Vitamins, how do you get you LO to take them?

[jaybirdsinginginthedeadofnight]

Just that really. DD is 2.5 and I have tried several brands/methods of giving her vitamins, all to no avail. The only thing I manage to get into her are vitamin D drop which are tasteless and I can mix with her food. Just wondering am I missing some foolproof method of getting them into her? Is she alone in her vitamin refusal?

does she need them? mine have never had vitamin supplements, and seem fine! if she eats a decent diet, she should be ok without them!

I agree with Kveta. You speak as giving vitamins is a usual thing that all parents do. I don't think I know anyone who does it routinely and unless there's a specific need for them (that a Dr has told you about) I wouldn't give them at all.

Take her to the park or for a walk everyday and she definitely doesn't need vit D (unless you have a diagnosis that says differently)

actually, vitamin D is a useful one in winter, especially if you are in the north of the country! but not during the summer we've just had, unless you never leave the house!

I give DD who is also 2 the little orange gummy bear vitamin D ones. They are like sweets. I think they maybe for age 3+, but the rda is the same as for a 2 year old and I'm confident she won't choke.

I disagree Keveta. Useful if you work in an office and never see daylight in winter but if you do get outdoors for an hour or so every lunchtime, it's not necessary even in winter IMO.

Why do you think she needs them? The only one which she might need is vitamin D, and you've cracked that one!

It's a government recommendation now that all 1-5 yr olds get a vit A,C and D supplement, I work in the health service and I know our local children's hospital sees at least 1 new case of rickets a month! So it's not necessarily something I worried about, but DS has just turned 1 and I got the same vitamin talk at his 1yr HV review. If the sunshines here at all I take my LO's outside I let them have 10-15mins without an SPF (although I'm sensible about this and if it's scorching sun with no cloud cover, SPF is applied before they set foot outside), but was just thinking for the winter months maybe I should be giving vitamins.

Yes, but it's also an government recommendation that we give our DC diet drinks and low fat diets. It might be a good swap for people who are consuming huge amounts of fizzy drinks but for people capable of making sure these things are in moderation, doesn't make any sense at all. Low fat is only ever necessary for people carrying too much weight and even then, again, moderation is more important really.

Vit D is the same. There are some and increasing numbers of children who never get outdoors and they need supplements (or to get outdoors). That doesn't mean all children need them.

DS1 has taken chewable ones since he was 2 - we get the Bassetts ones and he calls them sweets DS2 is 6 months and I mix a syrup into yoghurt or fruit puree.

I think it's sensible to give vitamins tbh. DS1 has a typically restricted small child diet, and DS2 is mostly breastfed with less than 500ml formula a day.

DD's diet isn't great she doesn't eat a variety of food and hates eggs oily fish and all those other excellent sources of vit D, but yes you are all right and common sense shall prevail. We are an outdoors family and if the weather agrees we are out at least twice a day, although I do know in nursery they don't let the LO's set foot outside without being plastered (their clothes and all ) in suncream. But yes I will stop stressing and maybe give the vit D drops over the winter months when we are trapped indoors

I gave mine well kid in a spoon and she liked it. Sorry no help there except you aren't the only one giving vitamins. From 3 I'm using a gummy fruit one you can get from the supermarkets. Can't remember the name but its Orange or strawberries.

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't give their kids vitamins tbh, especially vit D. Some talk almost as if doing so is admitting a failing.

This thread recently had some interesting discussion about vit D www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a2129361-to-be-getting-hot-and-bothered-about-the-Vit-D-push

IIRC the vit D recommendation is more for children in the north of the UK (north of about Birmingham I think) who do not have the same access to sunlight as those in the south - but from what I recall, it was specifically those from lower socio-economic backgrounds (who may not spend much time outdoors anyway, and might suffer from a restricted diet with less fresh food than others get). however, the government issued a blanket recommendation to cover all children in the UK. and I think last year, or was it the year before, several medics and other scientists I spoke to said that vit D levels were seriously depleted after a couple of cruddy summers, so they advised supplementing then.

I didn't give my older kids vitamins mostly for the MN attitudes. I now have another baby and go along with the recommendation. He had a vitamin d deficiency that showed up in some blood tests he had done (now added to standard tests at hospital).

I expect my others had it too but it wasnt something that was tested for or a blanket recommendation then do not something I considered.

As for recommendation he is still small so well kid thorough a syringe in a room with a hard floor. That stuff ruins carpet.

