Kids Vitamins – When You Should Start Giving Children’s Vitamins to Your Kids

Regardless of how hard you try to get your kids to eat nutritious, healthy meals, it’s simply a fact that most children do not get all the nutrients they need.  With the right children’s vitamins, you can ensure they are getting the nutrients they need to keep them thriving.

Babies and Children’s Vitamins
Many new parents worry that their babies are not getting enough vitamins and minerals through breast milk. Breast milk does meet babies’ complex nutritional needs. However, breast fed babies are often lacking in vitamin D which is necessary for producing strong bones.

Vitamin D is obtained through sun exposure and fortified foods. It is also found in most brands of children’s vitamins.  If your baby does not get sun exposure and isn’t drinking vitamin D fortified formula, it may be necessary to introduce children’s vitamins.

Toddlers and Children’s Vitamins
Once a child turns one, their diet is mostly solid foods and milk to fill their caloric needs. The majority of vitamins and minerals should be coming from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and dairy. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to get kids to consume the recommended daily number of servings from each group.

Most dieticians will agree that the top nutrients for parents to closely monitor in their toddlers’ diets are:

• Calcium
• Fiber
• Folic acid
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Omega 3 fatty acids (DHA)
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

The majority of kids do not get enough of one or more of these nutrients. Because of this, children’s vitamins can be beneficial. With the body and brain growing rapidly, particularly up to age three, a multi-vitamin can provide a little reassurance that all nutritional needs are being met.

How to Choose the Best Children’s Vitamins
It’s essential to carefully read the labels of children’s vitamins. Not all brands are created equal. Many parents are shocked to find out that some of the most popular brands contain additives including hydrogenated vegetable oil, artificial dyes, aspartame, and butylated hydroxytoluene (a preservative that is suspected to be a carcinogen). Labels should indicate that vitamins contain 50 to 100 percent of the daily recommended value of each key nutrient.

A good place to start is to look at natural children’s vitamins such as Nature’s Plus Animal Parade children’s vitamins and supplements. This line of vitamins takes the guesswork out of nutritional supplementation and makes it easy for you and your kids. 

Incorporating vitamin supplements for kids into your summer eating plan

The lazy, hazy days of summer usually means lots of free time for the kids and hopefully healthy meals along with vitamin supplements for kids to make up for any nutritional gaps.  Unfortunately, with daily routines not as planned as during the school year and plenty of access to the refrigerator and pantry, summer eating can be a time when good nutrition goes right out the window.

Trips to the local ice cream shop, hot dogs at the ballpark, and cotton candy at the fair can only add to the challenges of good nutrition. With these challenges, many parents wonder how they can better manage their children’s nutrition in the summer months and whether or not they should be incorporating vitamin supplements for kids.

Without a good plan, the risk of weight gain grows substantially. And, the early onset of chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are possibilities. The following tips can help you keep your children healthy through these fun, school-free months.

Get Excited about Summer Fruit
In most parts of the country, there is no shortage of summer fruit choices. From berries to apricots, peaches, and melons, kids enjoy the sweetness of a fresh piece of fruit. To get them interested in the variety of summer fruits, head to your local farmer’s market, and let them help pick out what they want to eat. Fruit can also be creatively used in frozen pops and baked treats like cobblers and crisps for summer desserts that are far healthier than cakes and cookies. While the best children’s vitamins can provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals, it’s always a good idea to get the bulk of these nutrients through fresh food.

Avoid the Fast Food
When the temperatures begin to climb, you may not want to turn on the stove or oven to cook a meal. But, don’t get tempted to head to the drive-thru window of your local fast food joint. There are plenty of great meals that you can make quickly with having to cook. Think turkey sandwiches, salads, wraps, salads, and healthy dips with plates of mixed fruits and vegetables. Not only will your kids eat better, you’ll save money, too!

Keep Track of Activities
Summer is usually when kids are swimming, playing games at camp, hiking, biking, and just enjoying plenty of active time outdoors. With extra calories being burned, kids often reach for junk food and sodas to satisfy their increased hunger and thirst. To avoid this situation from occurring, make sure to incorporate plenty of healthy proteins such as lean meat, low-fat dairy, nuts, and legumes into meals. And, consider adding vitamin supplements for kids into their daily routine to ensure that their daily requirements of vitamins and minerals are being met.

Evaluate Summer Camp Menus
If your child is attending a day or overnight camp, it’s also a good idea to evaluate what they’ll be eating so that you can help them stick with their healthy eating choices. If you aren’t happy with what they’ll be served, consider packing healthy lunches for them or discussing the meal options with the camp management. Yes, vitamin supplements for kids can help bridge the gap in eating, but you still want to make sure that they are consistently getting healthy meals each and every day.

If you will be supplementing, choose one of the best children’s vitamins and don’t just grab the first brand you see on the grocery store shelf. Nature’s Plus Animal Parade line of vitamin supplements for kids is highly recommended by many because of their natural formulas and great taste.

