Important Children's Vitamins

INTRODUCTION

Much has improved in general nutrition and the nutrition of children in recent decades. Fortunately, in most cases in the Western world for children there is no necessity for extra vitamins. However, if your child is or has been ill, or is off their food, there are specific vitamins which can be given to a child to boost their immune and body defense systems, and to help them to get by.

Calcium is a vital component of any person’s diet, and has a significant impact on the health of bones and teeth, both of which are growing in a child, and so Calcium is a vital part of the diet. Most children will get the calcium they need from dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, milk and yoghurt. Of course, if a child is lactose-intolerant or picky about these types of food, then a calcium supplement will be a very important thing. There are some products which are sometimes enhanced with calcium and other vitamins (some brands of fruit juice for examples), so try those to see if they are successful.

Iron is an important part of healthy blood, and a good iron level helps to fight off anaemia. Too much iron, and too strong an iron supplement can cause constipation (in both adults and children), so iron supplements should be given with care, and as part of a diet that encourages their digestive health. If children are anemic, then a physician will be able to prescribe the right dosage of iron to get the blood bank in balance again, but parents can keep their children’s iron levels up with a diet with plenty of meat (presuming they are not vegetarian) and fish. Many multi-vitamin packs for children will include iron, but check on the label to see how much is there. Remember, too much can be a problem as well as too little.

This a collection of various vitamins – notably vitamins A, B1-7, 9 & 12, C, D, E, and K. They have a wide variety of different benefits in keeping the body in check, too long to list here. The temptation can be to panic because it is such a long list that a parent can wonder whether their child or children is getting all of these vitamins. The reality is that if your children are being fed a good balanced diet of healthy foods – with a good mix of meat, vegetables, fish etc., then there really should be nothing to worry about. However, many multi-vitamin compounds have these vitamins as their standard agreements. Check the label for the dosages of these vitamins and their % of RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) Most of the time these boosts shouldn’t be needed, but if you are unsure of if your child is under the weather, then it is worth giving them the extra boost to keep them up to speed with vitamin intake.

Finally in recent years much research has been to help us to understand the importance of Omega 3 oil in helping the brain to develop – both for adults in helping them to keep their brain active and in children in brain development in terms of developing memory, concentration and cognitive function. At a time of life when this is essential, much if not all the Omega 3 oil necessary can be found from fish in our diet (such as salmon and tuna), but again if a boost is necessary, or a child doesn’t like fish, then there are vitamins available which also contain Omega 3 oils to help with this part of the dietary requirement.

I hope that the point has been made that the best option for childrens’ vitamins can be found in a healthy and balanced diet. However, for those times when that is not possible or a little extra boost is needed, then buying children’s vitamins is a viable option. Make sure you read the label to check that you are getting the ingredients that they need, and that the vitamin packs that you buy are designed for children.