Since the 1960s one shot of vitamin K for newborn babies has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading group for baby doctors. It helps babies clot their blood and prevents bleeding and strokes in infants. Pediatricians have noticed that more families are starting to refuse the shot or ask that their baby be allowed to eat the vitamin K instead of getting an injection. This has led to more babies experiencing bleeding, and pediatricians wanting to educate more parents about the importance of the shot.
Why is it important babies get a shot of vitamin K?
One shot of vitamin K given to a baby after delivery can prevent devastating bleeding and strokes. Newborns don’t have good stores of vitamin K. The placenta does not give an infant a lot of vitamin K because it can affect bone growth and development. So it needs to be supplemented after delivery. Babies only drink milk, and if they drink breast milk or formula, neither has good supplemental vitamin K.
Adults also can’t get enough vitamin K from milk. Adults get vitamin K by eating foods that are rich in it, like green leafy vegetables, blueberries or kiwis. Besides finding it in foods, adults also get vitamin K from helpful gut germs (i.e., bacteria) that aid in digestion and gut health. The intestines of babies lack those bacteria because they are still growing. For these reasons, we need to give it to them.
Why can’t we just let the baby drink the vitamin K with their milk?
We have oral (or by mouth) formulations of vitamin K. We don’t recommend them for babies because:
- Their guts are developing, and we just don’t know how much of the vitamin K their bodies can absorb from their intestines. The shot gives them the vitamin K stores they will need for months.
- One shot leaves little room for error or missed doses. When giving a vitamin every day for weeks, it’s easy to skip doses, and this is not a vitamin we want babies to miss out on.
- There’s no set schedule for how long to give the vitamin or at what dose, because every baby digests a little differently. In some European countries where they have tried to make schedules for giving vitamin K by mouth, the recommended dosing changes from as little as four weeks, to as much as 13 weeks, and in some cases, it’s recommended for months or even years if you are breastfeeding. Again, this is because we don’t know how all babies digest and absorb vitamin K.
- In countries where it is given by mouth, more babies experience bleeds or strokes from lack of vitamin K, so taking it by mouth may not prevent bleeding in all cases. The shot does.
What are the concerns about giving a vitamin K shot?
Practicing pediatricians have heard so many. Some worry about conditions like cancer, allergies, or jaundice.
What are the actual medical concerns? None. The vitamin K shot is not associated with any childhood cancers. The low dose given for therapy does not cause jaundice. Although there have been allergic reactions to giving it in veins, they are extremely rare with injections. It’s also important to mention it is not a vaccine. Some people think so because it is a shot. But not all important shots are vaccinations! Skin reactions can occur to vitamin K shots; the most common skin reaction is raised red bumps.
What are we still learning?
The research is clear – this is a safe vitamin to give to babies that is important for their growth and development and to prevent bleeds. This is why pediatricians strongly recommend it.
Joanna J. Parga-Belinkie MD specializes in the care of newborn babies at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a co-host of Pediatrics On Call, the flagship podcast from the American Academy of Pediatrics and a mother of 3.
The research:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-019-03391-y
https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/vitamin-k-deficiency-bleeding-hemorrhagic-disease-newborn
Since the 1960s one shot of vitamin K for newborn babies has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading group for baby doctors. It helps babies clot their blood and prevents bleeding and strokes in infants. Pediatricians have noticed that more families are starting to refuse the shot or ask that their baby be allowed to eat the vitamin K instead of getting an injection. This has led to more babies experiencing bleeding, and pediatricians wanting to educate more parents about the importance of the shot.
Why is it important babies get a shot of vitamin K?
One shot of vitamin K given to a baby after delivery can prevent devastating bleeding and strokes. Newborns don’t have good stores of vitamin K. The placenta does not give an infant a lot of vitamin K because it can affect bone growth and development. So it needs to be supplemented after delivery. Babies only drink milk, and if they drink breast milk or formula, neither has good supplemental vitamin K.
Adults also can’t get enough vitamin K from milk. Adults get vitamin K by eating foods that are rich in it, like green leafy vegetables, blueberries or kiwis. Besides finding it in foods, adults also get vitamin K from helpful gut germs (i.e., bacteria) that aid in digestion and gut health. The intestines of babies lack those bacteria because they are still growing. For these reasons, we need to give it to them.
Why can’t we just let the baby drink the vitamin K with their milk?
We have oral (or by mouth) formulations of vitamin K. We don’t recommend them for babies because:
- Their guts are developing, and we just don’t know how much of the vitamin K their bodies can absorb from their intestines. The shot gives them the vitamin K stores they will need for months.
- One shot leaves little room for error or missed doses. When giving a vitamin every day for weeks, it’s easy to skip doses, and this is not a vitamin we want babies to miss out on.
- There’s no set schedule for how long to give the vitamin or at what dose, because every baby digests a little differently. In some European countries where they have tried to make schedules for giving vitamin K by mouth, the recommended dosing changes from as little as four weeks, to as much as 13 weeks, and in some cases, it’s recommended for months or even years if you are breastfeeding. Again, this is because we don’t know how all babies digest and absorb vitamin K.
- In countries where it is given by mouth, more babies experience bleeds or strokes from lack of vitamin K, so taking it by mouth may not prevent bleeding in all cases. The shot does.
What are the concerns about giving a vitamin K shot?
Practicing pediatricians have heard so many. Some worry about conditions like cancer, allergies, or jaundice.
What are the actual medical concerns? None. The vitamin K shot is not associated with any childhood cancers. The low dose given for therapy does not cause jaundice. Although there have been allergic reactions to giving it in veins, they are extremely rare with injections. It’s also important to mention it is not a vaccine. Some people think so because it is a shot. But not all important shots are vaccinations! Skin reactions can occur to vitamin K shots; the most common skin reaction is raised red bumps.
What are we still learning?
The research is clear – this is a safe vitamin to give to babies that is important for their growth and development and to prevent bleeds. This is why pediatricians strongly recommend it.
Joanna J. Parga-Belinkie MD specializes in the care of newborn babies at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a co-host of Pediatrics On Call, the flagship podcast from the American Academy of Pediatrics and a mother of 3.
The research:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-019-03391-y
https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/vitamin-k-deficiency-bleeding-hemorrhagic-disease-newborn
Fact chat for your child's health and wellness
Interested in more factual information on medical myths and rumors? See the trending topics that are coming from our Pediatric Health Chat project.