Part 2 of 7 - Are Vitamins Safe For Kids?

December 11, 2019 by The Complete Nutra Team

SHOULD CHILDREN TAKE VITAMINS?

Over the years, there has been much controversyover whether or not children should take vitamins. It is the opinion of somethat the necessary vitamins can be taken in through a proper diet that has agood nutritional balance. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in today'sbusy world. Vitamins that are found naturally in many foods have been depletedof much of their nutritional value by being processed, frozen, and cooked.Vitamins are important for the health of all people, but especially importantfor growing children.

Are There Possible Dangers?

There are very few dangers to giving childrenvitamins. The biggest dangers actually come from mismanagement of vitamins.While quite healthy for the body in the proper amounts, it is never good toexceed the recommended dosage of vitamins, especially in children. With thevariety of candy colored, cartoon character shaped chewable vitamins availablefor kids, it's important that the bottle containing them is stored well out ofthe reach of children. Often, children will think that their dailymulti-vitamin is candy, and will want to take more than one, especially if theycan sneak a few out of the bottle without Mom knowing!. An overdose of vitaminscan cause a vast variety of health problems and other symptoms as well as longterm damage to vital organs.

Overdoses of most vitamins are almost unheard of,and are avoidable simply by following the instructions on the bottle. It isnever a good idea to increase the dose of vitamins you are taking past therecommended limit unless you are instructed to do so by your doctor for somemedically necessary reason. More often than not, the opposite will be true,where children risk growing up without the full dose of essential vitamins.

What If A Child Overdoses On Vitamins?

In the event of an overdose on vitamins, childrencan experience a vast array of symptoms. These symptoms can include but are notlimited to stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, and dizziness. In moresevere cases, iron toxicity, stomach bleeding, and heart damage can be seen.

When someone experiences an accidental overdose, itis essential for them to seek medical attentionfor them immediately. This necessity may fall on the shoulders of a friend orrelative of this person The best possible course of action, however, would beto avoid overdose completely. Simple precautions can be taken by keepingvitamins out of the reach of children and the elderly. You can administer thevitamins to the family each day in order to monitor the dosages. As the oldsaying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

What Effects Do Vitamins Have On Children?

Vitamins have a number of different effects onchildren. Physically, vitamins allowchildren to grow and develop properly. A proper balance of vitamins willproduce children with bones and muscles that will stay strong, and also willhelp to improve vision, coordination, and motor skills.

Vitamins also greatly affect the way children areable to learn. Vitamins are essential to brain development, and contribute tothe ability to take in, comprehend, process, and store knowledge. A correctbalance of vitamins has also been shown to improve the ability a child has tofocus and concentrate. With children spending seven hours a day in school andquite a few hours on homework once returning home, vitamins are quite importantfor keeping children on task.

Long Term Effects

For those individuals who received all of thenecessary vitamins as small children, and continued this practice through theiradulthood, there are many satisfactory longterm effects. Adults who have grown up receiving the proper balance of vitaminstheir entire lives have better vision, sharper memories, a decreased chance ofdeveloping Alzheimer’s disease, bone and joint problems, and/or osteoporosis.

WHAT SHOULD CHILDREN TAKE?

With all the vitamins available on today’s market,it can be difficult to decide what kind of vitamins to give a child. While thefollowing will give you a comprehensive guide to what the average child needs,it is always best to consult a doctor on the specific needs of your individualchild.

Individual Or Multi Vitamins

While individual vitamins are a great way torestore any depletions of specific nutrients in the body, the average childneeds a more balanced dose of vitamins than individual vitamins can provide. Inorder for a child to get the vitamins needed, they would need to be given avast number of individual vitamins each day. A multivitamin can provide abalanced dose of everything needed in one dosage. Another benefit ofmultivitamins is that there are many brands that are developed specifically forchildren. Individual vitamins are generally not made in doses appropriate forchildren, and can increase the likelihood of an overdose of a specific type ofvitamin.

