The benefits of giving babies cod liver oil, at what age to begin, how to administer, and the daily dosage as recommended by the experts.
Should babies get cod liver oil as a supplement? If so, how young should this age-old traditional food be started? Are all brands of cod liver oil the same, or are there some that are vetted to be of higher quality?
The short answer is yes, babies need cod liver oil even if they are exclusively breastfed. More on this recommendation, timing, and dosages as suggested by the Weston A. Price Foundation below. (1)
Which Cod Liver Oil is Best for Babies?
Dr. Weston A. Price was very clear about the type of cod liver oil to give babies and children. It should be the high vitamin variety.
Unfortunately, almost all companies that produce cod liver oil have cheapened their manufacturing process over the years to either remove natural vitamins A/D and replace them with synthetic versions, reduce the amounts of A/D, or both.
In other words, most brands of cod liver oil are no longer considered high vitamin. Only a few quality ones remain on the market!
For example, Carlson’s brand of cod liver oil used to be recommended by the Weston Price Foundation only to be dropped from the list because the company started removing some of the natural vitamin A.
A few companies refused to cheapen their products and stopped using Norwegian manufacturers because the natural vitamin A/D was replaced with synthetic versions. A method for producing a high vitamin cod liver oil by fermenting the cod livers (not the oil!) was developed.
The resulting product is produced with no heat or solvents. However, this form of cod liver oil contains some beneficial lactic acid which can produce a mild burning sensation on the back of the throat for about 10% of folks who take it.
In those cases, extra virgin cod liver oil is a good option (such as this brand). This type of cod liver oil is raw and produced without heat or solvents. Additionally, it contains no lactic acid, which is easier for some to tolerate, especially babies and young children.
Health and Developmental Benefits
The benefits of adequate (natural) vitamin A and D from cod liver oil in a growing child’s diet are significant. Two of the most important are naturally straight teeth and improved learning at school.
Other benefits include the development of healthy bone structure, higher IQ, increased lung capacity, lowered risk for autoimmune disease, and markedly reduced risk for respiratory infection among many others. (2)
Appropriate Age and Dosage
What is the appropriate dosage for a young child given that the daily recommended intake of vitamin D has increased significantly in recent years?
When my children reached 3 months old, I started giving them 1/4 tsp of high vitamin cod liver oil daily with an eyedropper. All were exclusively breastfed. Incidentally, I was taking high vitamin cod liver oil myself on a daily basis as well. Moms need natural A/D too!
For example, Sally Fallon Morell, President of the Weston Price Foundation, told me that her grandchildren received 1/2 tsp of cod liver oil on a daily basis when they were babies. They started receiving this supplement at age 3 months and experienced no problems.
This is double the dose that I gave my own children! But, the appropriate daily dosage of vitamin D for children has increased significantly in recent years as scientists uncovered additional information about this remarkable nutrient.
Krill or Fish Oil Not a Good Substitute
It is important to not use krill oil or fish oil as a substitute for cod liver oil. Krill oil contains no vitamin D and very little vitamin A.
Similarly, plain fish oil is not a desirable substitute as it is a highly industrialized product (processed at high temperatures) and contains no natural vitamin A or D whatsoever. Â
High vitamin cod liver oil (this is the brand I’ve used since 2015) is far superior to other forms of marine oils on the market.
How to Give Babies Cod Liver Oil
There are several ways to ensure a baby is getting the proper amount of cod liver oil for optimum growth.
Eye Dropper
The easiest way to give babies cod liver oil is to put the 1/4-1/2 tsp daily dosage in a bottle of expressed Mother’s milk. You can also eye dropper it into the baby’s mouth a drop at a time if you aren’t pumping.
Formula
If you are not nursing, consider using this homemade baby formula developed by a PhD in Nutritional Sciences. It contains high vitamin cod liver oil as one of the key ingredients.
Skin Method
Another option is to apply cod liver oil to the skin. It absorbs quite well this way. For babies, try rubbing some on their bottom during a diaper change.
Note that old-time brands of diaper rash ointment used to contain cod liver oil!
Older Children Â
As children get older, a spoon can be used. My children all take high vitamin cod liver oil right off the spoon and chase with water. My youngest transitioned to this approach at weaning age with no trouble.
This video shows you how to give children cod liver oil based on my own experience over the years and coaching others on Traditional Diet.
If you have a creative way to get cod liver oil into your babies and children that would be helpful to share, please add in the comments section.  I would be very interested to hear of your experiences as I’m sure others would as well.
References
(1, 2) Weston A. Price Foundation: Cod Liver Oil
Hi Sarah. My son just turned 6 months (breastfed). I’ll be purchasing the fermented cod liver oil for him and will do as you suggest – 1/2 tsp daily dosage in a bottle. I see where you recommended the “antioxidant free liquid”, however I do not see that as an option on the Green Pastures website. I see the “BLUE ICEâ„¢ Fermented Cod Liver Oil – Non-Flavored – Non-Flavored (Liquid)”. Please let me know if you would recommend this for my son. Thank you.
