Your child needs vitamin A for healthy skin, growth, bone development and vision. However, too much vitamin A can cause toxicity. She needs vitamin C for wound healing, collagen and amino acid and hormone formation, absorption of iron and immune system support. Overdoing vitamin C also can cause adverse effects. Oregon State University recommends gaining these vitamins from food or formula rather than by supplementing. If you want to use a supplement for your child, talk to a doctor first.
Vitamin A Toxicity
Don't use the skin acne medication tretinoin, which is a vitamin A derivative, during pregnancy because it can cause birth defects, warns Merck. In children, acute vitamin A toxicity is rare but when it happens it can cause increased intracranial pressure. Some children experience chronic toxicity due to supplementing with too much vitamin A over time. Common signs of either form of toxicity are a rash and headache. Other signs include irritability, abdominal pain, drowsiness, vomiting, nausea and skin peeling.
There are early signs of chronic toxicity. These include eyebrow loss, sparse and coarse hair, dry eyes, cracked lips and rough, dry skin. Severe headache and generalized weakness develop later. Children are especially susceptible to abnormal bone thickening and joint pain. In children, toxicity also may cause failure to thrive, anorexia and itching. In infants, vitamin A toxicity symptoms include bulging fontanels. Severe cases of vitamin A overdose can lead to hemorrhage, liver damage and coma, according to OSU.Kids who experience vitamin A toxicity usually recover within a month once vitamin A ingestion stops, according to Merck. However, if a pregnant woman takes large doses of vitamin A that cause birth defects this effect is not reversible.
Vitamin C Overdose
Too much vitamin C can have adverse effects. If you take 6,000mg or more of vitamin C during pregnancy, your infant may develop rebound scurvy because her vitamin C intake will drops after birth. Consult a doctor before using more than 1,000mg vitamin C a day when pregnant, recommends University of Maryland Medical Center. Too much vitamin C, in theory, also can cause excess iron absorption, dental enamel erosion and vitamin B12 deficiency, according to Oregon State University. Vitamin C also may have a diuretic effect. Excessive doses of vitamin C also can lead to diarrhea and nausea, and can acidify the urine, according to Merck.
Upper A and C Limits
The tolerable upper intake limit for vitamin C is 400mg daily for ages 1 to 3, 650mg daily for ages 4 to 8, 1,200mg daily for kids 9 to 13, and 1,800mg daily for teens ages 14 to 18, according to OSU. The amount of vitamin C you are advised to have your child take in on a daily basis changes with age, according to UMMC. It's 40mg for ages birth to 6 months, 50mg for 6 to 12 months, 15mg for kids ages 1 to 3, 25mg for kids ages 4 to 8, and 45mg for children 9 to 13. Teen girls need 65mg a day from ages 14 to 18, and teen boys need 75mg daily.
The tolerable upper intake level for vitamin A is 2,000 IU for ages 1 to 3. For ages 4 to 8 the upper limit is 3,000 IU. The upper limit for kids ages 9 to 13 is 5,665 IU. For ages 14 to 18 it's 9,335 IU. During pregnancy, the recommend upper limit is 8,000 IU. The recommended daily amount of vitamin A is 1,000 IU from ages 1 to 3; 1,333 IU for ages 4 to 8; and 2,000 IU for ages 9 to 13. Kids ages 14 to 18 as well as non pregnant women need 2,333 IU daily. Pregnant women need 2,565 IU a day. (res2)
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