Why Fall + Winter Sunshine Still Matters for Babies with Eczema And Why Vitamin D Supplements Might Not Be Helping
You bundle them up.
You switch to the thicker creams.
You blame the wind, the heater, the scratchy sweater.
But the truth is — winter eczema isn’t just about the weather.
Yes, colder less humid air and indoor heating can irritate the skin.
But for many babies and toddlers, those telltale red patches and itchy cheeks signal something deeper:
A hidden deficiency in the nutrients that regulate immune function and skin repair
A lack of healing, full-spectrum sunlight — which helps the body synthesize and balance crucial fat-soluble vitamins
An imbalance between vitamin D, vitamin A, and K2, throwing off everything from calcium regulation to inflammation
If your child’s eczema flares every time the weather turns...
If lotions help, but only for a moment...
If you’ve tried cutting foods, changing soaps, or switching laundry detergents without lasting relief —
It’s time to look deeper.
In this post, we’ll walk through the connection between sunshine, vitamin D, fat-soluble nutrients, and eczema — and how to support your child naturally during the darker months.
Because healing doesn’t always start with what you remove.
Sometimes, it starts with what you restore.
Do Babies and Toddlers Still Need Sunshine in Fall and Winter?
Yes — even when it’s freezing.
Even when the clouds are thick.
Even when your child is bundled from head to toe in fleece.
Most of us know that sunshine is the best natural source of vitamin D — but that’s not all it does.
And here’s the twist: even in seasons when UVB rays are too weak to trigger vitamin D production (like late fall through early spring in many northern regions), sunlight still matters — a lot.
Here’s what natural light does for your child — even without a tan line:
🕰 Regulates circadian rhythm:
Daily outdoor light helps set your child’s internal body clock, which affects everything from immune function to growth hormone release.😌 Supports melatonin + serotonin:
Natural morning light boosts serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmitter), and helps regulate melatonin at night — supporting better mood, deeper sleep, and a calmer nervous system.👁 Boosts neurological and eye development:
Sunlight exposure in childhood is linked to reduced risk of myopia (nearsightedness), better sensory integration, and even more robust brain development.🧬 Supports skin barrier function and microbiome balance:
Believe it or not, natural light helps regulate the skin’s immune defenses and microbial diversity — which is crucial for kids with eczema or yeast overgrowth.
Cold Weather Tip for Real-Life Moms:
Even if you can’t do full sunshine time in a diaper (we see you, summer babies!), just 10–30 minutes outside daily — especially before 10 AM — makes a difference.
Take a stroller walk.
Open a window while they eat.
Sit on a porch wrapped in blankets.
Let their face or hands catch a few rays during playtime.
Even cloudy light is therapeutic — it still tells your child’s cells that it’s daytime, helps regulate hormones, and can lower systemic inflammation.
But here’s the challenge:
🧭 If you live above the 37th parallel (that’s most of the U.S. north of Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Atlanta), UVB rays may be too weak between November and March for the skin to actually synthesize vitamin D.
So while the light still matters for rhythm and mood — it may not be enough to maintain vitamin D levels.
That brings us to the real root issue...
Why Vitamin D Supplements Don’t Work the Way You Think
It’s common to hear doctors — even those who specialize in eczema — recommend vitamin D drops, especially when bloodwork shows low levels.
But here’s what most don’t explain:
💊 Synthetic vitamin D (especially when given as D2 or even D3 on its own) is only one piece of the puzzle — and often does more harm than good if it’s not paired with the co-factors the body needs to use it properly.
Vitamin D Doesn’t Work Alone
To be absorbed, activated, and safely used in the body, vitamin D must be paired with:
Vitamin K2 → Directs calcium to the bones and teeth, and keeps it out of the arteries, skin, and organs
Vitamin A (retinol) → Supports the immune system, skin barrier, and balances vitamin D expression
Magnesium → Needed to convert vitamin D into its active form (without it, D stays inactive)
Zinc + Healthy fats → Help activate the vitamin D receptor and allow it to enter cells
When your child is low in these co-factors — which is very common in children with eczema, food sensitivities, or gut imbalances — supplementing with isolated D3 can cause unintended issues.
