Best childrens multivitamin and mineral supplement?

[saltyseadog]

DD (6) has CP and therefore finds feeding difficult. She definitely has 'off' days when she hardly eats a thing. Whilst we are monitoring the situation, and trying to think of ways to bulk her up, I'd like to give her a supplement as she can't be getting everything she needs from her diet.

Any recommendations please? It can't be in tablet form - it has to be a powder to mix into a drink or a syrup. Thanks.

Are you getting help from the dietician salty? DGS has CP and has struggled with his weight since birth.

The dietician has supplied all the additional supplements, drinks, puddings, powder to add nutrients and calories to food. He still doesnt eat quantity, but cream cheese, butter, cream - its all in there!

He has had abidec and fish oil capsules from a few months old. This DD does herself.

Have a chat with the dietician. nutrients and minerals/vitamins are absorbed better from food, but they can go through the diet and recommend supplements where the diet isnt providing it.

DGS (2) recently had all his teeth removed (enamel hypoplasia) and it has revolutionised his eating - gone is the retching and mouth shutting and he even eats fruit flavoured little stars - before never never did yoghurts! Obviously not a solution to your DD but something we never expected and odd!

Hi URSR. No - no dietician input at the mo - have recently mentioned it to the paed though. She used to be on Pediasure, but at about 3.5 she weaned herself off it and started eating pretty much a normal diet. Sadly since ds was born she has started not eating as much, which we expect is behavioural - her way of expressing her displeasure at the arrival of a sibling - probably very tough for her as for the first six years of her life she has had our utter undivided attention :(.

I used to give her eskimo oil, I think it may be time to start that up again. Her skin gets very dry and I'm sure that will help. Unfortunately abidec only seem to make syrups for up to 5yrs, so back to the drawing board on that one!

Great news that your DGS is able to eat more :), although poor chap having enamel hypoplasia.

Have a look at kindervital by floradix. It has loads of vitamins and minerals and it comes in a liquid so you could add it into juice or just give it by itself- it's quite a nice sweet taste :)

Hi salty. Definitely need to go back to the dietician as you cant get the supplements except on prescription and CP children need 20% more calories than NT because of the extra effort involved in physical movement.

It is not just vits and minerals DD needs it is calories, and if she is being a bit of a minx with food it needs someone used to dealing with behavioural issues surrounding food. Kindervital sounds good too.

My DD used to practically force feed DGS as it was that or a PEG (not an option obviously for DD!). He has now hit the bottom line of the charts so we are on the right path.

Does she have favourite foods you can cream laden, like yoghurts? Could you make mealtimes a special mum and DD time with the baby out of the way? I'm not good myself with food refusal as it makes me hugely anxious!

i think the one we have is minadex? its actually a tonic for during and after illness?

Thanks everyone. I have ordered her some Kindervital and Eskimo Oil.

Yes - food refusal makes me mega anxious too USR. It's a toughie. DD is so listless and peaky at the moment I am worried. I will phone her paed tomorrow, in the interim I have loaded our supermarket shop with full fat dairy products and biscuits.

We have tried seeing someone from the Community LD team r.e. the behavioural issues - apparently we're being referred again but I will believe it when I see it. She is a minx - that is exactly the right word!