Posted on
December 01, 2025 by
The VRG Weblog Editor
photograph from Freepik
by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
A reader wrote us and requested, “Do you may have B12 pointers for kids? What ought to youngsters be taking day by day? On VRG’s Vegan MyPlate I see 25mcg. Is that the identical steerage for kids as properly?”
Right here’s how we responded:
The quantity of vitamin B12 a baby wants is dependent upon the kid’s age. The 25 micrograms of vitamin B12 on our My Vegan Plate is for an grownup.
The Beneficial Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin B12 for 1-3 12 months olds is 0.9 micrograms; for 4-8 12 months olds it’s 1.2 micrograms; and for 9-13 12 months olds it’s 1.8 micrograms. These suggestions had been developed with the belief that youngsters are consuming meals containing vitamin B12 all through the day. If so, about 40-50% of the vitamin B12 is absorbed. Vegan youngsters usually use a vitamin complement as a dependable supply of vitamin B12 and should solely take the complement as soon as a day. In that case, a decrease proportion of vitamin B12 can be absorbed. An quantity increased than the RDA can be wanted to compensate for the decrease absorption. You possibly can learn extra about this on VRG’s web site.
Vegan Well being web site supplies a superb useful resource, developed by Jack Norris, RD, a vegan registered dietitian, of totally different regimens for vitamin B12 for individuals, together with youngsters of various ages. The web site additionally supplies a thorough clarification of how these regimens had been developed. The desk on the Vegan Well being web site consists of the recommended quantity of vitamin B12 that must be used if a baby is taking a complement as soon as, twice, or 3 instances a day. For instance, the desk suggests {that a} 5 12 months previous taking vitamin B12 as soon as a day ought to take between 1.4 and 10 micrograms of vitamin B12 day by day.
To learn extra about vitamin B12 for vegans see:
Vitamin B12 within the Vegan Weight loss plan
Does the Type of Vitamin B12 Matter?
Don’t Overlook About Vitamin B12
The contents of this web site and our different publications, together with Vegan Journal, aren’t supposed to supply private medical recommendation. Medical recommendation must be obtained from a professional well being skilled. We frequently depend upon product and ingredient info from firm statements. It’s not possible to be 100% certain a couple of assertion, data can change, individuals have totally different views, and errors may be made. Please use your finest judgment about whether or not a product is appropriate for you. To make certain, do additional analysis or affirmation by yourself.
