Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Where to get fish oils?

46 replies

annh · 31/12/2003 22:18

I have been following with interest several of the discussions about difficult 4/5 year olds. My ds1 (5) has been making life hell for me and it's just getting worse. I don't need to go into the details 'cos many of you have heard them all before - suffice to say that he is turning our home into a battleground and is upsetting ds2 (2) as well as making me absoutely hate being his mum.

I have had the hv round who was pretty useless - suggesting all the things we have already tried, giving him choices, choosing our battles etc. Now I have decided it can't do any harm to give him fish oils so I toddled off to Boots today to ask for some. The pharmacy assistant had never heard of pro-efa and said all the fish oils they had were for adult use and the only thing she could suggest was cod liver oil! She then had a long discussion with me about how I shouldn't give ds coke or fizzy drinks (I don't) and try not to feed him food with additives (already trying) and she then turned round to him and said "you seem like a bright boy, you just need to be kept busy" to which he smiled angelically at her!! All this was taking place against a background of him removing, smelling and replacing every container of fish oils on about three shelves in the store before running off round the corner where I have no idea what he got up to.

I know she just meant well but I just wanted to hand him over to her and say well, if you have so many good ideas why don't you have him for a bit and try them out - it's not as if I haven't tried everything I can think of myself already. Anyway, my question is - are fsh oils really such an esoteric substance that I can't get them at Boots and if so, where can I order or does anyone else have any other brand names? Thanks in advance for any help.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

jmb1964 · 10/01/2004 23:07

Zerub this is where we get our fish oils - I'm glad you've found them useful, I think they are really good value compared with Boots etc. Ds1 (6) swallows them whole without a problem, but I don't think he would have done at 20 months!

Beccarollover · 11/01/2004 09:28

I think Ill go to boots today and try to get the eyeq for my difficult 4-5 year old :D

How long before we see results?

debster · 12/01/2004 14:25

Is ordinary cod liver oil ok for a 5 year old? Will it contain omega 3? I bought a bog standard bottle from Asda and it says that children 5 and over can have 5mls a day. However, after reading this thread I am worried that this wouldn't be ok. The ingredients say it contains cod liver oil and vitamin A. Would this be harmful?

aloha · 12/01/2004 14:54

Jimjams, can I ask you a question please? Having been to a two year olds b/day party I am increasingly wondering if ds is just unathletic or if he might be dyspraxic. He is two and four months, and he never crawled and was the latest walker in his NCT group. He prefers to lie rather than sit etc etc (he's very like me ) He can't run very well (very clumsy, slow run) can't throw a ball or kick properly (shows zero interest in either mind you). He doesn't seem to 'get' jigsaws or be able to fit shapes into wooden puzzle boards (also very little interest). He's very clumsy with a spoon - doesn't feed himself well at all with utensils. He can't jump (just bends his knees and flaps his arms and says 'I'm jumping mummy' and is famously clumsy, takes ages to get anywhere and goes up and down stairs by crawling/sliding - ie not standing though he does seem more interested in that lately. We don't have any behavioural issues with him - he's sociable, esp with adults, very talkative etc. I'm wondering if he meets the Dyspraxia profile in your opinion (most info on dyspraxia seems to focus on 3/4 or above) and if you think EFAs would help?

aloha · 12/01/2004 14:55

I have to say, I have zero sporting ability, am a pathetic runner - at school I was the one being lapped several times by the school fatty (yes, not a joke), and have no hand to eye cooridination, so it could be my 'fault' I suppose.

maryz · 12/01/2004 20:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

aloha · 12/01/2004 21:52

Thanks Maryz. Glad to hear your dd is doing well. You should see my son playing Sleepy Bunnies - it takes him so long to get up to standing for the 'Hop Hop Hop' bit that it is literally time to lie down again....

pamina3 · 14/01/2004 12:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JanH · 14/01/2004 13:33

Interesting piece about fish oils in the Guardian today - has a link to a website that supplies various supplements, don't know if it's one that's already been mentioned here.