What Brands Are Best?

There are many companies that currently makechildren’s vitamins. Some are better than others. However, many doctorsdisagree on what is truly the healthiest and best type for children. Alwayscompare the ingredients on the back of the container with the recommendeddosages for children before purchasing a vitamin. Feel free to ask your doctorwhat brand may be best for your child’s specific needs.

Many children just will not take vitamins that donot taste good! With this in mind, most doctors agree that it is best to give achild whatever vitamin that they don't mind taking. Many vitamins come completewith a child friendly appearance in shapes of cartoon characters. Finding achildren’s vitamin that your child will take without a battle each morning isthe key to picking a brand of children’s vitamins.

Encouraging Children To Take Vitamins

It is important to encourage children to take theirvitamins on a daily basis. Making vitamins a part of the daily breakfastroutine is one way to encourage theproper intake. For children who do not like to take vitamins, a chart with areward system is a great way to motivate them. Create a chart for the wall andallow the child to add a sticker each day after they take their vitamin. At theend of a week where they have consistently taken their vitamins allow them areward, such as skipping dish duty for a night, or some sort of a smalltrinket.

It is also important to instill in children a senseof how important vitamins are in their health so that they will continue totake their vitamins as they get older. School based health programs often do a wonderful job at educatingchildren on the importance of a balanced diet. This doesn't let you off thehook at home, though! Further stress the importance of vitamins to yourchildren, even before they are school age. Set a good example for your childrenby taking vitamins yourself. Remember,children are curious creatures and sometimes giving them a rational for doingsomething (in this case taking vitamins) is much more effective than “becausewe said so.”

At what age should children take vitamins?

As infants, babies that are breast fed gain a lotof their necessary vitamins through their mother’s breast milk. For thisreason, in addition to maintaining their own health, breastfeeding mothersshould be sure to keep an adequate amount of vitamins in their own systems. Itis also important for breastfeeding mothers to remember that the daily vitaminsneeded for a baby is different than what an adult needs. In order to avoidgiving infants a dose of vitamins that may be too large, askyour physician if there are any foods or vitamin supplements that you shouldnot ingest while breastfeeding. Not allvitamins pass through a mother into her breast milk, so the remainder ofvitamins you need should be gained through external sources. Because mostchildren’s vitamins are chewable, vitamins should be started in toddler hood.Until this age, it is twice as important to make sure that the child’s foodsources have the necessary vitamin intake.

Ask a doctor for an idea of what children should beeating to ensure they receive all of their nutritional needs. Babies who arefed baby formula need the type of formula that is rich in vitamins. Doctors canrecommend a good formula that is right for your baby’s needs. This is somewhatdifferent from child to child. Babies with milk allergies who are fed with soyformulas may require additional vitamins not available in their formulas.

What Vitamins Should Be Avoided In Children?

As long as the child does not have any specifichealth problems, there are really no single vitamins that should not be givento a child. Multivitamins that are formulated for children have been designedto incorporate exactly what a child needs to grow and develop in a healthymanner. For some children with particular ailments , it may be best to avoidsome vitamins. If your child has any kind of health problems, it is importantto ask a doctor for advice before giving your child any vitamin supplements.Vitamins can also interact with some medications, so if your child is beingprescribed any type of medications due to illness, ask the prescribingphysician if you should hold off on their multivitamin while the medication isbeing administered. Always make sure your child’s doctor knows what vitaminsyour child is taking on a day to day basis.

Some parents who worry about finicky eaters worrythat their child may not be getting adequate nutritional needs even through vitamins,and wonder if it is a good idea to give additional vitamins to their pickyeaters, or double dosing on vitamins in weeks that a child has had aparticularly poor diet. This is absolutely not the case, as children’smultivitamins are formulated for exactly the amount a child needs. It is a badidea to give a child additional vitamins unless directed to do so by a doctor,even if the child has not been eating well.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. CompleteNutra products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please discuss all specific medical conditions and advice with your healthcare provider.