely to report giving vitamin D to their breastfed baby daily or almost every day, compared with non-racialized moms (72%).

Overall, 77% of Indigenous moms provided vitamin D supplements to their babies, which was a similar proportion to that of non-Indigenous moms (75%). Among First Nations moms living off reserve, 81% reported providing daily vitamin D supplementation for their breastfed babies.

A similar proportion of immigrant moms (77%) reported giving their breastfed baby a daily vitamin D supplement, compared with non-immigrant moms (74%).

This study was based on data collected from February to June 2022, from the Canadian Community Health Survey and covers moms aged 18 to 55 who had a baby in the past five years, living in the provinces.

For more information on survey definitions and methods, refer to the Statistics Canada survey information page: Canadian Community Health Survey.