What Can Go Wrong With Synthetic Vitamin D Drops?
Especially in infants and toddlers with compromised guts or sensitive immune systems, supplementing with isolated D3 can:
Worsen eczema flares → By over-activating certain immune pathways without the checks and balances of vitamins A + K2
Disrupt sleep → Many parents report that their children become more irritable or wake more at night after starting vitamin D drops
Cause calcium imbalance → Without K2, calcium may deposit into the skin or blood vessels rather than bones, increasing inflammation
Slow detox pathways → Vitamin D upregulates certain liver enzymes, and without proper liver support (like glycine or magnesium), this can backfire
Lead to skin dryness or peeling → A sign that the immune system and calcium channels are being overstimulated without support
And perhaps most importantly...
It often doesn’t work.
If your child’s gut isn’t absorbing properly (due to eczema, allergies, antibiotics, or C-section birth), synthetic vitamin D may not even be bioavailable.
What To Do Instead: Use Food-Based, Fat-Soluble Forms
Rather than giving your baby or toddler synthetic D3 drops in isolation, nourish the full fat-soluble vitamin system. These nutrients work together like an orchestra — not a solo act.
Cod Liver Oil
Instead of turning to synthetic vitamin D drops — which often miss the mark — one of the most time-honored, research-supported ways to support your baby or toddler’s immune system, skin, and mood in the colder months is through cod liver oil.
But not all cod liver oils are created equal.
The two I trust most (and personally use in my home) are:
These aren’t just supplements. They’re whole-food concentrates rich in the exact balance of nutrients the body needs — especially when the sun disappears and eczema flares start to rise.
Why Cod Liver Oil Works So Well
Cod liver oil is naturally rich in:
Vitamin D in its whole-food, bioavailable form — supporting the immune system, hormones, and skin
Preformed vitamin A (retinol) — critical for healing eczema, building strong mucosal barriers, and supporting eye and brain development
Essential fatty acids (EPA and DHA) — known to reduce inflammation, improve mood and sleep, and support gut-brain-skin balance
Co-factor nutrients — like vitamin K2 (especially in fermented CLO), which direct calcium into the bones instead of the skin or arteries
This matters deeply — especially for babies and toddlers with eczema.
Where isolated D3 supplements can create imbalance or stagnation in healing, cod liver oil gently restores what’s missing, helping the body come back into balance.
Which Cod Liver Oil Should I Choose?
Rosita Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil
This is a cold-extracted oil from wild-caught Norwegian cod, made without heat or solvents to protect delicate nutrients. It’s fresh, pure, and often the most gentle for little ones or those with sensitive digestion. Because it isn’t fermented, it’s ideal as a starter option.Green Pasture’s Fermented Cod Liver Oil
This version is traditionally fermented, offering additional fat-soluble nutrients and natural vitamin K2 — a key co-factor for calcium balance and bone health. It has a slightly stronger taste, but provides deeper nourishment for children with chronic gut or immune issues, or those with deeper vitamin A/D deficiencies.Both are excellent. The best choice depends on your child’s needs, sensitivities, and how comfortable they are with taste and texture.
How Often Should You Give It?
Cod liver oil is potent, so a little goes a long way — especially when paired with other healing foods like meat stock, egg yolks, and grass-fed butter.
For babies 6–12 months:
Start with ¼ tsp, 2–3 times per week
Only if baby is on solids and tolerating fats well
Go slow and observe for any signs of sensitivity
For toddlers 1–3 years:
3–4x per week (¼ to ½ tsp) is plenty for most kids
In winter months or for toddlers with eczema or low sun exposure, you can offer it up to 5–6x per week — as long as they are not also eating liver more than once a week
For pregnant or postpartum mamas:
½ to 1 tsp daily (or nearly daily)
Especially supportive during winter or if avoiding other sources of preformed vitamin A
⚠️ Note on balance:
If your child is also eating liver 1–2x/week, egg yolks, sardines, or high-vitamin butter oil — you likely don’t need to offer CLO every single day. Balance across the week is more important than perfection on any one day.
