That children are eating a healthy diet is most parents’ belief and if not they throw their hand up in the air and give up. They then tend to give their children multivitamins. This is not a bad thing however, many children think vitamins are candy, especially now that they come in gum balls, gummi shapes, and cute animal and cartoon characters.
This is a very serious issue because if they are within children’s reach they could be ‘sneaking’ them without you knowing it. Call Poison Control immediately and get your child to an emergency room immediately, if you even think your child may have taken too many. The result of an overdose of multivitamins with iron could make your child very seriously ill or worse.
It is absolutely crucial that any and all manner of medications be kept out of the reach of children. Children get most of their vitamins from their diets but if you think they need them, generic multivitamins are fine. Calcium must be gotten from other sources which benefits your child if they have special needs such as allergies to dairy foods or a strong dislike for them.
Get advice from your child’s pediatrician. Do not give your child more than one vitamin daily even is your child’s diet has been bad one week. An excess of any one vitamin could block the absorption of others in the body. If your child gets too much calcium for example, it could prevent vitamins such as iron from being absorbed.
Because many children will not make great choices you can expect to be giving your child vitamins well into their teens. Know before buying vitamins that there are varying opinions about vitamins with iron for children. You should be giving vitamins with iron which is one school of thought.
Under no circumstance says another school of thought, should vitamins with iron be given to children. My own child, in infancy showed signs of low iron in infancy. Always check with your doctor but my child’s doctor put him on iron fortified vitamins and he is very healthy now.
Hemochromatosis is a disease that is caused by too much iron in the blood. The iron is not washed out of the body easily and the body is unable to use the iron. It can cause serious health problems and is almost always a fatal disease. A very important part of your child’s diet is calcium which helps them to build strong bones and muscles. Calcium is a mineral. Children can get enough calcium from their diets if they eat yogurt, cheese, and ice cream or if they drink milk. There are some who are allergic to dairy products or who don’t like them. Some do not like dairy products, still others are allergic to them. You can help these children get their needs met by giving them calcium fortified juices, cereals and vitamins.
Children for the most part get enough fluoride from drinking fluoride treated water or bottled water with fluoride, and/or toothpaste. Check with your doctor before giving any fluoride supplement to your child. Fluoride in excess could permanently stain your child’s teeth.
The purpose of treating water and using toothpaste with fluoride to protect your child’s teeth, is defeated. Multivitamins meant for infants are typically available in liquid form and given with an eyedropper. These drops contain vitamins A, C, and D and my have added iron. Other vitamins and minerals may be in the drops such as riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-12.
Children’s vitamins also come in chewable forms and in the shapes of cartoon characters or animals. Gumball and gummi candy vitamins are now available. If you child gives you difficulty in taking vitamins, try giving them his favorite character or in gumball form. Always supervise your child when he takes vitamins.
Personally, I myself give my son his vitamins rather than allowing him to do it on his own. He either might not take it or he might take too many. Too much of a good thing can be fatal but vitamins for children can be good thing. They should be kept out of children’s reach. Like a lot of children yours might not always eat what is right and giving him vitamins might offset some of that.
Check with your pediatrician before making adjustments to your child’s diet, it’s always best to err on the side of caution. Fun vitamin shapes are fine but your child could think they are ‘candy’; they should be kept out of the reach or locked away in a cabinet.
