Children's Vitamins -- Do Your Kids Need Them?

A doctor may recommend children's vitamins in a few instances, such as:

breastfed babies may need iron and flouride supplement drops, as well as Vitamins A, C and D
teenagers who don't drink milk may need a calcium supplement to promote strong and healthy bone growth
picky eaters of all ages may need daily multivitamins, sometimes for their nutrition as much as to reassure worried parents
children with special health conditions may need specific supplements to manage their required daily intake of certain vitamins and minerals.

Generally, kids can get all of their required daily vitamins and minerals if they eat a healthy, balanced diet of a variety of foods. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are generally rare because most of us eat a varied diet and a lot of our food is enriched with nutrients during processing.

Calcium and iron are two of the more prevalent deficiencies. A Vitamin D deficiency is also more likely in children who live in the North or who do not spend enough time outdoors 'soaking up the sun's rays', in order to produce vitamin D in their bodies.

Both calcium and Vitamin D are essential to strong and healthy bone growth. Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption by the bones, which is why most milk products are fortified (supplemented) with extra Vitamin D.

Iron may be especially deficient in a vegetarian diet, and iron requirements vary by age, with menstruating girls needing the most.

If you think your kids should take a supplement, talk to your doctor. Giving individual doses of different vitamins and mineral supplements can be very risky, so most doctors will recommend a daily children's vitamin supplement.

Children's vitamins usually come in a variety of flavours, shapes and colours to make them as appealling and fun to take as possible.