We have a vitamin d spray that is mint flavoured. A bit like rock. They all like that.

Hi jaybird.
If you want a multivitamin, you can get a liquid one called 'Abidec'. We put it in our sons milk every day. They sell it in boots and SuperDrug or even online.

Thanks stars but tried that along with every other liquid multivitamin, it's the iron taste they try to disguise with the sickly orange, they do taste awful so I don't blame her, she can detect them in any food stuff them refuses to eat and she doesn't take juice, just water and milk. I do not wanna risk turning her off the limited foodstuffs that she will eat.

I give mine the Bassetts chewy ones. You can use them from 3.

They taste and smell disgusting to me but mine love them as they are like sweets and as an added bonus they think the 'one only' rule applies to all sweets in general...

Mine have a good diet but I don't see the harm in a supplement that.

We use either Wellkid Baby or Abidec syrup for our 21 month old twins. It's a 5ml dose which I just shoot into their mouths with a Nurofen syringe, but they like the taste so are quite happy to have it.

I see it as just sensible insurance to make sure any gaps in their diet are covered (DT1 will not eat veg at all).

It doesn't help with vitamin D though because it only contains 200iu. We have ours on vitamin D drops as well because at a recent blood test they were found to be severely deficient. This is despite living in the Middle East and getting loads of sun and having had regular vitamins since weaning and having always been on formula.

I'm sure most toddlers in the UK must be vitamin D deficient, especially given nurseries' obsession with sun cream over there.

The benefits of high doses of vitamin D are so wide ranging that I personally think you'd be mad not to give your kids a supplement for at least that vitamin.

Guidelines are vitamin supplement for all 6 month to 5 year olds. www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/vitamins-for-children.aspx?tabname=Babies%20and%20toddlers
It's difficult to get enough vitamin D from diet and, in the UK, from sun. Low vitamin D is being linked with more and more conditions such as MS. Contrary to MN beliefs vitamins are not poison or some government conspiracy. As pp said at the least a useful insurance policy.

I found wellkid ok for mine, seemed to like the banana rather than orange flavour. Also seems to help if I pretend that I really want them so will try to 'steal' the vitamins from the syringe before he can get to them.

My dc love the Boots gummy bears - come in a big box and have lots of little packets of 5 gummy bears - 'dose' is one packet a day. My only problem is stopping them from having too many as they think they are sweets...

They also do one that is more calcium based (can't remember if it has iron in) but the dc didn't like them. Ds1 likes the calcium ones from Costco that you have 2 a day of - also look like gummy bears but stripey. They're made by Li'l Critter. They also do multi vits but as the dc like the others I haven't bothered.

When the boots gummy bears have been out of stock I've tried all sorts of others - including bassetts, haliborange (which has iron in) and the ones with cars or mickey mouse on but always end up with the boots bags of gummy bears.

We were given Dalivit vitamin drops for our prem twins when we left scbu. They told us to give it to them until 5. We get ours on prescription.

I put it into their milk and they happily guzzle it.

My DD didn't mind taking Abidec. Guess she was just used to them! Recently we've switched to the Haliborange chewy ones, and she absolutely adores those. Terribly disappointed that she can't have more than one a day.

60% of Team Scotland were vitamin D deficient before the Commonwealth games...

The Vitamin D council is a good website. Vit D is v important, many (most?) of us are deficient and it is implicated in conditions like MS.

In the thread hollie84 linked to, it was mentioned that Vitamin D supplements can help psoriasis sufferers. I assumed my Vit D levels would be fine: I'm outside regularly, eat oily fish, eggs etc. But I suffer from psoriasis so figured a Vit D supplement was worth a try. The improvement in my skin within a few days of starting the supplement (nothing else had changed btw) was incredible. Guess I was Vitamin D deficient after all.

Anyway, it definitely convinced me to keep giving DS his supplement. But I'm afraid I can't help OP as he happily takes Abidec.

You shouldn't take what you don't specifically need, especially children.

My DC have never had vitamins except when ill (Vit C from H&B) because they are otherwise perfectly healthy and do not need supplements. My kids get out during the coldest days so get plenty of Vit D too. didn't even have the drops offered at birth. Unless their doctors says they absolutely need them, then fair enough.

However, if you are intent on giving them to them. Are they chewable or liquid? As I feel these would be the better method of taking them. Could you not add them to a smoothie or yoghurt? To hide the foul tasting ones.