 A bewildering array of products faces you when you try to choose a multivitamin for your child. What separates children's multivitamins from adult versions is the form in which they come (such as drops or chewable tablets) and their lower-than-adult doses. Select a "complete" multivitamin that contains all of the vitamins considered most essential. These include vitamins A, D, E, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6, B12, C, and folic acid. Ideally, the product should provide 100 percent of the Daily Value appropriate for your child's age in one daily dose. The product should taste good and come in fun shapes or characters, since taste and appearance are very important in determining whether your child will take the multivitamin. The Daily Values for vitamin and mineral products are based on the age of the child. There are separate values for infants (under 2 years), for children under 4 years, and for children over 4. Use vitamin drops for infants to prevent the risk of choking. Products such as Tri-Vi-Sol drops contain vitamins A, D, C, and iron to supplement the nutrition provided in mother's milk or infant formula. Other more complete multivitamin drops for infants include >Poly-Vi-Sol drops. Chewable tablets are considered safe for children 2 and older. Good products include >Flintstones Original chewable vitamins, One-A-Day Kids Complete, drugstore.com Children's Chewables, and >Bugs Bunny Complete Sugar Free Chewable Tablets. Just to be safe, always check with your pediatrician before supplementing your child's diet with a multivitamin. Sources:
Silverman, H.M., J.A. Romano, G. Elmer. The Vitamin Book. Bantam Books, 1999.
Drug Facts and Comparisons. Facts & Comparisons, 2006.
This answer prepared 12/13/2000.
This information updated 2/8/2007.
|
view shopping bag
