Multivitamins are a convenient way to ensure proper nutrient consumption in a diet that is not balanced. Children do not need a multivitamin if they are eating a proper diet. Taking a vitamin should not be a replacement for eating foods from all the different food groups, but it can be a great solution for an uneven diet. Consult with your health care provider if you think your child should take a multivitamin.
Advantages
Convenience is one of the most obvious reasons to give your child a multivitamin. With one small pill, tablet or gummy vitamin, your child's daily nutritional requirements can be met. Some forms of multivitamins are tasty, and children enjoy eating them. Great taste makes giving your child a multivitamin an easy fix to an uneven diet. Children may be picky eaters or slowly develop a well-rounded palate. Parents may not feel confident in their child's health unless they provide her a supplement.
Disadvantages
There is much controversy surrounding multivitamins. Some experts worry parents will feel confident in their child's nutritional balance because of the multivitamin and spend less time encouraging an adequate variety of foods. Multivitamins should not replace foods that can provide the same nutrients. A National Institutes of Health study published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that there is no evidence to support the benefit of taking a multivitamin. Despite this, says Dr. David Katz, associate professor of Public Health at Yale University School of Medicine, multivitamins are not usually harmful and may be slightly effective.
Another concern with multivitamins is overdosing on nutrients. Children may consume plenty of certain vitamins in natural food selections but then take a multivitamin and overdo it. Some nutrients, like calcium, will just pass through the body unabsorbed if too much has been consumed. Others, like Vitamin A or D, can become toxic if overconsumed.
Side Effects
Like with any supplement, there are some side effects of taking a multivitamin. Children may experience constipation from the extra Iron in the supplement. If a multivitamin is taken in addition to consumption of foods high in specific vitamins, such as A, D and E, an overdose may create issues. Signs of an overdose are not usually obvious to parents as they include things like an enlarged liver or spleen. Instead, a vitamin overdose may be an underlying cause of what appear to be random health concerns. The overdose may resolve itself if it was just a one time occurrence. If your child consumes more than the daily recommended multivitamin, be sure to contact your health professional or poison control immediately.
Alternatives
There are other supplement options available instead of a multivitamin. Consider your child's diet and select the individual supplement that he may be missing. For instance, a child that does not drink milk with added vitamin D may need a supplement. Vegetarians may need to seek protein and a B12 supplement as these important nutrients can be missing from an entirely vegan diet. Understanding the foods your child eats and avoids can help you encourage healthy habits. Perhaps your child does not enjoy drinking milk but loves yogurt. This exchange can be an easy way to improve your child's diet without forcing her to eat things she does not like.
Types of Multivitamins
Whether a multivitamin truly has the power to even out a child's diet is a topic of debate. Should you choose to provide vitamins to your child, you will find there are many varieties of multivitamins to choose from. You can buy the traditional children's chewable vitamins or a more standard tablet that is to be swallowed. Recently, a gummy vitamin was created. These fun supplements can be purchased in gummy form for adults too. Some vitamins, such as vitamin D, come in drops. These can be administered in or on food. Even though vitamins are made to taste good to children, there is still the risk of overdose. A child may eat the gummy or chewable vitamin because it tastes like candy to her. Always keep the vitamin in a safe place and explain to your children that more than one per day can be harmful.
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