How to Serve It for Best Absorption
Always offer CLO with food, ideally paired with:
Meat stock
Ghee or grass-fed butter
Egg yolks or coconut oil
A soft meal with fat and minerals
These fats help the body absorb and use the fat-soluble vitamins — instead of excreting them or storing them improperly.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
Cod liver oil isn’t a quick fix. It’s a nourishing ritual that helps your child’s body heal from the inside out — gently replenishing what’s been lost from stress, illness, or a long stretch of low sun exposure.
Especially for children with eczema or skin flares that worsen in the colder months, cod liver oil can:
Help reduce inflammation and itch
Support the gut-skin connection
Fill in missing fat-soluble nutrients that topical creams can’t reach
Create a deeper sense of balance in mood, sleep, and immune function
Want to Try It?
I recommend starting with either:
Rosita Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil for a gentle, clean, minimally processed version
Green Pasture’s Fermented Cod Liver Oil for deeper therapeutic support and added K2 benefits
Tip: You can mix CLO into a small spoon of yogurt, kefir, or applesauce to make it more toddler-friendly — or just chase it with a sip of water or stock.
Pastured Egg Yolks + Grass-Fed Butter
These are small but mighty — and incredibly rich in the nutrients needed to activate and absorb vitamin D:
Preformed vitamin A (retinol): Critical for immune modulation and healing inflamed skin
Vitamin K2: Helps shuttle calcium to the right places (bones, not skin or arteries)
Cholesterol: Required for hormone production and vitamin D synthesis
Healthy fats: Carry all these nutrients into the cells, especially in growing toddlers
👉 How Often to Serve:
Infants starting solids (6–12 months): ½ to 1 egg yolk daily, mixed with broth or fat
Toddlers (1–3 years): 1–2 egg yolks per day + 1–2 tsp of grass-fed butter (or ghee)
Choose pasture-raised or A2 cow’s milk butter whenever possible — they’re higher in fat-soluble vitamins
💡 Tip: You can stir egg yolks into meat stock, blend into mashed sweet potato, or gently fry in ghee for a soft start.
Sardines, Wild-Caught Salmon, or Beef Liver (1–2x per week)
These nutrient-dense animal foods are nature’s multivitamins — providing vitamin D, B vitamins, and the key minerals needed for proper skin barrier function and immune regulation:
Zinc, selenium, and copper: Crucial for collagen formation, skin healing, and antioxidant defense
EPA + DHA omega-3s: Help calm inflammation in the skin and gut
Choline + folate: Support detox and methylation pathways (which eczema-prone kids often struggle with)
👉 How Often to Serve:
Liver:
Infants (6–12 months): ¼ tsp of liver pâté or powder 2–3x/week
Toddlers: ½–1 tsp 2x/week (blended into meatballs, soups, or muffins)
Sardines or salmon (boneless, skin-on):
Infants: Start with 1–2 tsp mashed into broth or purée
Toddlers: ¼–½ can (sardines) or a few bites of cooked salmon 1–2x/week
💡 Tip: Mix into sweet potato, serve with ghee, or offer cold with lemon juice for older toddlers exploring new flavors.
High-Vitamin Butter Oil
This is a concentrated source of vitamin K2 (MK-4) — a crucial fat-soluble vitamin that:
Activates proteins that direct calcium away from soft tissues and toward the bones
Works synergistically with vitamin D and A to support skin repair and immune function
Has been used in traditional healing protocols (including by Weston A. Price) to support oral health, bone development, and inflammatory skin conditions like eczema
👉 How to Use:
Combine with fermented cod liver oil for maximum synergy
Start with ⅛ tsp for babies, ¼ tsp for toddlers, 3–4x per week
Mix into yogurt, liver pâté, mashed veggies, or drizzle over cooked squash or carrots
💡 This is one of those “less is more” supplements — a tiny amount goes a long way when paired with nutrient-dense foods.
