On average, young children need anywhere between 1,000 to 2,000 calories per day. The exact amount depends on their exact age and physical activity.
Besides a high amount of calories, children also need plenty of vitamins to ensure they grow healthy and strong. But how much of these do they need? And do they need supplements?
In this article, we’ll discuss whether or not supplements for kids are necessary.
What Nutrients and Vitamins Do Kids Need?
In general, children need the same vitamins and nutrients as adults. However, because of their smaller size, they need slightly less.
The nutrients they’ll need include calcium, zinc, iron, iodine, choline, as well as vitamins A, B, and D. Within the B vitamins, they should be getting B6 and B12; these are important brain vitamins for kids.
In most cases, your kids will get all the nutrients and vitamins they’ll need through a proper and healthy diet.
What Causes Children to Be Deficient in Nutrients and Vitamins?
Of course, in some cases, a proper diet won’t be enough for small children to get a sufficient amount of nutrients and vitamins.
For example, if you breastfeed your baby, then you’ll need to give them vitamins for one-year-olds, especially vitamin D. Vitamin D supplements from Vitabiotics are a good choice.
Other cases where children may be deficient include if they’re vegetarian or vegan. Picky eaters and those who have conditions that affect absorption (such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cancer, or stomach/intestine surgery) may have issues as well.
How to Choose a Vitamin for Toddlers and Older
If you’re concerned about your children’s nutrition, you should first discuss this with their doctor. Together, you can figure out which supplements are the best for them.
In general, you should choose ones that have been third-party tested, as this means there are only high-quality ingredients in them. You’ll also need to choose supplements made especially for children, as ones for adults may have too high of a dose for smaller kids.
For example, vitamins A, D, E, and K can be harmful to their health if they take too much. In fact, it can be toxic.
Gummies can be a good option, as it makes it easier for younger children to take. However, because they’re so palatable, you need to ensure your kids don’t get into them on their own. It can be very easy for them to overdose on vitamins in that case.
Get Supplements for Kids If Necessary
As you can see, as long as you feed your children a healthy diet, they shouldn’t have a need for supplements for kids. However, if they are vegetarian, vegan, or have conditions that affect food absorption, then you may need some vitamin supplements to help them out.
Did you enjoy this article on multivitamins for toddlers? Then be sure to check out our other blog posts too!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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