Did you know you are supposed to give Vitamin D to your child?

There are several recommendations from UK official governmental and non governmental bodies about giving a vitamin D supplement for children. Most importantly the Department of Health recommends the use of Vitamin D supplements for all children.

The problem is you can’t buy vitamin D supplements for babies and young children from pharmacies.

Organisation	Amount of vitamin D	Recommendation
Department of Health   (NHS and NICE),British Dietetic Association, British Nutrition Foundation	7 to 8.5 µg	Breastfed babies from 6   months (or earlier), formula-fed babies receiving less than 500 ml a day and   all children from the age of 1 year.
The Royal National Orthopaedic   Hospital	5 to 10 µg	Babies from birth to 6 months (5 µg) and toddlers from 6 months (10 µg).
Vitamin D Association	10 µg	For every child from   birth.

The recommendations are not fully aligned. However, according to studies and other countries recommendations supplementation should be started from birth. There is not enough vitamin D in the breast milk – in fact less than 10 % of the daily requirement. Some estimates say about 80% of women breastfeed in the UK. That’s why breastfed babies need a vitamin D supplement from birth. In the UK, GP’s do not want to prescribe vitamin D because they believe it should be bought as an OTC product. I totally agree. GP commissioners estimate the cost of supplying vitamin D supplements on prescriptions could escalate to as much as £20m over the next few years.

So why isn’t there a vitamin D product on the market for babies?

Kids Vitamin D products in other countries.

Other countries like Ireland, Poland, Canada and the Scandinavian countries have similar recommendations about Vitamin D. They also have very good products on the market and children are given the vitamins they need. Unfortunately the situation in the UK is very disappointing.

D is for development!

Growing children need vitamin D for strong bones and teeth and general development. Also, there are many studies linking vitamin D deficiency with other conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, infectious diseases and multiple sclerosis.

 The rate of Vitamin D deficiency in the UK is over 50%!

Half of the UK’s white population, and up to 90% of the black and Asian people are thought to be affected by vitamin D deficiency. The number of cases of rickets is now four times higher than 15 years ago. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight exposure to the skin. However, at UK latitudes, there is limited sunlight of the appropriate wavelength, particularly from October to May. Also, babies and young children should be protected from direct sunlight. WHO recommends using sunscreen which blocks any natural vitamin D production in the skin. However, sun protection is important, so you can’t leave your child unprotected. Vitamin D intake merely via food is not sufficient. The main source in diet is oily fish which is not always a regular part of children’s diets. In fact, only 10% of a person’s recommended daily amount is found naturally in food. As Professor Mitch Blair said: – Put bluntly, eating more fish and getting out in the sun a bit more won’t make much of a difference to your vitamin D levels.”

Multivitamins are not the thing.

Currently, there are no suitable vitamin-D-only products for children widely available on the UK high street. There are some multivitamin products but they often contain Vitamin D2. Official recommendation is to use vitamin D in its D3 form, not D2. The body more readily uses D3 and it’s nearly twice as potent as D2. Also, other vitamins are unnecessary as they are easily obtained in the diet. Because multivitamins are water soluble they often contain preservatives, flavourings and sugar. Vitamin D3 products can be made with only two ingredients: Vitamin D3 and medium chain triglycerides (i.e. vegetable oil).

Every child needs vitamin D supplementation throughout the whole year.

Wait, it gets kind of worse. Healthy Start programme provides vitamins free for people on income support. Great! What about the rest of us? Well, even Healthy Start programme isn’t working. The vitamins are in short supply and uptake is low because people don’t know about them. According to Professor Blair: - We need to make sure healthcare professionals – including GPs, paediatricians, doctors and nurses – know the signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, but more importantly give appropriate advice to patients who are ‘at risk’ to prevent problems developing. This is good but who’s at risk? Everyone. You shouldn’t look for the signs of deficiency but prevent it altogether because it is so easy. If only there was a product on the market. Prevention is the key.

My question goes to the government and the pharmaceutical industry: What are you going to do?

More information about vitamin D: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_132509 http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PH011guidance.pdf http://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/VitaminD.pdf http://www.vitamindassociation.org/ http://ec.europa.eu/nuhclaims/resources/docs/euregister.pdf http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20710028

Being bilingual has its benfits (+ a funny video)

Our family lives in the UK but originally I’m from Finland. Finnish is my first language and I’ve been very strict to only speak Finnish to our son. His dad, my husband, is English and he speaks only English to our son. (Not that he could speak Finnish anyway!)

To me our son’s health is more important than being bilingual. It does have its benefits, though. Not only do bilinguals learn two languages but it also helps their learning in general.

Now a new study shows how bilinguals switch between languages. Bilinguals who learn two languages early in life learn two separate processing modes, or “sound systems”. This is true primarily just for those who learn two languages very young. Anyone learning a second language later in life usually has a dominant language and then try to use that sounds system for the other language, which is why they end up having an accent.

