Should sunbathe for babies to get vitamin D?

Previously, according to the health care education and communication program for children, newborn babies were recommended to sunbathe between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. to prevent rickets caused by vitamin D deficiency. However, this is not up-to-date with the latest scientific understanding.

Invisible sunlight comprises three types of ultraviolet (UV) rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC.

UVA rays are released in the early morning when parents often let their children sunbathe. It cannot synthesize vitamin D as many people may think. On the contrary, it leads to many negative effects on the body such as aging, age spots, skin cancer, etc. UVC is a hazardous type of radiation that causes skin cancer. Fortunately, it has been blocked by the ozone layer. Only UVB rays which are strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. can convert vitamin D into active vitamin D. However, at this time, the temperature is boiling and not suitable for both adults and children.

Therefore, many countries have studied and recommended that babies should not be bathing because their skin is fragile. As a result, it can be easily damaged or have a high risk of skin cancer.

According to the American Academy of Medicine, children under six months should supplement vitamin D 400 IU/day, do not need to be exposed to the sun, and should take vitamin D for at least 12 months. When children reach 12 months of age, if the baby eats well, is supplemented with formula milk, and has time to play in the sun, they are not required to take vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D supplement is recommended for children up to 4 years old.

It should be noted that children who are fed with breast milk need to supplement vitamin D. It is because breast milk has a lot of antibodies, nutrients, and fat ... but vitamin D concentration is low. In addition, many parents are also advised to sunbathe their children to prevent neonatal jaundice. This is not true because there is no scientific evidence to support this statement.