Children's vitamins are, by definition, organic substances that are essential for the normal functioning of the cells in a child's body. Even though they are required in trace amounts, they are responsible for the growth and development of their bones and tissues.
Children are the future of ever nation and hence they require a sound nutritional base on which they can grow and develop. Often toddlers and pre school children are picky eaters and have nutritionally imbalanced diets, leading to inadequate amount of vitamins in children. This is when childrens vitamins are required to serve as a safety net for fighting infections and helping them grow strong and healthy.
Teaching kids about vitamins is as important as learning the significance. The basic principle of children's vitamins is to add healthy supplements to a child's diet. Today, many supplements for children's vitamin are available in the market. Available vitamins are essential for breastfed children who require 200 IU of vitamin D daily. Children in their teens also require children vitamin if they don't intake at least 500 ml of milk.
Vitamins and kids go hand in hand. The best vitamins for kids are nutrients obtained from real food sources like oranges, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, broccoli, carrots, squash, yams and red bell peppers. And in case, if your child does not develop the taste, then you need to supplement it with the best children's vitamins. The multivitamin that contains iron and calcium is the best vitamin for kids. The right quantity of iron prevents a child from being anemic. Toddlers can also receive iron from cereals or high iron containing vitamins for kids. At the other end, calcium is required for healthy teeth and bones in children.
The market today is flooded with many of the best childrens vitamins. Some of the multi vitamins are a common combination of iron, calcium and vitamins. While, some multi vitamins are naturally made from whole food ingredients. These vitamins known as whole food vitamins for kids offer better health benefits. Other critical and good vitamins for kids are vitamins C, D and E. Vitamin C has the ability to heal knee and elbow wounds while Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption and reduce the risk of bone fractures. Vitamin E also plays an important role in maintaining fatty acids at optimum efficiency. Mixed tocopherol is a form of Vitamin E that is considered to be the best children vitamin.
Vitamins for kids are available in a wide variety of shapes, fun characters and flavors that help children to digest them easily with fun. Also available in chewable form, these kids vitamins are handy and the smartest alternative to supplementation.
Which Kids Need Vitamin Supplements?
Given the reality of time-crunched parents, those well-rounded, home-cooked meals aren't always possible. That's why pediatricians may recommend a daily multivitamin or mineral supplement for:
Kids who aren't eating regular, well-balanced meals made from fresh, whole foods
Finicky eaters who simply aren't eating enough
Kids with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or digestive problems, especially if they're taking medications (be sure to talk with your child's doctor first before starting a supplement if your child is on medication)
Particularly active kids who play physically demanding sports
Kids eating a lot of fast foods, convenience foods, and processed foods
Kids on a vegetarian diet (they may need an iron supplement), a dairy-free diet (they may need a calcium supplement), or other restricted diet
Kids who drink a lot of carbonated sodas, which can leach vitamins and minerals from their bodies.
Top Six Vitamins and Minerals for Kids
In the alphabet soup of vitamins and minerals, a few stand out as critical for growing kids.
Vitamin A promotes normal growth and development; tissue and bone repair; and healthy skin, eyes, and immune responses. Good sources include milk, cheese, eggs, and yellow-to-orange vegetables like carrots, yams, and squash.
Vitamin Bs. The family of B vitamins B2, B3, B6, and B12 aid metabolism, energy production, and healthy circulatory and nervous systems. Good sources include meat, chicken, fish, nuts, eggs, milk, cheese, beans, and soybeans.
Vitamin C promotes healthy muscles, connective tissue, and skin. Good sources include citrus fruit, strawberries, kiwi, tomatoes, and green vegetables like broccoli.
Vitamin D promotes bone and tooth formation and helps the body absorb calcium. Good sources include milk and other dairy products, and fish oil. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight.
Calcium helps build strong bones as a child grows. Good sources include milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, and calcium-fortified orange juice.
Iron builds muscle and is essential to healthy red blood cells. Iron deficiency is a risk in adolescence, especially for girls once they begin to menstruate. Good sources include beef and other red meats, turkey, pork, spinach, beans, and prunes.
Megavitamins large doses of vitamins aren't a good idea for children. The fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) can be toxic if kids overdose on excessive amounts. Ditto with iron. Your kids can get too much of a good thing.
Look to Fresh Foods for the Best Vitamins:
Healthy kids get their best start from what you put in your grocery cart.
Good nutrition starts by serving a wide variety of whole, fresh foods as much as possible. That's far better than serving up fast foods or convenience foods -- and hoping that taking a kids' vitamin will undo any nutritional no-no's. You'll find the most vitamins and minerals in foods high in carbohydrates and proteins (rather than fats). By far, the most high-vitamin foods of all are fresh fruits and vegetables.
To give kids more vitamins, aim for more variety not simply more food. Twice as many kids today are overweight than just two decades ago, so use kid-sized food portions, which are one-quarter to one-third the size of adult portions.
Spread the variety of foods into several small meals and snacks throughout the day. If your child won't eat a particular food for a few days -- like vegetables -- don't fret. But reintroduce those foods again a day or two later, perhaps prepared in a different way. Kids' "food strikes" usually end by themselves.
Vitamins and Healthy Kids: Five Tips
If you do give vitamins to your kids, follow these tips:
*Put vitamins away, well out of reach of children, so they don't treat them like candy.
*Try not to battle over foods with your kids or use desserts as a bribe to "clean your plate." Instead, try giving a chewable vitamin as a "treat" at the end of a meal. Fat-soluble vitamins can only be absorbed with food.
*If your child is taking any medication, be sure to ask your child's doctor about any drug interactions with certain vitamins or minerals. Then the supplement won't boost or lower the medication dose.
*Try a chewable vitamin if your child won't take a pill or liquid supplement.
*Consider waiting until a child reaches age 4 to start giving a multivitamin supplement, unless your child's doctor suggests otherwise.
Sound nutrition plays a role in your child's learning and development. So, rather than relying on cartoon characters selling supplements, commit to feeding a range of healthy foods to your kids.
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