Vitamins
for Children
Vitamins for Children
By: Dr. George Obikoya
Are vitamins important to children? Can children
use vitamins? How much of a certain vitamin should a child be given?
It is well known that children do not like vegetables, which are
known to be rich in vitamins and minerals. Does this mean they need
vitamin supplements? These are all important questions that parents
often seek answers to. Let's shed some light on this topic.
Vitamins are, by definition, substances we need for our body to
function normally. Does this rule exclude children? Absolutely not.
We need vitamins for healthy vision, to grow, to make bones and
connective tissue, to fight infections, diseases and cancer, to
heal wounds, to prevent us from bleeding to death, and to keep our
teeth healthy and strong. Don’t these also apply to children? Of
course they do!
So we have established that we need sufficient vitamins intake to
be healthy. We have also established the fact that we cannot produce
enough vitamins to meet our needs. We, therefore, need to get them
from outside sources, largely our diet and from commercial nutritional
supplements. Multivitamins are the best source for children to receive
the nutrients they need in order to grow and develop.
Not many of us eat a balanced diet on a regular basis if at all,
nor do many of us give our children a daily balanced diet either.
(Happy Meals anyone?) The stresses of modern living have made sure
we are not home long enough or have enough time to prepare regularly
balanced meals for ourselves and our children. Indeed, more people
are eating out most times. Now, this is a serious problem for us
as adults, but is even more serious for children still growing.
When was the last time you saw a healthy fast food chain? The CEO's
of McDonalds and Wendy's have both died from heart attacks. It doesn't
take a genius to get a feeling that fast food is extraordinarily
damaging to one's health.
As if the above is not enough to contend with, there are periods
in the lives of growing children when they tend to be very choosy
about what they eat; we are all familiar with the fast-food phenomenon.
In fact, some of them don’t even want to eat at all. One of the
challenges of parenting is to ensure their children eat to eat a
balanced diet, but how often does this actually happen?
How about the fact that the highly processed foods of our times
contain little natural vitamins? What about the fact that even our
fruits and vegetables are often grown using agricultural techniques
that minimize the vitamin and mineral contents? Does this not affect
our abilities to get sufficient vitamins from what we eat? Don’t
all these mean it is imperative we give our children multivitamins
as supplements to the (few) vitamins they get in their food?
As a concerned parent, the answer should be yes. Indeed, it is recommended
that children who began eating solid food at six months be given
vitamin supplements by age one. Due to the likely difficulty in
getting your child to swallow a pill form of a vitamin, it might
be easier to try a liquid form. Most children acquire adequate vitamins
in breast milk and infant formula before their first birthday if
they do not suffer from any disease preventing them from doing so.
It may be necessary to give children that do not get enough exposure
to sunlight vitamin D before then.
Toddlers and preschoolers are often picky about their foods. They
will need supplemental multivitamins in particular. As these children
grow, their tastes change over time and usually start to eat a more
balanced diet. You should give children vitamins during these years
as well to ensure they are well nourished and are getting the nutrients
they need to ensure normal growth and development.
Children that are deficient in vitamins suffer from the same symptoms
and signs specific to the vitamin they lack. Indeed, because children’s
body and immune systems are not developed as those of adults, they
are more susceptible to the ravaging consequences of vitamin deficiencies
that only grow worse over time. At least as kids they have an opportunity
to correct these deficiencies - as adults it may be too late.
The effects of vitamin D deficiency on children exemplifies this
point. Babies who do not get enough or produce enough vitamin D
can develop rickets, the failure of developing bones to form properly.
In the absence of adequate amounts of vitamin D, which is considered
to be 400 IU by the US FDA, the body steals calcium from the bones
to keep the blood levels of calcium high enough for life. Breast-fed
babies whose mothers do not get adequate time in the sun can develop
rickets. This is true particularly in colder climates and in darker-skinned
persons. Window panes and sometimes smog or haze can also block
the sun’s rays a child needs to create vitamin D.
These children end up with brittle bones, often the first noticeable
in their thin, pliable skull, which if pressed on can feel like
pressing on a ping-pong ball. The head shape may be abnormal, teething
delayed, and teeth improperly formed with many cavities. The wrists
and ankles may appear swollen. The tips of the rib bones can enlarge
creating a string of lumps called the rachitic rosary. Bowed legs,
knock-knees, or fractures are common and these children tend to
sweat more than average.
Babies need just an average of 400 IU of vitamin D per day to prevent
rickets. Nursing mothers should also take lots of vitamin D and
to try to get their babies outside the house several times a week,
but please avoid sunburn. Vitamin D supplements should be given
to make sure the child is getting something he or she critically
needs. Check the milk formula you are giving your child to make
sure it contains vitamin D and in sufficient amounts.
Giving your children vitamins will free you from worrying about
their diet and make it possible to be more creative in feeding them
in an effort to ensure they are well nourished. Note, however, that
giving them excessive amounts of certain minerals such as iron can
be unhealthy. Good, high quality liquid (this form is easier to
swallow and has a higher rate of absorption) multivitamins are available
at low cost and are advised for all children.
A good multivitamin is the foundation of health
and nutrition. Take a look at our scientific reviews of many of
the popular brands for factors such as ingredients, areas of improvement,
quality level, and overall value. If you are looking for a high
quality liquid multivitamin, we suggest that you take a look at
the Multivitamin
Product Comparisons.
VITAPLEN COMPLETE™ contains 165 scientifically formulated nutrients
--all in a highly absorbable liquid formula. VITAPLEN COMPLETE™ is considered suitable for children. Put it in orange juice and they will never know they are taking their vitamins for the day!
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