Kids Vitamins – What’s Safe and What Isn’t

From infants through adolescence and beyond, children need a complex range of vitamins and minerals to support their growth and development. While a healthy diet is an absolute must for all children, kids vitamins can serve as a good supplement during these important years.

Parents can often be overwhelmed with the number of choices for kids vitamins on the shelves of grocery, drug, and health food stores. Many of the labels tout confusing promises such as “supports optimal brain function” and “provides a full day supply of vegetables.”  So when it comes to dietary supplements for kids, it’s important to know what is needed, what’s not, and what is simply too much.

One of the most essential nutrients for growing children is iron. It is found in many kids vitamins, and many doctors also encourage parents to introduce plenty of iron-fortified foods into their children’s diet. Babies are tested for anemia at nine to 12 months, and close monitoring in some children is necessary.

Iron deficiencies can be prevented through supplementation. However, it is important to choose a formula that doesn’t exceed more than 100% of the daily requirement for iron. Natural vitamins for kids, such as Animal Parade from Nature’s Plus, provides a smaller percentage of iron so that it can be safely combined with a diet that contains iron-fortified foods. An overdose of iron can be very serious, so it’s important to consult with your child’s doctor to determine the right amount of supplementation that is needed.

Besides iron, vitamin D is another nutrient that is often lacking in kids. Particularly in northern latitudes where these is limited amounts of sun exposure, vitamin D deficiencies are very common. Children that don’t have enough vitamin D to support tooth and bone formation are at risk of developing rickets, as well as osteoporosis later in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants, children, and adolescents get 400 units of vitamin D each day. This can be accomplished by providing your child kids vitamins.

Animal Parade Sugar Free Multi Chewables contain 100% of the daily value for highly bioavailable vitamin D3 along with vitamins A, C, E B12, B6 and other B vitamins. And, because they are sweetened with tooth-friendly xylitol, they have decay-preventative properties. These kid-friendly chewables also contain a bounty of healthful foods including spirulina, broccoli, carrot, brown rice, and spinach and other immune-supporting phytonutrients to provide a complete kids vitamins formula that can support your child’s health as they grow.

Providing Vitamin D in Infant Vitamin Supplements

While it may be difficult to believe that babies in the United States could be at risk of a serious vitamin deficiency, the reality is that a large majority of them are at risk and could benefit from infant vitamin supplements. Vitamin D deficiency has become a health crisis among both breastfed and formula fed babies.

In fact, the numbers are rather startling. According to the CDC, only one in five formula-fed babies and one in 20 breastfed babies are getting enough vitamin D in their diets. These numbers have prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to double their recommended daily intake of the vitamin for infants and children from 200 to 400 IUs per day. Just as surprising, only a small portion of these babies who are at risk are receiving infant vitamin supplements.

Vitamin D deficiency is a serious problem because it can lead to a bone-weakening disorder called rickets. This condition can cause a variety of problems including stunted growth, broken bones, and bow legs in children. Babies in cold climates and those who have darker skin are also more prone to getting rickets because they are not getting enough exposure to sunlight to produce the necessary vitamin D that the body requires. Some recent studies have also suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of respiratory infection and type 1 diabetes in children.

Non-existent in the United States for many decades, rickets is making a comeback primarily with breast-fed babies who are not receiving enough vitamin D in breast milk. Formula-fed babies who consume less than a liter of formula per day are also at risk. Fortunately, there is a simple solution - adding infant vitamin supplements.

When looking for the best infant vitamins for a possible vitamin D deficiency in your child, it’s a good idea to choose a natural supplement that provides the complementary nutrients that are optimal for maximum absorption and utilization. For example, Animal Parade Vitamin D3 200 IU Liquid Drops features natural flavoring and 50% of the daily value for vitamin D in each drop. This product is also gluten-free and 100% natural.

Infant vitamin supplements are a simple solution for preventing a serious condition. With more parents aware of the risks of vitamin D deficiency, the use of these supplements will hopefully increase and the cases of rickets, a completely preventable condition, can be avoided.