Your child needs vitamin C for healthy bones and teeth, normal body growth, tissue repair and wound healing. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, protecting your child from free radicals, substances that can lead to certain cancers. Not getting the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C can harm your child's health. Discuss your child's diet and vitamin C intake with her pediatrician; do not make any drastic dietary changes or give your child supplements of any kind without doctor's approval.
Recommendations
As your child grows, so does the needs of vitamin C. The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board has, as of 2011, outlined specific recommended dietary allowances for vitamin C. The RDA is 15 mg for children ages 1 to 3, 25 mg for ages 4 to 8 and 45 mg for ages 9 to 13.
Deficiency
Children with a poor diet are likely to have a deficiency in vitamin C. If your child gets less than 10 mg of vitamin C per day, he will eventually develop scurvy. A child with this disease may experience joint pain, fatigue, bleeding gums, red or purple spots on the skin, poor wound healing and loose teeth. He may also develop anemia, which causes loss of appetite, chest pains, weakness and rapid heartbeat. If left untreated, scurvy can be fatal.
Foods With Vitamin C
Many fruits and vegetables provide good sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C occurs naturally in citrus fruits, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage, kale, broccoli and peas. Offer your child kiwi fruit, melon, strawberries, raspberries, tangerines and cantaloupe to increase his vitamin C intake. Give your child foods that are fortified with vitamin C, such as breakfast cereals and fruit juices. Check the product labels for further details.
Considerations
Give your child raw vegetables or cook for a minimum time because vitamin C is easily destroyed in high temperatures. Too much vitamin C can lead to stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea. The Food and Nutrition Board has, therefore, set tolerable upper intake levels for this vitamin. As of 2011, the UL is 400 mg for children ages 1 to 3, 650 mg for ages 4 to 8 and 1,200 mg for ages 9 to 13, the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements reports.
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