Food supplement vitamins for baby

Vitamin supplements

The government recommends all children aged 6 months to 5 years are given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.

Babies who are having more than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day should not be given vitamin supplements. This is because formula is fortified with vitamins A, C and D and other nutrients.

Babies who are being breastfed should be given a daily vitamin D supplement from birth, whether or not you're taking a supplement containing vitamin D yourself.

Where you can get baby vitamin drops

Your health visitor can give you advice on vitamin drops and tell you where to get them.

You're entitled to free vitamin drops if you qualify for Healthy Start.

The Department of Health and Social Care only recommends vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D.

But some supplements you can buy contain other vitamins or ingredients. Talk to a pharmacist about which supplement would be most suitable for your child.

Having too much of some vitamins can be harmful. Keep to the dose recommended on the label, and be careful not to give your child 2 supplements at the same time.

For example, do not give them cod liver oil and vitamin drops because cod liver oil also contains vitamins A and D. One supplement on its own is enough, as long as it contains the recommended dose of vitamin D.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is only found in a few foods, such as oily fish and eggs. It's also added to some foods, such as fat spreads and breakfast cereals. But it’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone.

The main source of vitamin D is summer sunlight on our skin. But it's important to keep your child's skin safe in the sun.

Children should not be out in the sun too long in hot weather. Remember to cover up or protect their skin before it turns red or burns.

Young children should still have vitamin drops, even if they get out in the sun.

The Department of Health and Social Care recommends:

• Babies from birth to 1 year of age who are being breastfed should be given a daily supplement containing 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D to make sure they get enough. This is whether or not you're taking a supplement containing vitamin D yourself.
• Babies fed infant formula should not be given a vitamin D supplement if they're having more than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day, because infant formula is fortified with vitamin D and other nutrients.
• Children aged 1 to 4 years old should be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is important for babies and young children, and some may not be getting enough.

It's needed for a healthy immune system, can help their vision in dim light, and keeps skin healthy.

Good sources of vitamin A include:

• dairy products
• fortified fat spreads
• carrots, sweet potatoes, swede and mangoes
• dark green vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage and broccoli

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is important for your child's general health and immune system. It can also help their body absorb iron.

Good sources of vitamin C include:

• oranges
• kiwi fruit
• strawberries
• broccoli
• tomatoes
• peppers

A balanced diet for babies and young children

It's important for children to eat a wide variety of foods to make sure they're getting all the energy and nutrients they need to grow and develop properly.

Get more advice and information on a balanced diet for babies and young children:

• Your baby's first solid foods
• What to feed young children
• Young children and food: common questions
• Fussy eaters

Page last reviewed: 16 April 2021
Next review due: 16 April 2024

Nutritional Supplements for Children and Adolescents: Pros and Cons

Although the market has been saturated with nutritional supplements for decades, their safety is still questionable. Especially often questions on this topic can be heard from parents who care about the health of children of different ages. Is it acceptable to use supplements in childhood and adolescence? Are they as necessary as the manufacturers say? Let's figure it out in this article.

Not all supplements are good for a child. At every age, the body has its own needs, and this must be taken into account. The following are recommendations for supplements that will help children grow and develop properly at different stages of growing up.

Toddlers under 2

Babies from birth to 2 years of age are in dire need of vitamin B12. When they are born, they receive a small supply of this substance, but it does not last long. And this is the case if the mother ate right. If not, the vitamin is needed almost immediately - this applies to both the newborn and the young mother. Both should be taken, but only after appropriate tests and consultation with a doctor.

Equally important for the development of the baby is iron. The required level of this trace element eliminates the risk of anemia, which affects young children. This is especially true for premature babies, underweight babies and babies born to diabetic women. The need for taking such an additive is determined by the results of a blood test for hemoglobin.

It is extremely important to maintain sufficient levels of vitamins D and C in the child's blood. The first should be taken only in winter or if you live in northern latitudes where there is little sun. In summer, this is not necessary, but you need to walk a lot so that the baby spends time in the sun. This substance is responsible for the proper development of bones and the content of essential minerals in them. It is necessary to eliminate the risk of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. A deficiency can even lead to softening of the bone tissue. For its trouble-free formation, the fetus in the womb must receive vitamin D. Hence the recommendations of obstetrician-gynecologists about frequent walks for pregnant women.

