Tips for Adding a Multi-Vitamin for Children into a Well-Balanced Diet

If you’re like most parents, you occasionally struggle with getting your kids to eat a well-balanced diet on a consistent basis. A multi-vitamin for children can be a helpful solution for making up for the nutritional deficiencies that are so common today.

One of the biggest threats to children’s overall health now is poor nutrition. With a growing obesity problem and children eating more processed and fast food than ever before, offering healthy meals and natural vitamins for kids can go a very long way in ensuring their health and well-being as they grow.

Many mothers and fathers wonder just how and when to start giving a multi-vitamin for children. The following guidelines can help you incorporate a multi-vitamin into your child’s daily routine.

Determine What Is Lacking In Your Child’s Diet
Does your child utterly dislike leafy greens or can’t tolerate drinking milk? Perhaps, they are just inconsistent in their eating habits. Before doling out vitamins, consider where they might be nutritionally deficient, and start your search for a supplement that addresses these deficiencies.

Opt for Natural Vitamins for Kids 
While there are countless vitamin choices out there, your best bet is to choose a high quality multi-vitamin for children that is hypo-allergenic, gluten-free, and vegetarian. The best will contain organic whole foods and natural flavoring. Nature’s Plus is one trusted brand that specializes in natural vitamins for kids. Their Animal Parade Gold Multi Children’s Chewable is a favorite of kids!

Let Your Child Choose the Form of Vitamin
Kids uniquely have their own preferences when it comes to the form of multi-vitamin for children that they prefer. Some will enjoy chewables or gummies, and others prefer getting their supplement in the form of a shake or other type of liquid. Be respectful of their preferences because the goal is to get them to want to take their vitamins on a regular basis. You don’t want to make this a battle!

Start a Habit
Good habits are essential when it comes to health and nutrition. And, this definitely applies to natural vitamins for kids. To get your child to take a supplement on a regular basis, it is a good idea to determine a set time each day for it. Whether this is after dinner or before school, pick a time and stick with it so that they get into a habit that is easy to remember.

Regularly Assess Their Nutritional Needs
Your child’s nutritional needs will shift over time. For example, they may require more calories and different types of nutritional supplements as they become more active in sports or during times of growth spurts. You will want to closely monitor these changes and even talk with their pediatrician on how best to adapt to them to make sure that dietary requirements are being met.

A multi-vitamin for children can help round out a healthy diet and establish good nutritional habits at an early age. By using the above guidelines, you can help to ensure a lifetime of healthy nutrition for your child.

When Is the Right Time to Introduce a Multi-Vitamin for Children into Your Child’s Diet?

Many medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dietetic Association recommend that healthy children should obtain their vitamins and minerals from their diet. However, they also stress that there are many health reasons that would necessitate a multi-vitamin for children.

Some of the reasons to introduce a multi-vitamin for children include:

• Being underweight
• Restricted diets
• Illness
• Exclusively breastfed 

Before you begin looking for the best multi-vitamin for children, it’s important to first take a close look at your child’s diet. You will want to ensure that they are getting plenty of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. You will also want to minimize saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and sugar.

If there are gaps in adequate nutrition levels, it may be time to consider a multi-vitamin for children. Of course, it’s always a good idea to first consult with your child’s pediatrician prior to giving supplements. If a supplement will be helpful, you will want to look for a natural multi-vitamin for children that doesn’t consist of synthetic vitamins. These should be derived from natural food sources.

The top vitamins to look for in a multi-vitamin for children

• Vitamin A - Promotes growth and development, bone and tissue repair, healthy eyes, skin, and immune response. 
• Vitamin Bs – B vitamins help energy production, metabolism, as well as the circulatory and nervous systems. 
• Vitamin C – Promotes immune response and healthy muscles, skin, and connective tissue.
• Vitamin D – Promotes tooth and bone formation.
• Calcium – Promotes bone growth and strength.
• Iron – Builds muscles and is necessary for red blood cell production. 

Ideally, it’s best for your children to get these nutrients from the foods that they eat. This can only be accomplished if they are eating a wide range of whole, fresh foods and staying away from fast or processed foods. The most high-vitamin foods are fresh fruits and vegetables followed by low-fat dairy, whole grains, and lean meat.

Sadly, many children today are both overweight and malnourished because of poor diet. Shifting eating habits can be challenging, and a multi-vitamin for children can help with the transition towards a healthier lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, exercise, and nutritional supplementation.

Nature’s Plus has created a line of vitamins and supplements that are for a variety of specific dietary needs. Nature's Plus Animal Parade® supplements are designed to make nutritional supplementation easy for both parents and kids. Considered the best multi-vitamin formulas for children, Animal Parade promote good health with whole foods and green super-foods extracts and concentrates, bioflavonoids, botanical extracts, and naturally derived essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids.  And, they taste great which can enable your child to easily incorporate taking a supplement as part of their daily life.