Hi Alicia, the nonflavored is fine. I guess the name changed since I wrote the post, but that is essentially the same thing as the anti-oxidant free.
Thank you, Sarah, for another great article!
I have Carlson brand here at home and it looks like WAP says that is a ‘good’ brand. I haven’t given it to our daughter yet and will as soon as I start the liver formula. Good idea to perhaps leave it out…and then just add the appropriate dose to a couple of bottles.
Hi Angie, Carlson’s is not recommended by the WAPF anymore. Green Pasture Products, Radiant Life, and Dr. Ron’s are the only ones recommended now, I believe. I personally would only ever give Green Pasture Products brand to my family. It is light years better than the others.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your site!
I know you stand by your Green Pastures recommendation, but we are a family of 7 trying to survive unemployment right now. What brand would be a less expensive but still quality choice? Or should I just not bother with CLO till we can afford Green Pastures?
Hi Karolee, if you can’t afford Green Pastures, just skip it entirely is my opinion. Buy chicken liver and make pate instead .. eat lots of it! It is inexpensive to make. I have a video on this:
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2010/10/video-chicken-liver-pate/
PS. I LOVE the pic of the baby on this post!! hehehehe
Hi,
I have just come across your site Sarah – looking forward to reading over more of your past posts.
I have three little ones, DD7, DD5, and DS 11mths. My girls have been taking the GP FCLO for a while now – first the chocolate cream one (cause it was on sale) which they got to calling chocolate fish – lol and more recently, the salty cod (also on sale, but when I thought about it, it seemed like salt would be a natural flavour to have with fish). We(and now they also) call it their vitamins and they tend to remind us if we forget to give it to them these days. We all take is straight out of the syringe followed by the BO (we let them squirt it in their own mouths – they seem to prefer that) and then follow with a glass of water in which we put the vitamin C supplement we use (Loving Earth, Camu Camu powder), their pro-biotic dose (Primal Defense), and a small amount of azomite powder. The strong taste of the drink helps to mask the FCLO nicely and seems to stop it repeating to some degree also.
We started my little boy on solids following the WAPF guidlines when he was just over 9mths old because I felt strongly to do extended exclusive BF with him and he was thriving well on that. Soon after, we started him on the FCLO. We would start feeding him his solid food and then pause to give him the FCLO – squirting it gently straight out of the syringe in little bursts and then return to his food to eat the rest of it. The first couple of times, I think he wasn’t sure what to expect, and just swallowed it, barely even flinched. After that, he started trying to refuse it and would try to spit it out, but we would use a spoon to scoop it off his chin and put it back in his mouth and we continued to persevere. Now (two months later) he sees the syringe coming and he opens his mouth for it. We give him the first couple mouthfuls of food, then start on the FCLO with a little squirt, let him swallow it, give him another little squirt, etc until it’s all gone and then back to the rest of the food. It’s quite amazing, but since the initial period of refusing it, he never has again – just quite happily takes it every day. Oh, and his BO I mix in his food.
My personal preference is for the liquid rather than the gel as the gel tends to get stuck all gooey in the roof of your mouth whereas you can basically just swallow the liquid straight down.
Anyway, was just enjoying reading the post and all the comments so I felt inspired to share. Nice to talk with people who are on the same page. 😀
Thanks for commenting Shanna. Your detailed explanation of how you give the Fermented cod liver oil to your children will certainly help some other Moms and Dads trying to figure out the process for the first time!
Hi, I just ordered the high vitamin butter/fermented cod liver oil gel for my daughters (4yrs old and a 14 month old). I am considering taking it as well. I have a few questions though. First, how much a day do I give my 14 month old (who has developed a case of early childhood caries aka bad cavities) to help give her the vitamins she needs to help stop the demineralization process and help rebuild her teeth. Second, I am pregnant (and still a nursing mama)with my 3rd baby, is it safe for me to take and if so, how much should I take? Lastly, my kids only drink water, any suggestions on getting the to take the gel other than straight? Thanks for any help!!
Sarah- love your site- my naturopath introduced me to standard process calamari oil- she says it is super concentrated. I give my 8 yr. old just a 1/4 of a tsp. it is lemony flavored. Wondered if you had heard about this product and what you think about it compared to regular cod liver oil. Thanks
Hi Cheryl, I have not heard of calamari oil. Find out if it is heated .. it if is, then I would go with the Green Pasture Products fermented cod liver oil for sure instead. Heating these delicate oils destroys them despite all the claims to the contrary.