Approximately the same pathology will cause a lack of calcium. You can replenish its quantity not only by taking supplements, but also by proper nutrition with an abundance of cheese, cottage cheese and, of course, milk. Calcium-rich green vegetables, pumpkin, sesame seeds.

If you do need to take a vitamin supplement, do it right. So, doctors advise to be careful with the supplement of D3 in the active form.

Vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of collagen, which is responsible for the formation of connective tissue. It also affects the growth process and the maintenance of a satisfactory state of health during the season of colds and viruses. But you also need to be careful when giving it to small children. Some additives are acidic and can irritate the stomach.

Folic acid is another micronutrient that is prescribed from early pregnancy. It is needed for DNA replication and the formation of new cells.

Children 2-12 years old

At this age, not only physical but also mental development takes place. From the age of 10, the hormonal background gradually begins to change. A growing body needs complete proteins, carbohydrates and the same substances as in infancy.

You will need the whole complex of B vitamins, but only if the child is picky about food and does not consume all foods: fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans, nuts. Those who lean on soda and sweets, and avoid healthy dishes, should introduce supplements with these vitamins into the diet. They are needed for the formation and development of the nervous and hormonal systems.

Small-calves who don't want to eat fish need a complex with Omega-3, DHA and EPA. They are responsible for the health of the cardiovascular, immune and nervous systems, brain, eyes and other organs. These substances are especially useful in the symptoms of ADHD in combination with other agents.

Adolescents 12-18 years old

This period is characterized by rapid sexual development. Hormonal changes are manifested in changes in the body and psyche of the child. Girls at this stage of growing up need iron, especially those who have a menstrual cycle. Omega-3s will have a positive effect on the ability to concentrate and mood during the training period.

B vitamins are essential for both girls and young people. If the nutrition of a teenager is unbalanced, they will support the nervous system and will contribute to the process of growth and further development.

Senior schoolchildren have a high need for calcium and magnesium. Their bones continue to develop and grow stronger, they need nourishment. However, zinc supplements, which have been very popular lately, should only be taken when a teenager has medical problems. Medicines are prescribed by a doctor.

Do children need nutritional supplements?

Photo

EDOUARD SICOT FOR PSYCHOLOGIES FRANCE)

To grow well and sleep better, be more energetic and less aggressive, increase the ability to concentrate and reduce anxiety, have strong bones and good brains ... According to dietary supplement manufacturers , Dietary supplements compensate for the lack of vitamins and microelements caused by malnutrition of modern children. But maybe it's enough just to put things in order in the children's plate? “Complete nutrition is the best for children's health,” says Yuri Kopanev, pediatric gastroenterologist, candidate of medical sciences. – But to see what an abyss separates the ideal from reality, it is enough to study how a child eats at home and in the school cafeteria: french fries, sausages, sandwiches, mashed potatoes, meatballs… Russia has adopted a national program to support healthy eating, but it is not easy to change the situation ".

Fashion omega and others

First of all, Russian children lack iron, vitamin D, iodine, fluorine, and the essential omega-3 fatty acid. A clinical study published in the American medical journal Pediatrics* shows for the first time how omega-3s affect a child's behavior: they become less excitable and anxious, and they learn to read and write more easily. Vitamin D and iodine improve metabolism, sleep and appetite, iron and trace elements prevent anemia, strengthen the immune system, and fluoride protects teeth from caries.

How to create a children's menu

“The main thing is that it should be varied, that is, contain all types of products in sufficient quantities,” says Yuri Kopanev. “These generally accepted official recommendations are only advice. We list only an approximate list of products that are necessary in the diet of a child of 6-12 years old.

• Dairy products (kefir, yogurt, cheese, fermented baked milk, etc.) - from 200 to 600 g per day.
• Fats: butter - 5-10 g; vegetable oil - 10-15 g.
• Vegetables and fruits - at least 300 g per day.
• Meat or fish - at least 150 g per day.
• Cereal bread.
• Eggs: 1 chicken or 2-3 quail 4 times a week.

Yu. K.

Photo

EDOUARD SICOT FOR PSYCHOLOGIES FRANCE)

“The main source of omega-3 is fresh fish, vitamin D - fish oil, iodine - algae and sea fish, - says Yuri Kopanev. “However, our children eat these foods relatively infrequently. That is why the deficiency of nutrients should be compensated for with special supplements that are sold in pharmacies.

