Remember the time you went to your doctor, and they prescribed a Vitamin D supplement? In all probability you took it too! If studies are to be believed, around a whopping 80- percent of people in India, are deficient in Vitamin D.
As parents, we want our children to have all the things we don’t have, apart from the things we lacked as children ourselves. When we get a wake-up call in the form of severely deficient vitamin D levels, the first question we must ask ourselves is this: ‘Do our kids have enough vitamin D?’ Luckily for you, we at Eurokids have curated in this blog post, all you need to know about Vitamin D for Kids. That being said, the primary endeavour of this article is to shed light on the Benefits of Sunlight for Kids, where it comes to getting enough of the Sunshine Vitamin.
Let’s get started with this Booster Dose of Information, so our kids get the right Dose of Vitamin D at all times!
Table of Contents:
- Vitamin D for Kids: The Benefits of getting enough Vitamin D
- The Benefits of Sunlight: Getting more Vitamin D
- The Benefits of Sunlight: How to Safely get Vitamin D from the Sun for Kids
- Vitamin D for Kids: The Perils of Excess Sunlight
Vitamin D for Kids: The Benefits of getting enough Vitamin D
So, what’s all the fuss where it comes to getting enough Vitamin D for kids? Presenting a couple of major Vitamin D Benefits, that makes this vitamin impossible to ignore.
- Strong and healthy bones
- It boosts immunity
The cells in your skin absorb Calcium and Phosphorus, the ‘building blocks of bones’, thanks to Vitamin D!
Want protection from the various germs and bacteria out there? Get a healthy dose of Vitamin D!
The Benefits of Sunlight: Getting more Vitamin D
‘Don’t go out in the sun too long!’, are all-too-common words uttered by parents. While you don’t want your children to be exposed to the likes of heatstroke, a little bit of good old sunshine is certainly good for them. Here’s why!
Did you know that Vitamin D is made from cholesterol? You heard that right! It’s the Ultraviolet B rays of the Sun that synthesise Vitamin D from that cholesterol, after passing through the skin. Now you know why they tell you to get adequate sunlight – it’s for the Prevention of Vitamin D deficiency!
The Benefits of Sunlight: How to safely get Vitamin D from the Sun for Kids
Now that we know the benefits of Vitamin D, and the benefits of sunlight where it comes to getting adequate doses of that Wonder Vitamin, here’s exactly ‘how’ our kids should get it!
- Exposing the Skin at Noon
- Expose Enough Skin
- Watch out for Sunburn
Want to get more Vitamin D while at the same time, minimising time spent in the Sun? Get your kids to play outdoors in the sunshine at noon, when the heat is at its fiercest!
Note: You don’t want them to go out for more than fifteen minutes at a time. Doing this in summer, even thrice a week, is enough for the prevention of Vitamin D deficiency.
Bonus Fact: Getting the sun’s rays at noon is ‘safer’ than getting them later on. Afternoon sunlight can increase the risk of skin cancers.
This one’s a no-brainer. That cholesterol we talked about earlier, is found underneath the skin and not in your clothes!
To do: You want your kids to expose their arms, legs and even abdomen, to get sufficient sunlight exposure.
Tips: Tank tops and shorts are the need of the hour here.
Note: Ensure that they wear sunglasses and a cap, to protect their face and eyes.
The prospect of getting ‘sunburned’ might sound cool to kids, but it’s the last thing you want to see happen. The fact is, when your skin gets burned you have a higher chance of developing skin cancer.
Vitamin D for Kids: The Perils of Excess Sunlight
Okay, so we know the benefits of sunlight where it comes to getting enough Vitamin D for kids, but what happens when we get too much of it? Presenting the perils of excess sunlight, in the endeavour to get enough of the Sunshine Vitamin.
- Sunburn
- Heat Stroke
- Eye damage
Apart from the more intense danger of skin cancer, Sunburn can pose unwanted effects in the short-term, too. These include tenderness and redness of the skin, and even blisters!
We have all heard horror stories of people dying of heat stroke in various parts of the country. The last thing we want is for our children to be going out there and falling prey to Sunstroke!
Excess sunlight can be damaging to the eyes, too! That precious retina might be compromised, and bring those unwanted ‘cataracts’ into the picture, sooner than you think.
In this article we have seen how Sunlight is useful to us as kids, and even how dangerous too much of it can be. Getting enough vitamin D for Kids, can then be compared to walking a tightrope. Go on ahead, and strike a fine balance between the time your kids spend in the Sunlight, and time spent indoors. One thing’s for certain. The Benefits of Sunlight in the procurement of Vitamin D, are far too glorious to ignore.
References:
- The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne
- Healthy Children
https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Vitamin_D/
