Are children's vitamins worth it?

[MamOfTwo]

After a weekend of family illness (sore throats, colds, coughs), I am debating whether we all need vitamins to stave off any more autumn/winter bugs. To be honest, we don't tend to get loads of bugs but keen to avoid any more if we can. Do your children take vitamins? Are they worth it? Which ones should I get? Is a simply following a good diet the right answer instead? DC are 5 and 8.

Wee bump...

My almost 4yr old has been taking multivitamins for two years plus. We started with abidec liquid and she's now on Bassetts multivitamins with omega 3. I have no idea if they make a difference. Her diet is good generally. She is never ill. Some peoples kids seem to be poorly all the time. So I wonder if it's mainly down to luck!

Dd has a balanced diet and vitamins. We never remember to have them every day, more likely every other / every 3 and she is very rarely I'll. I'm not really so it may just be in the genes, not sure. I get ones which are like jelly sweets and she picks her own flavour when she takes them.

I just use them as a top up / back up in case she hasn't got everything from her diet. Goodness knows if they help.

I also heard synthetic vitamins aren't great for them but haven't found any reliable info on this yet.

I would say concentrate on diet and use them as a top up

Oh and we but Haliborange

Vitamin D supplements are recommended for all children - I understand that the Scottish government are on top of this, but not in England and even with an Rx they're not always easy to get as supplies run out. There is evidence to suggest that things like MS can be influenced by low Vit D and in this country it's very common for children to be deficient.

I would not vitamin d at all. Its not really a vitamin but a sort of synthetic hormone. I love to take supplements but aren't the kids versions just a bit like sweets?

Winchester I don't understand your post - vit d is a synthetic hormone? Can you explain a bit more?

I'm sorry I'm not in a position to explain but wiki does in it a neutral way - Google vitamin d synthetic hormone. Other websites give the same info but are much more BEWARE vit d, which can be a little off putting.

Put it this way, we binned all our vit d after I read up on it!

It's like a steroid hormone, I'm sorry I just can't explain:/

WinchesterWoman is sort of right vitaminD is essential in an awful lot of body processes and in some ways acts like a hot one in regulating various things. However, this is why it is so important we supplement with it.

As long as you are not giving your child megadose vitamins they are very unlikely to do any harm and may do some good. DD has a shit diet, and multivitamins.

www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/what-is-vitamin-d/

My 4 year old has been taking the Bassetts multivitamins daily since she was 2. Her diet is balanced. She gets the occasional cold but they are always very mild (a bit of sniffing) and last no more than a couple of days.

As a previous poster said, this may be down to luck rather than the vits.

DS was 2 months prem so has always been on vitamins (Dalivit). We have them prescribed.
A lot of food is fortified anyway (cereals etc.) so isn't that the same thing?