I’m very lucky that our nearly three year old son is fluent in Finnish and in English. He’s truly bilingual. I’m just a wannabee because I have a dominant language. But his language skills aren’t just down to luck. As I said, I’ve been speaking only Finnish to him. Even when everyone else around is English. Rude? I don’t think so. That is the only way to teach the language.

This is not Finnish but a funny gibberish our son used to speak when he was one. He was very keen to start talking!

Only 10% receive their 5-a-day

Government figures suggest
only one in ten children are receiving their recommended “five-a-day”.

What exactly is “5-a-day”?
A good measure is a handful. For kids and for adults. Five is really the minimum. Some countries suggest 10-a-day!

Here’s ideas how to get your child to eat vegetables: (These might work for adults, too.)

• Cook them just so. Don’t overcook your vegetables. For example broccoli needs only about five minutes if you’ve chopped it to smaller pieces.
• Try it raw. Grated carrot is great.
• One at a time. Some people are sequential eaters. They like to eat one food at a time. Don’t mash up everything together.
• You eat it, too. Simple. Everyone eats vegetables. Don’t expect your child to eat greens if you don’t.
• Be strict. If your child doesn’t eat his/her food don’t give treats or pudding. They learn so quickly.

 

I used to think kids don’t like vegetables. How absurd!

When our son was born I decided that he will eat vegetables no matter what. That was mission number one on my weaning plan. It didn’t help when my husband said he didn’t used to eat any green vegetables at all. He does now.

After almost three years, I can say it was easier than I thought. Our son loves vegetables. I’m not surprised if one day he declares himself a vegetarian. Every time I bring a steaming pot to the table he wishfully shouts:”Broccoliiiii!” Quite often, too, he’s right.

Bepanthen is more than a nappy rash ointment

Bepanthen is the best nappy rash ointment but it’s more than that. It’s excellent for sore lips. Last summer it helped me heal my scratched arms after picking blackberries. I even use it instead of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour cream!

I just prefer the texture and the smell of Bepanthen. Oh, and not to mention the price. Works just as well if not better than the Eight Hour cream.

At the pharmacy I’ve had people come back to say thank you and buy another tube after my recommendation. It’s just that good.

Bepanthen contains pro-vitamin B5 gently aiding natural skin recovery. It doesn’t have any perfumes.

I wouldn’t use it after every nappy change though. You don’t need any everyday nappy rash prevention creams at all. Just make sure baby’s skin is dry before you put a new nappy on. Change soiled nappies as soon as you can. Use water instead of wipes to wash the baby’s bottom whenever possible. If you do get into trouble this ointment will save you.

The best sun protection

The spring hasn’t been very sunny but hopes are up. The sun will shine!

The best and the easiest way to protect your child from the sun is to use special UV protective clothing. Then you don’t have to worry about when to add sunscreen and how much.

Protecting your child from the sun is extremely important. Kids’ skin is so delicate it might burn very quickly. Sunburn during childhood can double the risk of skin cancer later in life.

If your baby is under a year old don’t use sunscreen at all. Instead, keep your baby in the shade.  For a child over one you can use a physical sunscreen made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These kinds of sunscreens form a barrier and they are free from chemicals.

Be safe in the sun:

• Remember to wear a hat and sunglasses.
• Tan doesn’t protect from burning.
• Reapply sunscreen after swimming. There’s no such thing as a water resistant or water proof sunscreen. Swimming halves the efficiency of the sunscreen.
• Buy new sunscreen products every summer. Their efficiency is usually guaranteed for 12 months after opening.
• Remember to drink a lot.

Check the sun protection recommendations by the World Health Organization.

Biscuit is a snack. A bad one.

Kids love biscuits. Don’t we all. So why is it such a bad snack?

Biscuit = too much sugar, no vitamins!
(I’m not so worried about the fat in it.)

The main problem is this: When your kid eats a biscuit he/she isn’t eating an apple or any other fruit.

Fruit = vitamins and fibre!

Sure, biscuit is an easy snack but it isn’t any easier than an apple. And you don’t have to peel an apple, just wash it. There’s lots of goodness in the peel.

What about biscuits made especially for kids? No such thing as a healthy biscuit. Also, they are a waste of money. They might have less sugar than normal biscuits but again, instead of the biscuits kids should eat fruits.

Biscuit is a great treat, not an everyday snack. If you do give biscuits make sure they eat their fruit and veggies first.

Welcome parents!

This blog is all about kids and how to make healthy choices for them. Here you’ll find advice, tips, latest news and products to help you as a parent.

I’m a pharmacist, medical journalist and a mother of one. Health is my work and my mission in life.

Writing a health blog is a lot like working as a pharmacist – giving you the latest, reliable information about healthy choices.

If you have a question about your child or something to do with health, please email me at emilii(at)healthberry.fi.
I will do my very best to help you!

Emilii x