09/10/2026
I understand that some parents ask to use oral vitamin K instead of the newborn vitamin K shot.
Oral vitamin K requires a specific multi-dose regimen, given over weeks to months, that must be completed exactly as prescribed; a single oral dose does not provide reliable protection against late vitamin K deficiency bleeding, and bleeding has occurred in babies whose oral regimens were incomplete.
Formulation and dose matter, and there is no U.S.-approved oral vitamin K product for routine newborn prophylaxis—please choose the proven, one-time IM vitamin K shot and do not take this preventable risk.