Should I give Vitamin supplements?

[wendie]

Apologies - I'm new here and I couldn't work out if this should go here or in food or in children's health.

My 15 month old eats really well - meat, fish,veg, fruit etc. I don't really want to give him supplements, but the health visitor recommends is as a matter of course and the NHS 1-5 book recommends it. Does everyone? has anyone not? Does it harm your kids if you don't? Does anyone have any recommendations as to which ones to try? It is all so confusing in Boots I don't know what to try.

Any help/advice gratefully received.

wendie

[nickytwotimes]

Your hv recommends it?
That is unusual, i think.
I wouldn't give them to ds.

Btw, welcome to MN!

[wendie]

Hi there

Thanks for the welcome! Yep - all the hv's do where I go. My friends are all following the advice so I feel a bit bad, but I'm just not sure I want to pump unnecessary stuff into little chap. But don't want to harm him by not doing it.

I guess as it's in the NHS book it's the latest directive. Guess it will all change again in a year or so.

Sorry am being stupid ... what's ds?

[megcleary]

ds means dear son an di too am in the vitamin quandry

[megcleary]

but my daughter is one and not a great eater so i may go ahead

[wendie]

Oh let me know how you get on - I might try. I bought 3 at the weekend to assuage my guilt - EyeQ, Abidec and Haliborange. I thought I'd try them first to see what they taste like. I haven't even tried them with my son though! Pretty silly huh.

[megcleary]

not at all my hubby is great at tasting everything like sudocream in case she eats it!! and stating she won't finish the tub

i think i had haliborange as a child and the hv mentioned abidec

[nolongerchunkybutstillapudding]

hey wendie welcome to mn! i have no answers as far as vits go, am a know-nuffin first timer with a 7.5mo....

just wanted to let you know that if you click on 'acronym list' at the top of this page (where it says 'useful stuff') you will find a full list of acronyms used on mn, so any 'ds' 'dp' or 'pmsl' will make sense to you!

xx

[Tinkjon]

Yes, vitamins for children aged 1-5 is official NHS advice (I have been wondering if this means until the end of their 5th year or only until the end of their 4th). Wendie, can I ask why you don't want your ds to have them? For those of you spending lots of money on branded vitamins, you can buy NHS ones from any baby clinic for about £1!

[megcleary]

TJ our HV told us they were no longer allowed to sell them in our clinic!