So, doctors recommend taking vitamin D for all children under two years of age, and if necessary, children are prescribed multivitamin complexes. A relatively new product is OM3 Junior capsules, which contain an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. Iron supplements are prescribed for children with anemia (decreased hemoglobin in the blood). As for fluorine, it all depends on how the child eats, what kind of water he drinks, whether he uses iodized and fluoridated salt, whether he brushes his teeth with fluoride-containing paste. Some children are additionally recommended fluorine tablets.

Fortified foods

According to the French nutritionist Thierry Souccar, even carefully following the recommendations for a healthy diet, it is impossible to get rid of the deficiency of all nutrients. Yuri Kopanev agrees with him. “Just in order to get closer to the ideal situation, manufacturers improve the quality of products by enriching them with various “additives”. So, vitamins B1, B2 and PP, iron are added to flour, pasta, bread and rice. Dairy products and margarine are enriched with vitamins A and D, fruit juices and drinks, sausages and canned meat - with vitamin C. Plant extracts are also used for these purposes, which, on the one hand, flavor and give the products an appetizing look, and on the other hand, vitaminize them , because they have the properties necessary for this (antioxidant, stabilizing and therapeutic and prophylactic).

In Russia, plant extracts are used to enrich yogurt, margarine, light butter, mayonnaise and processed cheeses with vitamins B, A, E.

Not a single pill...

Some experts who criticize the very principle of prescribing nutritional supplements to children are concerned about the prospect that people will prefer not to change their eating habits, but will rely on supplements to compensate for the lack of nutrients. In their opinion, such behavior is as absurd as giving vitamin C to a naked child so that he does not catch a cold. So what do proponents of nutritional supplements say? Thierry Sukkar considers dietary supplements nothing more than health assistants and urges not to choose between supplements and nutrition.

Does my child need it?

What is dietary supplement

Biologically active additives are compositions of natural or identical to natural biologically active substances. Some dietary supplements are added to food, and some come to our table in the form of so-called enriched foods. Why take dietary supplements? To make the diet more saturated with individual food or biologically active substances and their complexes. Dietary supplements intended for children include products with probiotic and prebiotic activity, that is, they maintain a normal balance of intestinal microflora, as well as vitamins and other useful substances that, for one reason or another, do not get enough into the body with food. 9E. Sh. We eat too much animal fat, sugar and salt, we lack complete animal proteins, dietary fiber (fiber) and starch.

“We all need additional sources of nutrients, taking into account environmental problems and the way everything that comes to our table is grown, processed and cooked,” says Yuri Kopanev. “This is the cause of the “main” diseases of our time: allergies, dysbacteriosis, obesity (in school-age children it occurs in 25-30% of cases), problems with the immune system.”

How is the deficiency of vitamins and minerals manifested in a child? As a rule, such children get tired more than usual, are unnecessarily nervous, and have poor concentration. “If you notice something like this, consult a doctor: after studying the child’s history (sleep, nutrition, past illnesses), having received the test results, the doctor will determine which substances he needs,” Yuri Kopanev concludes.

Safety issue

“High-quality nutritional supplements, the production of which is carefully controlled, do not pose a health hazard,” Yuri Kopanev explains. “But you have to be careful with self-treatment. The use of dietary supplements should be targeted, limited in time and meet real needs. If a child takes too much magnesium or vitamin C, the excess will be excreted in the urine. Cases of an overdose of omega-3 are unknown, and in order to overdo it with vitamin D, its amount must be increased three times (in the second year of a child's life in autumn, winter and spring, the norm is three to four drops of an aqueous solution). An overdose of fluoride causes small marks on the teeth (dental fluorosis). Excessive intake of fat-soluble vitamins (in addition to vitamin D, these include vitamins A and E) can also harm. Therefore, it is better to coordinate the use of such supplements with a doctor.

And yet: to give or not to give dietary supplements to children? From the standpoint of pragmatists, it is worth adapting to reality more flexibly and compensating for the shortcomings that our time brings with it. From the position of the idealists, a real solution to the problem requires a complete change in attitude to the diet. And only one thing is known for sure: dietary supplements should not be opposed to proper, healthy nutrition.

* Pediatrics, vol.

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