When it comes to feeding babies and toddlers, I always talk about considering the balance of their diet as whole rather than focusing too much on individual nutrients. However, as a nutritionist, I find it fascinating to understand more about the role of specific nutrients, particularly in the context of developing babies and children.


In this blog, I wanted to share a little more specifically about vitamin A for babies and children; it’s role, how much we need, how we can get it and whether we can have too much or too little?
Why does my child need vitamin A?
Vitamin A is the name for a group of compounds including retinol and carotenoids which have important functions for our overall health1. These include:
- Supporting our immune systems to function normally
- Helping our cells to grow, develop and function
- Supporting vision, particularly in dim light
- Supporting the healthy development of the baby during pregnancy
How much vitamin A does my baby or toddler need?


Table adapted from British Nutrition Foundation: Nutrition Requirements, 2019
How can my little one get vitamin A from foods?
Good sources of vitamin A (retinol) include:
- cheese
- eggs
- oily fish
- fortified spreads
- milk and yoghurt
- liver and liver products such as liver pâté*
*Liver and liver products contain high amounts of vitamin A, so having these too often (more than once a week) can mean you have too much Vitamin A. These products aren’t recommended during pregnancy.
Another way for babies and toddlers to get vitamin A, is by eating foods high in carotenoids. Carotenoids are pigments which are responsible for the red, yellow and orange colours in plants. When we eat carotenoids, specifically beta-carotene, our bodies can convert it into vitamin A.
Good sources of beta-carotene include:
- yellow, red and green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and red peppers
- yellow fruit, such as mango, papaya and apricots


The table below shows the vitamin A content in typical portions that children may have. Whilst many of the highest sources are plant-based, our bodies are able to absorb vitamin A from animal foods better than from plant-based foods2.


Can my baby or toddler have too much or too little vitamin A?
Globally, vitamin A deficiency is a significant problem, affecting 190 million preschool-age children, mostly in Africa and South-East Asia3. In the UK, Vitamin A deficiency is rare, as it is readily available in many of the foods we eat.
It is important to be aware of your little one’s vitamin A intake, as it’s a key nutrient needed for their development. However, for most children, it’s perfectly possible to get enough through their diet.
When it comes to high intakes of vitamin A, it’s uncommon for children to have too much in their diets. In pregnancy, high intakes of vitamin A during pregnancy can harm the unborn baby, which is why vitamin A supplements are not recommended during pregnancy. Additionally, some research in adults has shown that having too much vitamin A over many years – above 1500µg daily – can cause problems with your bones, and increasingly the likelihood that they will fracture later in life.
In most cases, an intake of vitamin A considered “too high” is likely to be through taking supplements with high levels of vitamin A, rather than through food alone.


Does my baby or toddler need a supplement of vitamin A if they have a well-balanced diet?
The current government recommendations in the UK are that children aged between 6 months and 5 years, should be given a daily vitamin supplement containing, vitamins A, C and D, unless they are having more than 500ml of formula per day.
As mentioned above, Vitamin A is quite easily available from the foods that we eat, and most children will be able to get enough through diet alone. However, these recommendations are aimed at the general population, and with those groups in mind who may not be able to reach the recommended daily intake for vitamin A. This can sometimes include young children, if they don’t have a well-balanced diet.
On the one hand, data from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), showed that the average intake of vitamin A in children aged between 7-11 months is around 950µg per day, well above the recommended intake of 350 µg for this age group5. The main contributor of vitamin A in the diet was infant formula, which remains a significant source of nutrition for children under 1 year.
On the other hand, it’s currently estimated that 8% of children under 5 in the UK do not have enough vitamin A in their diet6. Data also shows that there has been a steady decline in vitamin A intakes since 20087.Therefore, the government recommendations to include a daily supplement containing vitamin A, aim to avoid vitamin A deficiency in these children that may not have a sufficiently balanced diet.
Many of the supplements available to buy for children, contain levels of vitamin A that are below the recommended daily intake for vitamin A. This means that alongside a balanced diet, they are unlikely to be having too much vitamin A. If offering your little one a supplement containing vitamin A, check the amount of vitamin A it contains compared to the recommended intake. Check out my post comparing nutritional supplements for children for more on this.