Health hubs / Children's health: education
Vitamin D and iron in infancy and childhood
What the AAP and NIH say, quoted. Your pediatrician decides for your child.
Talk to your pediatrician. This section is education only and does not replace your child's medical care. Doses for children are only quoted from official guidance (AAP, NIH ODS, WHO).
Vitamin D
The AAP recommends that breastfed and partially breastfed infants receive 400 IU of vitamin D a day beginning in the first few days of life, as should non-breastfed infants drinking less than about 1 liter of formula a day [1]. NIH lists 400 IU as adequate intake for infants and 600 IU as the recommended amount from age 1 [2].
Iron
The AAP recommends that full-term breastfed infants receive iron supplementation of 1 mg/kg per day from 4 months until iron-containing foods are introduced, and universal screening for anemia at about 12 months [3]. Iron deficiency in infancy is associated with lasting effects on development [3]. Accidental iron overdose is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6, so iron products must carry a warning and be stored out of reach [4].
Sources
- Wagner et al. 2008, Pediatrics (AAP). doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-1862
- NIH ODS, Vitamin D fact sheet. ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
- Baker et al. 2010, Pediatrics (AAP). doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-2576
- 21 CFR 101.17, iron warning statement. www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-A/section-101.17
DOIs verified against Crossref and official pages checked on 2026-10-15.