It is the belief of most parents that children are eating a
relatively healthy diet, but if not, they throw up their hands
and give up. Children are then plied with multivitamins. Though
this is not a bad thing to do, many children think they are
candy especially now that they come in gummi candy, gumballs,
and cute animal and cartoon characters.
This is extremely serious because if they are with a kids reach,
they could be taking more than you know about. If there is the
remotest chance your child has ingested too many, immediately
call Poison Control and get them to the emergency room.
If your child overdoses with multivitamins with iron your child
could become seriously ill or die. All manner of medications
must absolutely be kept out of the reach children. If you think
your child needs them generic multivitamins are fine but for the
most part, children get a lot of their vitamins in their diets.
If your child is either allergic to dairy products or wonĄ¯t eat
them, calcium will need to come from other sources. A
consultation with your childĄ¯s pediatrician is important. One
vitamin daily is all a child needs even if his diet has been
questionable for that week.
The absorption of other vitamins could be blocked if there is
too much of any one vitamin. For example, too much calcium can
prevent the absorption of other vitamins such as iron. Healthy
food choices are not a childĄ¯s priority you can expect to be
giving your child vitamins well into their teens.
Before buying vitamins you should know that opinions about
vitamins with iron for children vary greatly. One belief is that
you should, in fact, be giving vitamins with iron. Another
philosophy is that never should a child be given vitamins with
iron in them.
In infancy my own child showed signs of iron deficiency as an
infant. Always check with your childĄ¯s doctor; my childĄ¯s
doctor put him on iron fortified vitamins and he is healthy now.
A disease called Hemochromatosis is caused by too much iron in
the blood.
The iron becomes unusable by the body and it is not washed out
of the body easily. It is almost always a fatal disease and can
cause serious health issues. Calcium helps build strong bones
and muscles and is a very important part of your childĄ¯s diet.
Calcium is a mineral. Kids who eat ice cream, yogurt, and cheese
or who drink milk usually get enough calcium from their diets.
Some do not like dairy products, still others are allergic to
them. Children can be assisted in getting what they need by
consuming calcium fortified juices, cereals and vitamins.
Drinking fluoride treated tap water and bottled water and/or
using fluoridated toothpaste is enough for most children. Your
child should not be given fluoride supplements without checking
with your pediatrician. Your childĄ¯s teeth could be permanently
stained if they get too much fluoride.
This defeats entirely, the purpose of the treatment of water and
the use of toothpaste meant to protect your childĄ¯s teeth.
Infant multivitamins in liquid form is available and usually
administered with an eye dropper.
The drops contain vitamins A, C, and D and may have added iron.
Also they may have other vitamins and minerals such as thiamin,
niacin, riboflavin and vitamin B-12. Chewable childrenĄ¯s
vitamins are available in the forms of cartoon characters and/or
animals. Now vitamins are available in gummi candy and gumballs.
Try buying gum ball vitamins or cartoon characters if your child
is difficult about taking vitamins. Your child should always be
supervised while heĄ¯s taking his vitamins. My son never gets to
take his vitamins on his own, I give them to him.
He may or may not take it or he could take too many. ChildrenĄ¯s
vitamins could be a very good thing but too much of a good thing
could be fatal. They should not be left in the reach of
children. Eating what is right is not your childĄ¯s top priority
so giving him vitamins may offset some of that.
Adjustments to childĄ¯s diet should always be discussed with
your childĄ¯s pediatrician, itĄ¯s better to err on the side of
caution. ItĄ¯s fine to have fun shapes but your child could
think they are candy and they should be kept out of reach of
children or locked in a cabinet.
About the author:
Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice
for consumers on purchasing a variety of products which includes
Vitamin C and Herbal Supplements, and more!
http://www.1st-vitamins-n-supplements.com