JanH · 14/01/2004 13:35

debster, it says liver oils in general should be avoided because of the concentration of toxins in liver - and that cod liver oil always (?) has Vit A which is another thing to avoid.

lorne · 14/01/2004 13:36

Got my ds's fish oil's today. I got the Boots Smart Omega 3's. It says to take 1 no. 5ml spoon daily. Has anybody got this one. It is just that I have heard people saying about taking a higher dosage and then reducing it. I obviously will just give him 1 X 5ml spoon per day but just wondering if I have bought the correct one.

Thanks

debster · 14/01/2004 13:44

JanH - thank you so much for posting this article and responding to my query. It has answered many of my questions. I will stop giving the cod liver oil to my ds and try and find some eye q instead.

Thanks again.

lorne · 14/01/2004 13:58

JanH

Yes I have just read it too. Thanks for posting it.It explained everything I needed to know. I think the product I bought isn't suitable, I will have to look again.

Thanks again.

rhiannon37 · 16/01/2004 22:27

Have just bought Boots stuff as the DHA Concentration orange stuff was considered worse than brussels sprouts in the taste department. I think 1 5ml spoonful is OK but apparently it takes about a month to have any effect.All being well I shall be the mother of 3 model boys in no time.

debster · 19/01/2004 09:10

Aaagh - I bought the eye Q capsules from Boots on their 3 for 2 offer and ds refuses to swallow them. So now we have to soften them in water so that he can suck the oil out. We now have 3 bottles of the stuff to get through. Why didn't I go for the liquid. Let's hope it bloody works!

eli · 19/01/2004 09:38

Debster - i made the same mistake. Neither of my kids will take the capsules. I've got round this by using them myself and buying them the liquid.

LIZS · 19/01/2004 09:46

Joining this thread cos have just started ds (5) on eyeQ which dh bought 3 for 2 on his last UK visit. He is fine about taking them so far and have just got up to 2 am and 2 pm. He calls them his brain capsules Hoping for an improvement in motor skills and concerntration as he currently finds writing hard work and is reluctant to make too much effort as a result.

Aloha, he too has been flaying around when doing sport (you should see his attempts to play soccer although he loves it!), has poor hand/eye coordination, never really jumped as a toddler and so on but I attributed it at the time to lack on interest rather than any problem, as he hit other milestones well and seemed bright. "dyspraxia" was mentioned once to us in relation to his speech but he soon surpassed the examples cited problems so had attributed it to later development.

Interested to see others giving this to their toddlers too as also had dd aged 2. How successful has anyone been at getting their toddler to take it ?

maryz · 19/01/2004 11:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

roisin · 31/01/2004 18:43

Maryz - this is a FANTASTIC tip. We bought fish oil capsules for the first time today ... dh looked at me as though I was barmy when I told the kids (4 and 6) we were going to practice with quarter jelly sweets ... but it worked. It took them about 2 minutes each to learn the trick, and they swallowed the capsules with no problems at all.

Thank you

deegward · 31/01/2004 19:07

I have now been gicing fish oil (Boots own make - liquid strawberry flavour) to my ds1 for 1 month now. I cannot believe the improvement in him.. although not hyper before he is soo much better now. We call his smiley medicine, as it will stop him having tantrums and therefore be smiley.

Going tomorrow to buy more as its on 3 for 2 just now. (tried the tablets but he couldn't swallow, didn't know about the previous trick) DS1 takes it no prob at all

roisin · 01/02/2004 14:08

Jmb - the link you gave on the other thread certainly seem very good value compared with Eye-Q ... The capsules are 1000mg rather than 500mg eyeQ ... Do you know what the EyeQ ones look like? Do you think they would be much more difficult for a child to swallow? DS2 is managing no problem with the EyeQ ones, but DS1 is still getting used to the idea.

But it suggests for first 12 weeks they should have 6 capsules each per day, (thereafter down to 2), which means they get through a £7.99 bottle between them in 5 days! So a cheaper alternative would be desirable

Flip

1 2