By Previnex®
Finding the right vitamins to support your child’s health shouldn’t be complicated, but there are so many options flooding the aisles of the store, that it can be hard to determine what’s best. Those options also tend to have lots of added ingredients that may not be beneficial for your child’s health. So you may be wondering: what does a children’s vitamin really need to contain? Let’s take a look at what kids really need from their daily multivitamin.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps your vision, ensures your organs function properly, keeps your immune system functioning well, and, for pregnant women, aids in proper development of babies in the womb. When it comes to supporting the immune system, Vitamin A is involved in the production and function of white blood cells. These blood cells help clear bacteria and other invaders from the bloodstream. Additionally, in countries where kids are more susceptible to diseases like measles and malaria, fixing Vitamin A deficiency in children has been proven to decrease the risk of death from those diseases. Vitamin A is also important for bone health! It helps support your child’s bones as they grow. Hair, nails, and teeth all have keratin, which the body creates thanks to Vitamin A, and since your child’s adult teeth are still in their gums, Vitamin A can help fortify the enamel on their teeth. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A for kids is:
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Age 1-3 years: 1,000 IU
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Age 4-8 years: approximately 1,300 IU
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Age 9-13 years: 2,000 IU
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for immune function and support. Especially if your child is in daycare, school, or extra curricular activities, their immune system may need more support. Vitamin C also helps promote healthy muscles, tissue, and skin. If your child is eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every day, they may be getting enough Vitamin C in their diet. However, it’s more likely that they need supplemental support (just like we do as adults!). Every day, children should get:
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Age 1-3 years: 15 mg
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Age 4-8 years: 25 mg
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Age 9-13 years: 45 mg
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for your entire system to function well. In fact, scientists have identified over 2,000 genes that are influenced by the body’s Vitamin D levels. It maintains and increases bone health and development, supports your child’s musculoskeletal, immune, and nervous systems, and being deficient in Vitamin D can cause significant issues. It also helps regulate calcium and phosphate levels, boost the immune system, and can even prevent rickets in children (a disease that softens bones). The recommended daily intakes for children are:
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Age 0-12 months: 10 mcg (400 IU)
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Age 1-13 years: 15 mcg (600 IU
Iron
Helping to build muscles and create healthy blood cells, Iron is imperative for your child’s development. It helps move oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, helping muscles store and use the oxygen. Iron deficiency is a common issue in children, especially for adolescent girls as they begin menstruating. Recommended doses for kids are:
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Age 7-12 months: 11 mg
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Age 1-3 years: 7 mg
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Age 4-8 years: 10 mg
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Age 9-13 years: 8 mg
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Age 14-18 years (girls): 15 mg
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Age 14-18 years (boys): 11 mg
Calcium
Your kids need calcium for building strong bones and a strong body. Its primary function is to build strong bones, and strong teeth—these contain approximately 99% of the body’s calcium. It also helps muscles move properly and helps regulate blood pressure. When kids are calcium deficient, their bones will weaken. Calcium complements other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to support your child’s system as a whole. Daily, children should get:
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Age 4-8 years: 800 mg
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Age 9-18 years: 1,300 mg
Zinc
Zinc is highly beneficial for the immune system and metabolism. It also helps your body heal wounds. However, our bodies do not naturally produce zinc, so it’s important to get it through diet and supplements. It’s required in the body for gene expression, enzymatic reactions, immune function, protein synthesis, DNA synthesis, wound healing, and general growth and development. Recommended intakes are:
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Age 0-6 months: 2 mg
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Age 7-12 months: 3 mg
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Age 1-3 years: 3 mg
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Age 4-8 years: 5 mg
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Age 9-13 years: 8 mg
Unnecessary Added Ingredients Your Kids Don’t Need
Many children’s vitamins contain ingredients like added sugar, gums, dyes, and sugar alcohols. These are not helpful for your child’s overall health, and can actually have negative side effects.
Studies show that excessive sugar intake has a negative impact on children’s academic performance, learning, and memory. They can also experience fatty liver disease, earlier diagnoses of diabetes, heart disease, and inflammatory diseases such as asthma. Additionally, it impacts their overall gut health and gut function. The last place this added sugar should be is in a vitamin designed to support your child’s health!
Gums like xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and other gums and emulsifiers can cause digestive issues in children including bloating, gas, and general discomfort. There are also concerns about inflammation in the intestines and risks of infection.
Artificial dyes such as Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 can cause behavioral issues in children. In particular, they can cause hyperactivity, inattentiveness, restlessness, sleeplessness, irritability, and aggression. These ingredients are not helpful, especially in a vitamin for your child.
Ultimately, when looking for a multivitamin for your children, it’s important to find one that does not contain any unnecessary additives, artificial dyes, or added sugar.
Optimal Health for Your Child
Some other vitamins that are helpful for your child’s health and development are B-Vitamins, Vitamin K, riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium. B-Vitamins help with your child’s brain development and metabolism; Vitamin K helps children’s blood clot properly, bone development, and cardiovascular systems; riboflavin helps your child’s nervous system function optimally; niacin helps them convert food into energy, controls cholesterol levels, and helps lower blood pressure; folate helps children’s cells and tissues grow, and supports their digestive and i immune systems; and magnesium is essential for bone growth and mineralization, helps their muscles function, supports their nervous system, and helps their sleep quality.
One of the best ways to ensure your child gets all these nutrients is through a multivitamin. Super Vites® is our children’s chewable multivitamin that has all the benefits with none of the added ingredients. It is specifically designed with kids in mind, made with only the best vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support the growth of 9-12 year old children. Each serving of Super Vites® has 28 organic fruits and vegetables! Additionally, it’s 100% free from added sugars, sugar alcohols, artificial flavors, dyes, soy, gluten, and dairy. Grab yourself a bottle of Super Vites® to help support your child’s growth, development, and health!
