What's the current vitamin advice for toddlers?

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

I haven't given dd any supplements over the summer but am wondering if I should now start - particularly bit D? I can ask the HV but I'm not always completely confident in what she says! Does anyone know where I can find the most up to date advice? (DD is 20 mo)

Thanks!

[WhoahThereCrazyHorse]

vit not bit

[Rubirosa]

All children aged 6 months-5years are recommended to take a multivitamin, unless they have 500ml formula a day.

[vodkaanddietirnbru]

A supplement of Vitamins A, C and D is recommended between 6 months and 5 years.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/vitamins-for-children.aspx#close

[HaveToWearHeels]

vitamins to the age of 5 was the advise 6 months ago.

[matana]

"All children aged 6 months-5years are recommended to take a multivitamin".

Really?? I am clearly a massive example of parenting failure - i do not give my 22 mo DS multivitamins, nor did i know this advice existed. On the flip side, he does eat an exceptionally well balanced and nutricious diet, so maybe i'm right in thinking he doesn't need them? He even eats Taramasalata, which i think is the only food that contains vitamin D.

[theredhen]

Matana, hasn't margarine got vitamin d in it? Also I think eggs and other fish contain it.

[matana]

Yes you're right theredhen - i have been led up the garden path! A few types of fish, shiitake and mutton mushrooms, and eggs all contain 'natural' Vit D (i.e. they don't have to be 'fortified' with it). Few foods contain it naturally, though many are fortified with it. So by my reckoning my DS is actually suffering from vitamin overload!

[matana]

oops, 'button mushrooms' of course... mutton ones might be a bit chewy.

[Wigeon]

From what I've read / heard from two different health professionals, vitamin D is the only really important one, as it's very hard to get enough in northern climates (even in the summer), as even a very good diet won't give you enough and we don't have enough UVB radiation to get it from sunshine. (Although I note that official advice is to give a multivitamin to the under 5s, not just vit D).

So we have recently started giving the DDs (16 months and 4 yrs) a multivitamin, despite them both eating a very good, balanced diet. We did try to find a product that was just vitamin D, but it always seems to be sold in a multivitamin format. So we are going with that.

More info here and here.