I’m trying to get my family on a healthier diet. We are vegetarians and I don’t see us starting to eat meat anytime soon. I do keep coming across how great cod liver oil is however. Is there anything vegetarians can take to get similar vitamins or should I just suck it up and take it?
Thanks
Hi Carly, if you are eating vegetarian, you really need to take the fermented cod liver oil. Getting the same nutrition with a vegetarian manner of eating would be very difficult if not impossible unless you ate about a dozen pastured egg yolks a day!
Do you recommend butter oil and the same time as taking the codliver oil for a 4 month old baby?
Hi Leana, if you are nursing then no need for the butter oil until the child is a year or so. If the baby is on formula either homemade or commercial then yes, the butter oil is advised.
Is it unhealthy to give breastfed babies the Green Pasture’s FCLO/High Vitamin Butter Oil Blend? That’s what we have on hand in our home, since that’s what I take. But if babies shouldn’t have the butter oil then I can buy a different kind for him.
Also, has anyone ever used the gel and rubbed it into baby’s skin?
Oh, and I read to eat food with it and make that have fat in it…maybe the butter with the vitK/X Factor is why? We take it and then eat an egg, almost everyday, for breakfast and/or cream cheese, butter, bacon fat.
It also seems to be clearing up my 5yo’s keratosis pilares, which I and then one of my older girls had also. It’s that “chicken skin” some ppl get. My parents were told by the dermatologist that I didn’t get enough sunlight, and it IS worse in the winter. I put this sticky, awful, prescription lotion on my oldest daughter and I’ve been putting a healthfood one on my 5yo for a couple yrs. It can itch awful in the winter. Anyway, DUH when I learned about vit D being so necessary, it struck me. I bet THIS is the cure for keratosis pilares! It’s a vit D deficiency skin condition. My 5yo does seem to be better this winter and we’re not being near as good about lotioning her up as b4. We used to do 2x a day. Now this year, we’re doing it once every few days and her skin looks not bad at all. I had been giving her flaxseed, ground–since babyhood, in hopes the omega-3s would do it. It never seemed to do much at all. It’s not the O-3s, it’s the vit D! CLO “just happens” to be rich in DHA and EPA also. That and vit A of course, which helps skin, period.
We take the concentrated brand rec’d by NT btw. Can’t think of the name right now.
I don’t know about that. I’ve been taking CLO for about 4 months now and when I went for my blood tests my serum levels were at 65.1 (which is considered a nourished level) and my keratosis actually got WORSE! I don’t think the vitamin D caused the keratosis but I also don’t think it cures it. It must be something else.
Keratosis is also a symptom of gluten sensitivity. So, you may be gluten intolerant and/or have a leaky gut and not be absorbing the vitamin D. Maybe try going gf and drinking bone broth/taking probiotics to heal your gut in addition to taking the FCLO?
My 2 girls include one very very very picky 3yo. They rarely get juice full strength and so I put the CLO (unfermented as I haven’t coughed up the money for Tthe femermented yet ) and an immune herbal formula I buy (with glycerine which is sweet too) in a little bit of str8 juice. The first few times were difficult but I started with a spoonful and then held it to their mouth to drink. I told them to drink their nummy up quick. My 3yo was calling it their nummy in a few days and drinking it NO problem. The 5yo still doesn’t think it’s the greatest but I added vit C subs to it the first week–Acerola powder from NOW. She got so she really liked that concoction and the 3yo also. HOWEVER this still has ascorbic acid in it and I want real Vit C, so I switched to Pure Radiance C —-which has a grassy taste. The 5yo still gets a half dose of Acerola powder to mask the grassy taste but she really fusses about it.
The crucial test though was the other day when we’d ran out of juice here. I gave them str8 CLO on a spoon. No problem, but they didn’t exactly like it. I tried it in milk the next day, just a little to get the CLO down, but NO GO. It was very hard to get them to drink it. I won’t do that again.
I would try cream cheese if necessary too. ANYthing they will willingly eat that you put it with. Applesauce maybe? Use just a little of whatever you try. I wouldn’t make them just take it str8. I tried it becuz it had been 4 mos that we’ve been taking it now. And I will keep buying juice to take it in with the herbals and vit c.
I can throw it down my throat in a little juice. I don’t relish it at all. But my 3yo really LIKES it I think…
I also give them garlic, minced, on a spoon, covered with honey. 1/2 clove each. They chew it even though I tell them to try to just swallow it. It is quite hot, I’ll tell you, as I do it too and I don’t really chew it. The 3yo even does it. I’m very surprised with at that. Some days they ask me for it and if I give to one without the other, she insists I give it to her also! I’m not as regular on this as it’s one more pain in the butt thing to do at breakfast, but it works so well as a preventitive and as an antibiotic for sickness trying to take hold.