Vitamins for toddlers

[ExtremeCouponQueen]

I've bought some WellKid vitamins for dc1 - 20.5 months old. Her diet is very good, but I just thought some extra vitamins couldn't hurt.

Does anyone else give their toddler vitamins? Are they any good?

its very important to give vitamin D until they're 5 to help prevent rickets (yes really it is being seen again in this country) and bone problems in later life. Other than that doesn't really matter.

We use the NHS kids vitamins, which are ACD. Cheap and cheerful from the GP. They're drops which I just stick in his morning milk.

i think if toddlers have a good varied diet then there is absolutely no need. We use some foods, like porridge, which are fortified with things like vitamin D which i think is fine but i thats as far as it goes.

HP i never knew there was NHS kids vitamins. DC has three varied meals a days, plus healthy snacks and 2-3 bottles of cows milk a day (400mls -600mls).

are the wellkid ones okay to use then? i didn't any other vitamins in boots.

Thank you.

Well kid are great they've got loads of stuff in the nhs ones don't have. (I think)

Although the advice is to give vitamins, it's probably not necessary with a healthy diet. I think that, like HPsauce says, it's vitamin D that's the most difficult.

We give DD vitamins which she takes from a medicine spoon each morning (side-effect: it's easier to give her calpol etc when she needs it) but probably it mainly equates to expensive wee!

"I just thought some extra vitamins couldn't hurt"
It is possible to go completely over-board, leading to vitamin poisoning, in extreme circumstances.

Vitamin poisioning???! What?! How will that happen? I'm worried now. I've been giving her the recommended 5mls in the spoon provided after dinner for the last days.

How do I make sure she doesn't get vitamin poisioning??

Stick to the stated dose and you won't risk vitamin poisoning. The main risk is iron poisoning anyway, and most children's supplements don't include iron for that very reason.

I give a Boot's one that's got omega fats in it as well as a multivitamin. I figure it won't do any harm, even if it does just mean DS has expensive wee!

I really wouldn't give extra vitimins without medical advice - too much of any vitamin can cause as much damage as not enough.
If DCs have a healthy diet, with plenty of fruit and veg, and are outside enough in the day time, then they'll be fine.

I give liquid vit d, 1000 iui a day

I give my 3yo a multivitamin with iron, because some days she eats well but other days she can be very picky. I buy them from sainsbury's. £1.70 for 30 and they're strawberry flavour so she loves them.

The department of health recommends all babies from 6 months to 5 years are given a vitamin supplement (for babies, 500ml of formula counts). So you don't need medical advice, just check the vitamins are appropriate for the age of the child.

Vitamin poisoning is extreme circumstances. Stick to the stated does and no problems.
Even "healthy" things taken to ridiculous excess can be unhealthy.

DD has a chewy vitamin (forget the brand) once a day, if she/I remember. She loves it and sees it as a sweetie. I don't see how it can hurt.

I give the wellkid vitamins to DD as she is veggie and can be a bit fussy so I see it as covering the bases (and that particular one has a veggie source of omega 3 which is good for her to have, as she doesn't have oily fish). Don't know how much good it does (especially as we quite often forget to give it to her!) but don't think it can do her any harm.

My boss has rickets (she's 38, often has her wrists in splints and can suffer from extreme tiredness - sleeping for 18 hours in a day, that kind of thing). It's not a pleasant thing to have, I am learning!

my dc get vit d (careful to buy vit d3) in the winter months.
sometimes chewable multi vits when they had a run-down period.

I give DD the wellkid ones too.

She refused the Boots own brand with omega in and when I tried the syrup too, I could see why

So should I give the 5mls everyday to dd or will I be risking vitamin poisioning as she has a good diet and drinks cows milk?

No, you won't be risking vitamin poisoning. The difference between the dose in a supplement and a dangerous dose is too big to achieve with a sensible diet - cases of vitamin poisoning occur when a child gets too many supplements - e.g. thinks those gummy bear supplements are sweets, or accidentally takes an adult supplement.
So make sure you give the correct dose, and keep them out of reach of children.