Do you give your DC's vitamins?

[CJ2010]

My DD is 2 years old and not a great eater. Should I give her a multivitamin? Do any of you give your DC's vitamins? If so, which one should I get? TIA

I give my 20mo DS Abidec vitamins because he has multiple food allergies and he's on a very restricted diet. He has also been prescribed calcium supplements because milk is one of his allergies. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving your DC a vit supplement as long as it doesn't replace as varied a diet as possible. My GP told me that about 80% of parents worry about their toddler's diet yet only 10% actually have cause to worry. How about checking with your HV or GP?

I give DD the chewable multi-vit plus the pro-biotic one - Animal Parade by Natures Plus

DD (5) takes a kids multivit but I think the packet says from 3 and up? She takes them because we had a horrendous few months when she was 3-4 where she got a cold which turned into a chest infection requiring antibiotics every few weeks. Whether she's just older or whether it's the vitamins I don't know, but she hasn't had a chest infection in months and has had fewer colds too. It's such a relief for all of us. I don't give them to my 2 year old yet though.

I gave multivitamin for a month after both DC had a terrible cold, just to make them stronger through winter, and now I give Omega-3 oils for DS1 as it is believed to help with mood swings (don't know if it's true just testing).

I give my DS (22 months) vits - Abidec - and have been giving him vits since he was 6 months old (as recommended for breastfed babies). He eats a varied diet, so I'm sure he's getting a good balance anyway, but I take a multivit myself (and took vits as a child) as well as eating a varied diet so I treat him the same. Plus I like to know he's getting enough Vit D.

Dh has taken a notion that we should be giving ours vit D supplements as per the recent guidance not least because his maternal grandfather had MS. Other than that, not sure there is a huge need for supplements (but it makes someone v rich).

Never felt the need to. DS eats well & we chuck him outside enjoy walking the dog in all weathers.

I've never felt the need to either. As hanahsaunt says they make millions for very little proven benefit.

No.

Both my kids 3½ and 5 have Haliborange Kids Vitamin C Immune Softies and Manuka Honey 10+ which has antiviral and antibacterial properties.

I didn't give mine the Abidec Multi Vitamin as it's dissolved in Peanut Oil and there are nut 'issues' in the family.

They're both not bad eaters, but believe that a top up is a good thing, especially the honey.

I do now. DS has been what seems like perpetually sick for the last couple of months. He loves his veg, but isn't great with fruit, so I've started giving him Bassetts Kids Vitamins A, B6, C, D and E chewables.

In addition, there is now a proven medical link in taking probiotics (in higher doses than you would get just from activia etc) and a large reduction in upper respiratory tract infections, so I also give him some chewable probiotics for 3yo and upwards.

Whenever DS used to get a cold, it used to turn into a croup-ey cough straight away. I've definitely noticed an improvement in this area since he started taking the probiotics.

I give mine Omega, Zinc & Magnesium, and a multi vitamin containing vit b and vit d.

It's made a huge difference to all 3 of them.

There is no way fruit and veggies today contain the same amount of 'goodness' that they used to. They are farmed too quickly with too many fertilisers and pesticides etc.

Plus their diet is much more restricted than it used to be. Nobody eats brain or kidney or liver anymore.......

There is a lot of scientific evidence that it helps. But they are very hard studies to do. (What do you measure? And how do you know the only difference between the control group and the experiment group is the multivitamins?)

Yes, all of mine have multivitamins (ages 6, 4 & 2). I only give them these for the vitamin D, which is v difficult to obtain in any other form.

All under 5s are recommended to be supplemented with vitamin D because in Winter there's not strong enough sunshine in the UK to generate it, it is extremely difficult to get sufficient from diet alone (1kg beef a day, 10 eggs a day anyone?!), and the amount generated in UK summertime is unlikely to see them through the Winter, as the body makes what it needs. The further north you are the more of a problem it is and the shorter the number of months the sunshine (UVB) is strong enough for any generation.

Actually a large proportion of the UK population is probably deficient at least in Winter, but only 'at risk' groups are recommended for supplementation (young children, over 65s, pregnant and breastfeeding women).

never - I have 3 kids all under 10. diets reasonably healthy, some days a lot better than others but it all balances out. but they are rarely sick or ill - might think differently if they were, or had other conditions

Yes I supplement my DC's (mainly to ensure Vit D and Folic acid intake). For those saying they are using ABIDEC vits for vit D, please be aware this is not the best type, they use d2, which has a very low bioavailability (ie hard for the body to use/absorb), look for a supplement with d3 in it (much easier for the body to absorb), I use WellBaby infant for this reason - added benefit, it tastes a lot better!

