I often get asked if your children should be given supplemental vitamins. Parents often worry about a picky eater not getting all the vitamins she should. How can one know if what the little one is eating is giving him all the nutrients he needs? This confusion is worsened by the aggressive marketing of children dietary supplements by companies trying to turn a profit off concerned parents. So, what is a Mom or Dad supposed to do?
Vitamin deficiencies were far more common in the past and were associated with serious clinical syndromes. They still rarely occur and are most often associated with very poor diets. For example, a deficiency in Vitamin C can lead to scurvy, in Vitamin B1 to Beriberi, and a deficiency in Vitamin D can lead to rickets.
I recommend a multivitamin for children who demonstrate poor weight gain, children who have chronic illnesses, children who have inadequate sunlight exposure, children who only drink non cow milk products that are not fortified with Vitamin D, and for the few children who follow a strict vegetarian diet (no meat, eggs, milk, milk-based products).
So if your child is healthy and regularly eats a balanced diet which includes meats, fresh fruits, vegetables and milk, and has adequate exposure to sunlight, there is no need for a daily vitamin.
But the Mom in me recognizes how difficult it is to ensure that a picky eater eats her vegetables, that a fussy toddler agrees to eat his chicken or that a super cool teenager opts for a fruit for desert! So giving a standard daily pediatric multivitamin makes sense. It will reassure parents and will boost kids’ dietary intake.
Lastly, make sure you stay away from “megadoses” which could lead to toxic levels, and make sure you keep the “gummies” (made to look like candy) away from little ones.
In addition to being available for medical advice through the app, please return frequently to read out blog posts, where common pediatric questions will be discussed.
Bibliography
Duryea T. Dietary Recommendations for toddlers, preschool and school-aged children. UpToDate. 2018 June.
Bailey RL et al. Do dietary supplements improve micronutrient sufficiency in children and adolescents? Journal of Pediatrics. 2012 Nov; 161(5): 837-842.e3. ePub
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DAKTARI is an mHealth app designed to enable the connection of parents to trusted Pediatricians who can put their mind at ease by providing trusted information on common pediatric health conditions and first aid situations that parents can manage at home.