Green Pastures also offers this to purchase
Together, these foods offer a gentle, food-based solution for eczema support, vitamin D activation, and building true resilience from the inside out — especially during darker fall and winter months when your child’s skin needs it most.
What If Your Child Can’t Tolerate Cod Liver Oil?
Cod liver oil (CLO) is one of the most powerful ancestral tools we have — rich in fat-soluble vitamins like A and D, and full of anti-inflammatory omega-3s. But it’s not always an easy yes for every child — especially those with sensitive guts, eczema flares, or developmental challenges.
If your little one refuses it, spits it out, or seems to react after taking it, here’s why it might be happening — and what you can do instead.
Why Some Children React to Cod Liver Oil
1. Gut inflammation or leaky gut:
Children with eczema, yeast overgrowth, or food sensitivities often have compromised gut lining. In these cases, even beneficial oils can feel “too much” too soon — triggering loose stools, skin flares, or even mood shifts.
2. Poor bile flow or fat digestion:
CLO is a concentrated fat. If your child’s gallbladder or liver is sluggish (common in kids with chronic inflammation), they may not digest it well, leading to nausea or greasy stools.
3. Histamine sensitivity or detox reaction:
Even clean CLO brands can trigger a gentle detox response in sensitive kids. If you notice skin flares, runny nose, or changes in behavior after a new supplement, slow down — their body may not be ready for full doses yet.
Gentle Steps to Support & Replace
You don’t need to force CLO. You can nourish the same pathways with other foods and build up to tolerance over time.
Here’s how:
Egg yolks from pastured hens
Rich in retinol (preformed vitamin A), choline, and small amounts of natural vitamin D. Gentle and familiar — perfect for daily use.Liver
¼ tsp of freeze-dried powder 2–3x/week or slivers blended into meatballs or purees. Provides A, D, copper, zinc, and B vitamins.Grass-fed tallow or ghee
Support digestion of all fat-soluble vitamins. Calms gut lining and delivers healthy saturated fats for growth and repair.Fermented foods
Brine, yogurt, or kefir help restore gut flora, which improves vitamin absorption and reduces reactivity over time.Magnesium baths (1–2x/week)
Epsom salts help regulate vitamin D receptors, calm the nervous system, and support gentle detox. (Bonus: helps with sleep and skin flares too.)
Sneaky Ways to Get Cod Liver Oil In (When They’re Ready)
If you’ve supported digestion and want to try again — without the drama — here are some tried-and-true mama hacks:
Mix CLO with raw honey or date syrup (for 12+ months)
→ ¼ tsp honey + ¼ tsp CLO on a spoon = way more tolerableStir into cultured cream, yogurt, or applesauce
→ A little tang masks the flavor, especially for toddlersDrop into warm meat stock (not too hot!)
→ Just before serving, stir it in gently to a spoonful of stockUse a medicine syringe + follow with a bite of fruit
→ A quick squirt and chase method
If your child isn’t tolerating cod liver oil right now — it doesn’t mean their healing is stalled.
Keep nourishing the pathways around it: fat digestion, mineral balance, and gut health. When their system is stronger, you might be surprised how easily they accept it later.
And remember: slow + steady works. You’re building resilience, not just checking a box.
A Gentle Sunshine Plan for Eczema-Prone Kids (Fall + Winter)
Eczema flares during the colder months aren’t just about dry air or bundled skin — they’re often rooted in missing fat-soluble nutrients, a lack of real sunlight, and poor absorption due to gut imbalance.
This gentle plan gives you a seasonal, whole-body approach to soothe flares and build your child’s resilience from the inside out.
✅ Daily Sunshine Exposure (Yes, Even in the Cold!)
