2023-08-31 15:30:46
For adults, taking a vitamin B12 supplement is simple and cheap, for babies it is much more complicated and uncomfortable. As there are no adequate formats or doses for this age, adult preparations must be adapted. If you want to know how to do it, don’t worry because we are going to explain it to you below.
Babies less than 6 months do not take vitamin B12 supplements
Except in rare cases, babies under 6 months do not need to take any vitamin B12 supplement, since they are breastfed and the mother takes the complex and passes it to the child through the milk or the baby takes an adopted formula which already contains that vitamin.
It is after six months when it is recommended to start supplementation, unless the baby drinks more than 500 ml of adapted formula milk each day. Specifically, the European Food Safety Agency considers a daily intake of 1.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 adequate between 7 months and 6 years; 2.5 micrograms between 7 and 10 years; 3.5 micrograms between 11 and 14 years of age and 4 micrograms from 15 years of age.
During pregnancy it is recommended to increase to 4.5 micrograms per day and during lactation to 5 micrograms per day. Although these doses do not correspond to those that should be taken in the form of supplements, but rather with that of foods that contain B12. So why is there this difference?
The main thing is to understand that vitamin B12 is absorbed more lightly when it comes from food or when it comes from supplements that, when we take it, are associated with foods of animal origin. On the other hand, it must be taken into account that vitamin B12 is better absorbed the smaller the amount present in the intestine.
Forms of administration
When it comes to providing vitamin B12 to your child, you can find it in different presentations on the market, such as:
The last thing you should consider is that all vegetarian and vegan babies will need vitamin B12 supplementation and the moment in which we start providing it will depend on each baby’s circumstances.
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