Multi-vitamins For Kids To Meet Nutritional Needs

If you’re a parent, you know that it can be a daily battle to get kids to eat nutritiously. Incorporating enough fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains into their diet is tough under the best of circumstances. Because of this, it can be beneficial to add multi-vitamins for kids to their daily routine.

Of course, children, as well as adults, should get the bulk of their nutrition from healthy foods. When it’s not possible because of dietary restrictions or pickiness, you naturally want to choose the best children’s vitamins.

While chain grocery and drug stores carry many brands of multi-vitamins for kids, most of these are not all-natural, and many have unhealthy ingredients such as synthetic dyes, aspartame, hydrogenated vegetable oil, artificial flavors, and other additives. These are not good options for children.
Alternatively, it’s better to choose natural multi-vitamins for kids that are hypo-allergenic, gluten-free, and vegetarian.

Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Multi Children’s Chewable is one such supplement that can help provide essential nutrients without the unhealthy additives. Known as one of the best children’s vitamins on the market, Animal Parade features a formula containing vitamin D3, vitamin K2, over 20 certified organic whole foods, all essential vitamins and minerals, probiotics, lutein for eye and skin protection, enzymes, and bioflavonoids.

Their formula also contains xylitol as a sweetener which helps to reduce the risk of tooth decay, but doesn’t have the health risks associated with artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Along with multi-vitamins for kids, there are also other types of supplements that may be beneficial depending on your child’s particular nutritional needs. For example, calcium supplements can be helpful for kids who have dairy allergies or sensitivities. A good calcium supplement can help support bone growth during the important growing years and beyond.

Probiotics and acidophilus are often recommended by doctors for children with intestinal difficulties. Zinc and vitamin C supplements can be particularly beneficial during cold and flu season. And, nutritional shakes are a great source of protein and fruits & vegetables for kids who are underweight, involved in sports, or just picky eaters.

It’s always a good idea to first discuss multi-vitamins for kids with your child’s pediatrician prior to purchasing a particular formula. They can advise you on any specific nutrients that may be particularly beneficial for your child’s health needs.

Once you have the go-ahead, choose the best children’s vitamins based upon nutritional ingredients and establish a specific time when you will provide them to your child. The goal should be to establish a habit so that a vitamin simply becomes a natural, regular activity like brushing teeth or making the bed.

How to Choose the Best Vitamins for Kids

If you’re a parent trying to determine the best vitamins for kids, it can be confusing. Of course, you can simply grab the colorful bottle of chewables off of the grocery store shelf, but do you know if you’re really choosing the best children’s vitamins?

Nutritionists and doctors alike agree that kids must first eat well-balanced meals. Even the best vitamins for kids are no supplement to foods with high nutritional value.  With that being said, many children are picky eaters, and others have specific nutritional challenges that require a vitamin supplement. Thus, there are some specifics to consider when choosing  vitamins for your children.

What to Avoid

Artificial Sweeteners
Unfortunately, many of the most recognizable brands of children’s vitamins are loaded with aspartame or high fructose corn syrup as sweeteners. Instead of giving your children a dose of sugar along with their vitamins, the best vitamins for kids will contain less than one gram of sweetener per vitamin.

Ferrous Sulfate
Many children consider vitamins to be like candy, and there can be a risk of overdose. Because many children’s vitamins contain ferrous sulfate, which can be very dangerous in large quantities, it’s wise to stay away from vitamins containing this form of iron. Carbonyl iron is considered to be a safer alternative.

Other ingredients to avoid include:
• Hydrogenated vegetable oil
• Artificial dyes (Blue No. 2, Red No. 40, and Yellow No. 6)
• Preservatives such as butylated hydroxytoluene

What to Look for in Kids Vitamins
The best vitamins for kids will consist of a formula that is well-rounded, hypo-allergenic, gluten-free, and vegetarian. Yes, they should also taste great, too!

Animal Parade® GOLD Multi Children's Chewables are amongst the best children’s vitamins because of their unique formula:
• Vitamin D3 and K2 to support a healthy immune system, bone growth, and blood production.
• A complete range of essential vitamins and minerals
• Intestinal and dental probiotics
• Lutein for eye and skin production
• Live enzymes and bioflavonoids

How Many Vitamins Do Your Kids Need?
This is a common question, and it definitely depends on your child’s diet. However, almost all do not require large amounts of vitamins and minerals. Rather a healthy balanced formula makes for the best children’s vitamins.

A Few Tips about Kids Vitamins
Finally, there are some important tips to remember when it comes to kids vitamins.
• First, make sure to keep vitamins out of the reach of children, so that they don’t treat them like candy.
• Consider giving a vitamin at the end of a meal. Some children’s vitamins are fat-soluble and are best absorbed with food.
• Ask you pediatrician about any potential drug reactions with vitamins or minerals.
• The best children’s vitamins are available in a variety of forms. So, experiment with supplement types to find one that your child likes the best.

Well-rounded nutrition is essential to your child’s growth and development. Choosing the best vitamins for kids can help support a balanced diet and provide essential nutrients that are lacking. By taking time to choose the best children’s vitamins, you’ll help promote your child’s good health now and into the future.