Also, poster mentioning calcium supplements for cows milk allergy.... Why? My youngesrt cant take cows milk (15months), so I give him Goat milk, and Goat yogurt, which will have the calcium, but also loads of other Vits and minerals that he'd miss out on otherwise (Goat is much closer to Human milk than cows milk!), all the supermarkets sell UHT Goat milk, and it doesn't smell or taste goaty (I'm glad to say).

Generally it's better to get vits and minerals form food, but with some vits that's very difficult.

oldmum42 -- of course I'd much rather DS got his calcium from food, but our consultant advised against goat's milk, and he can only have limited amounts of soya. He is also rejecting, or showing reactions to, old standbys (like readybrek and sardines), so his calcium intake is well below what it should be, unfortunately. Where do you get the Wellbaby infant vits, by the way?

Multivitamins are unnecessary if your child has a healthy diet, but vitamin D supplements are a good idea. Since it is difficult to source vitamin D-only supplements specifically made and for and approved for use for children, this effectively means lots of people end up giving their children multivitamins. So, if using a multivitamin, find the one with the best vitamin D content, as that is the only vitamin proven not to be found in sufficient quantities in food and which cannot be made by the body in the UK when there isn't enough sunshine around (which is up to 6 months of the year, probably more when you factor in the fact that you are supposed to cover your children up when the sun is very strong to protect them from skin cancer... making early spring about the only time they are likely to be making much vitamin D without risking getting burnt!). Or find a way of sourcing vitamin D only, in controllable doses, so that you don't need to feel guilty giving your child capsules designed for adults and children over 12.

Indigobell if tou dont mind me asking which brand of zinc and magnesium do you use, is it actually a combination or are the seperate.

Garliclover- WellKid baby vits, at Tesco (not cheap, but Tesco usually do 3for2 on vits). Probably all the big supermarkets and Boots etc sell them?

I'm intrigued about the consultant advising against goat milk, and am wondering why.... not so long ago, it was not readily available and often not pasteurised, from heath food shops only, and therefore would have carried certain health risks, so I wonder if this consultant doesn't know that it's now available UHT (very pasteurised!), and in any big supermarket (small pots of goat yogurt with fruit is harder to find, but my local Morrisons sells it now). Years ago my cousins had to get goat milk straight from the goat I remember having to milk the smelly beast by hand so my cousin could have a glass of milk!

Or did the consultant have a particular allergy concern regarding your DS and goat milk? I ask that, because almost nobody is allergic to goat milk, but LOTS of people are allergic to cows milk, and also soya (some of the proteins are the same, strangely). Check the sardine can for soya - it turns up in strange places.

As your DS is having problems with sardines etc, might it be worth trying him on goat milk/yogurt to see what happens? (obviously not if you have been told he is allergic to it), as if he had no problems with it, it would solve a big dietary headache for you!

No - my DS (11) eats a reasonably healthy diet, is incredibly fit and active, plays sport or swims most days; has only vomited three times in his life and has hardly ever been 'ill' or even had a cold. He never seems 'run down' or even tired. I guess we are very lucky .

yeah, i give mine fruit shoots think there laods of vits in them.......

kidding !!!!!

i give him those jelly ones with omegas in.

rabbitstew,

I agree, most multivits not needed if diet good, but vit d and to a lesser extent folic acid are the difficult ones to get enough of. Vitd is almost impossible to get through diet unless the food is supplemented.

WellKid baby - vit d3, best kind for absorption, also has folic acid and a range of just-for-insurance vitamins (good for fussy toddlers).

Here in Scotland, it's less than 6 months vit d making we get, and a much higher proportion of people are deficient. I am constantly telling people NOT to use sunscreen as a matter of routine but only when you are at risk of burning (even young babies!). My DC range from 18 to 1yo, and will use suncream for say, school sports day or hillwalking outings, but not for going in the garden for an hour. They had/have regular increasing exposure in spring into summer, with COMMON SENSE used rather than sunscreen. SO, dappled shade for baby, 20mins then inside at first. Sunscreens are typically full of nasty chemicals which may themselves cause cancer, so no, I'm not going to put it on my kids unless they are at real risk of being burnt.

Interestingly, people who get gradual sensible sun exposure (and lots of it), actually have lower rates of malignant melanoma than people who get no sun exposure (lack of vit d increases your risk of many cancers and a number of other serious illnesses). Actually getting sunburn is not good of course, and should be avoided.

I think, but am not sure, Holland and Barrett may sell vit D berries which are just vit d.

only vit d3 in the winter months.
what do you mean with not a great eater ? if the diet is reasonable varied, even if the amounts are little, I wouldn't worry too much if he/she is thriving and happy.

Both mine are on a multi vit.