Toddler Vitamins - Should I Give My Toddler Vitamins?

In answer to the question "Should I give my toddler vitamins?" there is a conflict of opinions, some experts say that parents should give their toddlers a daily vitamin to make up for what they may not be getting in their diet. The American Academy of Pediatrics is of the opinion that since most of the foods that you give your toddler are fortified with extra vitamins they really should not need a supplemental vitamin. However they do state that it is OK to give your child a multivitamin as long as the one you choose does not exceed the recommended daily allowance for any vitamin or mineral.

So where does this leave you, should you or give your toddler vitamins or not? In the end it really is up to you and your pediatrician. Most experts agree that there is no harm in giving your child a daily multivitamin as long as it does not overdose them on any particular vitamin or mineral. They also acknowledge those children with food allergies or who are being raised as vegetarians or vegans may need a supplemental vitamin to ensure that they get their full recommended daily allowance of all vitamins and minerals.

If you have the misfortune to be the parent of a picky eater and are worried that he may be lacking in certain areas of his diet you may want consider giving him toddler vitamins. Picky eaters can be described as those who refuse to eat anything green or that go on eating jags where they will not eat anything but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for days on end. While this may not be devastatingly bad for his overall health a supplemental vitamin can help make up for what he is not getting through his diet. Even though your toddler may be getting enough of certain vitamins, a one a day multivitamin will not cause an overdose of those vitamins.

Now that we have established when you should give your toddler a vitamin supplement, we need to take a look at what kind of vitamins you should give him. In general you should choose a good quality multivitamin, try to avoid those generic cheap ones that you can find on the bottom shelf at the supermarket. They are usually old and of poor quality, you should instead opt for name brand ones or go to your local health food store and buy organic vitamins. These are generally of a much better quality and are much fresher than those you find at department or grocery stores.

One final question that needs answered, "Is there ever a reason to give my toddler more than one multivitamin a day?" This question usually follows a conversation regarding the child in question having a bad week where they did not eat a very healthy diet due to over pickiness or illness. The simple answer to this is that there is never a reason to give your child more than one multivitamin per day. Here just because one is good does not mean more is better, in fact more can be too much and could prevent the proper absorption of some of the important vitamins.