Sunlight still matters — even when UVB rays are low. It supports:
Circadian rhythm regulation (better sleep = better skin healing)
Melatonin and serotonin production (mood + inflammation balance)
Immune function and skin barrier health
What to do:
Get 10–30 minutes outdoors each day, ideally before 10 AM or around solar noon
No sunglasses — let natural light hit the eyes for brain and hormone signaling
Let baby’s hands, cheeks, or legs get brief direct sun (5–10 mins), weather permitting
Babywearing, stroller naps, and short bundled walks still count!
✅ Weekly Cod Liver Oil (Natural Vitamin D + A)
Rather than synthetic drops, cod liver oil (CLO) provides vitamin D in its natural form — along with vitamin A and omega-3s for skin, immune, and gut repair.
Updated Dosage Guidelines:
Babies 6–12 months: ¼ tsp, 2–3x/week
Toddlers 1–3 years: ¼ to ½ tsp, 3–4x/week
(Increase to 5–6x/week in winter if not eating other A/D-rich foods like liver or sardines)Pregnant or postpartum mamas: ½ to 1 tsp daily
🧈 Always serve CLO with food — especially meals rich in fat (ghee, meat stock, or butter) to support absorption and minimize tummy upset.
✅ Gut + Skin-Nourishing Food Foundations
Your child doesn’t need complicated protocols — they need ancestral foods that work in harmony with their body.
Offer these daily or throughout the week:
Meat stock (not bone broth)
Rich in glycine, gelatin, and minerals to soothe gut lining + calm inflammation
→ Offer warm in a cup, mixed into veggies, or blended into pureesSteamed and pureed veggies with broth + fat
→ Think zucchini, carrots, sweet potato or parsnip with ghee or tallowEgg yolks from pastured hens
→ A natural source of preformed vitamin A, K2, and cholesterol for skin healingBeef liver or liver powder
→ ¼ tsp 2–3x/week for infants/toddlers (mixed into purees, meatballs, or broth)Fermented foods
→ A few drops of sauerkraut brine, a spoon of yogurt, or coconut kefir to gently restore the microbiome
What to Avoid for Eczema + Vitamin D Balance
Some popular remedies may actually make flares worse — especially when isolated or synthetic.
Avoid:
❌ Synthetic D drops (D2 or D3 alone) — disrupt nutrient synergy
❌ Fortified cereals or dairy with added D2/D3
❌ Calcium supplements without K2 — may drive calcium to the skin and worsen eczema
❌ Multivitamins with synthetic retinol palmitate — can overwhelm natural vitamin A balance
Why This Works: Vitamin D, the Gut, and the Immune System
Eczema isn’t a surface problem — it’s an immune response often tied to gut health.
Vitamin D modulates immune signaling, helps balance inflammation, and supports the skin barrier. But without enough vitamin A, K2, magnesium, and fat, that D isn’t properly absorbed or activated.
Low vitamin D status (or poor utilization) in eczema-prone kids can lead to:
More colds or recurrent infections
Slow wound healing
Mood imbalances or poor sleep
Flare-ups after sun exposure or illness
⚠️ The solution isn’t mega-dosing vitamin D. It’s restoring synergy — using food, sun, and slow, steady support.
Support Eczema with Seasonal, Ancestral Wisdom
In traditional cultures, children didn’t get vitamin D drops or fortified foods.
They got cod liver oil in winter, real sunlight in summer, and nutrient-dense meals year-round.
And they had fewer allergies, stronger bones, and more resilient skin.
You don’t need to add more — you need to return to what works.
☀️ Get outside, even when it’s cloudy.
🍲 Serve meat stock and nourishing fats daily.
🐟 Use cod liver oil wisely, not fearfully.
🧠 Think in systems — not isolated solutions.
You're not just easing a flare.
You're teaching your child’s body to heal — and grow strong for every season ahead. 💛
Want More Help with Nutrient-Dense Fall and Winter Meals for the Whole Family?
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