Does my toddler really need a multivitamin?

[bigshiplittleboat]

I’ve been dutifully (when I remember) giving my 1yo a multivitamin as recommended by the NHS, but am dubious as to whether she actually needs one. We’ve been really lucky in the whole weaning thing - she immediately loved all food, occasionally goes off things but will generally eat nearly everything including green leafy veg, pulses, mushrooms, most veg really. She gets 5 a day every day but sometimes it’s more fruits than veg. She went off meat for a while but has been favouring that recently, she gets her three portions of dairy a day, and 1-2 portions oily fish a week. As a family we generally try to eat healthily with a focus on veg, she eats what we eat. I’m not convinced about needing the vitamins at the moment (obviously if she starts refusing foods it becomes different) and remember some reading I did for my psych degree that said that you can overdo the vitamins. Plus the current ones we have are in a really sugary syrup which I’m not so happy about. And they are expensive. Does she really need them?

[ChildminderMum]

Vitamin D is the one that is most necessary, even with a very healthy diet.

[bigshiplittleboat]

Ah yes, I forgot about that one - I intend to give the vit d drops just not the others. I should also add she is allergic to eggs - she can have them baked into things but can’t have an ‘egg meal’ eg scrambled eggs, omelette, is she missing anything vital there?

[LoisLittsLover]

My dd (4) has never had them - i had no idea it was a thing until this year. She plays outside every day so i figure she gets plenty of vitamin d

[Creatureofthenight]

I’ve never been told to give my 2 yo any vitamins except D. Is the recommendation from a HP or from a website?

[ChildminderMum]

It's a standard NHS recommendation for all children 0-5 (children on formula 500ml+ already have vitamins added).

[bigshiplittleboat]

Yes it does seem to be standard - it’s on the NHS website and also my friend’s HV told her (my HV didn’t have a clue when I asked her)

[Creatureofthenight]

We’ve only just had 2 year review and HV only mentioned vit D. Am still breastfeeding, does this affect need for vitamins? I agree OP I don’t see a need if they are getting a varied diet.

[ChildminderMum]

Breastfeeding only affects it in that breastfed babies need extra vitamins and formula fed ones don't (as they're added). After 6 months or so all children are recommended to have them.

[Chronicallymothering]

My 9 and 5 year old take a daily multivitamin, I think of it as an insurance policy for the days where they don't quite get a balanced diet rather than a replacement for a healthy diet. Vitamin D, iron and B12 if low can make you feel horrible, and can take a long time to reverse.

[Babdoc]

Breast milk doesn’t contain enough Vitamin D for the baby unless the mother is on high dose vitamin D supplements.
Formula milk contains the correct dose of vitamin D for babies.
Breast fed babies therefore usually need supplements to make up the deficiency, especially in Northern Europe, where low sunlight levels in winter mean most mothers are actually deficient themselves.

[Creatureofthenight]

Yes I know that about vit D, DD does take the drops. Just wondering why our HV team, like the OP found, have never mentioned multivitamins - just the HV postcode lottery?

[Kokeshi123]

Given the recent news about teenagers who did themselves lasting harm through poor diets, a MV seems like a good insurance policy for everyone. Also, considering that kids sometimes start off being good eaters and then become fussier ,it may be wise to get them used to the idea and sensation of taking a vitamin pill from early on.