Vitamins for Toddlers

Date: 11/24/2009 12:23:40 PM
Author:Kay
My DD is 13 months old. At her Dr.''s instructions, we have weaned her from formula to whole organic milk (gradually decreasing the ratio of formula to milk in each bottle) over the past two weeks. Unfortunately, the baby who used to eat everything put in front of her is becoming a picky eater, so it is hard to ensure a balanced diet. She consumes 28 to 32 ounces of whole milk daily, along with 3 or 4 small meals of solids. I am concerned she might not be getting enough vitamins and other vital nutrients now that she is off formula.

Do/did your toddlers take vitamin supplements? Any brands you would recommend? TIA!

I just asked my ped about this.  He said it really isn''t a concern at this age, but if I wanted I could give her half a children''s multivitamin.  He just said no jelly ones, as those stick to teeth.  I don''t give Amelia any vitamins.

At that age, we weren''t told to give any vitamins.  When Lily turned 2 and we switched to low-fat milk, our pedi said to give her half a Flintstones vitamin and like TGal said, not the gummy ones.  I wouldn''t do anything without checking with your doctor.   

Check with you doctor but that seems like an excessive amount of milk. She may be getting filled up on milk and not that hungry for solids. She can get vitamin D and calcium from other sources. I believe 16-24 oz of milk is the recommended amount for a toddler.

Try smoothies. They are a great way of packing tons of vitamins into  something most kids enjoy

I usually mix up:
a splash of 100% juice or  water
1/2 banana
handful of frozen or fresh mixed berries
a small handful  of fresh baby spinach (she won''t taste it)
spinkle or ground flax or hemp--whatever i have around
ajdust thickness with more water or juice or yogurt


pickiness is normal at this stage and will come and go. My son went thru a few weeks of super pickiness, but now he is back to eating mostly what i put in front of him. Teething plays a big role and just plain ol toddler independence/stubborness kicks in.

Agreed being picky is totally normal at this point. We also asked our pedi about vitamins and he said no need. From what I''ve read kids can get full from too much milk, so you may want to cut back on the milk and she may find more room for food?

Hi Kay,

I didn''t bother giving any of my kids vitamins as toddlers.

Instead of concentrating on each meal, I looked at the diet over a couple of days. Toddlers will rarely eat 3 balanced meals a day, but over a week, they probably get a good balance. Since he started self-feeding, my now 3 year old eats great at breakfast and lunch but rarely eats a full dinner. This used to worry me, but I think he just eats enough at the 2 previous meals and isn''t that hungry in the evenings.

I think the best thing you can do is continue to offer healthy choices and let your daughter choose what she wants. Maybe you could offer her another small snack during the day, too?

Date: 11/24/2009 1:50:28 PM
Author: Jas12
Try smoothies. They are a great way of packing tons of vitamins into something most kids enjoy

I usually mix up:
a splash of 100% juice or water
1/2 banana
handful of frozen or fresh mixed berries
a small handful of fresh baby spinach (she won''t taste it)
spinkle or ground flax or hemp--whatever i have around
ajdust thickness with more water or juice or yogurt


pickiness is normal at this stage and will come and go. My son went thru a few weeks of super pickiness, but now he is back to eating mostly what i put in front of him. Teething plays a big role and just plain ol toddler independence/stubborness kicks in.

I am SO going to try this today.  I have some berries, banana and spinach.  I''ll try mixing it with some water and mandarines.

I'm going to try Jas12's recipe too.
J loves smoothies.

My kids did began taking vitamins around four or so. . .we''ve used both Life Extension and Animal Parade.

http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item01370/Childrens-Formula-Mix.html

http://www.supersup.com/vitamins-minerals/multivitamins/multivitamins-children/infants/animal-parade-assorted.html

You probably can find the Animal Parade at any local health food store.  Looks like from the website I included, there is a liquid form.  FWIW, the Animal Parade tastes a lot better.  I also take the same vitamins as my kids (lol) and like those better.

Date: 11/24/2009 12:27:48 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I just asked my ped about this. He said it really isn''t a concern at this age, but if I wanted I could give her half a children''s multivitamin. He just said no jelly ones, as those stick to teeth. I don''t give Amelia any vitamins.

Also, gummy ones can yank out dental work.  My DH ate a gummy vit. c and it pulled out a filling!

Thank you.  I will have to call her ped to ask about the amount of milk.  Her pattern for the past several months is to have 3 bottles of formula and 2 bowls of food during the day at day care, then more solid food at home around 6:30 or 7 pm, and a 4th bottle to put her to sleep between 8 and 9 pm.  A lot of nights she wakes up and wants another bottle sometime between 3 and 5 am.  She loves her bottles, so we just replaced formula with milk and kept the same schedule.

Date: 11/24/2009 1:50:28 PM
Author: Jas12
Try smoothies. They are a great way of packing tons of vitamins into something most kids enjoy

I usually mix up:
a splash of 100% juice or water
1/2 banana
handful of frozen or fresh mixed berries
a small handful of fresh baby spinach (she won''t taste it)
spinkle or ground flax or hemp--whatever i have around
ajdust thickness with more water or juice or yogurt


pickiness is normal at this stage and will come and go. My son went thru a few weeks of super pickiness, but now he is back to eating mostly what i put in front of him. Teething plays a big role and just plain ol toddler independence/stubborness kicks in.

Thanks for the recipe -- looks good!  She is teething again now, which makes her extra fussy, and we are seeing plenty of the toddler stuborness lately.

Date: 11/24/2009 3:46:28 PM
Author: MC

Date: 11/24/2009 12:27:48 PM
Author: TravelingGal
I just asked my ped about this. He said it really isn''t a concern at this age, but if I wanted I could give her half a children''s multivitamin. He just said no jelly ones, as those stick to teeth. I don''t give Amelia any vitamins.

Also, gummy ones can yank out dental work. My DH ate a gummy vit. c and it pulled out a filling!

Yikes -- I''ll have to avoid gummy vitamins (and worms).  For her age, I would go with a liquid vitamin if she needs one.

Didn''t know that about gummy vitamins.  We''ve been giving M gummy calcium since she is only drinking around 10-12oz of soymilk a day.  We weren''t able to find non-gummy ones for kids, and her pedi ok''ed the gummy ones.  Now I wonder if I should stop.  Anyone seen any non-gummy calcium around?

I also think that seems like a lot of milk..or at least on the high end. Maybe cut out the 3-5am bottle? She should be able to sleep through the night (or wake up and go back to sleep) without the bottle.

jas12 recipe sounds good--is raw spinach ok though? i''m always worried about e coli etc.

as for vitamins i was told none are necessary, maybe floride.

janine--i buy the organic pre-washed baby spinach in a bag and then rewash. I don''t know about the ecoli risk, i''ve never heard of it being contaminated around here, but now that you mention it, i think i have heard of it in general.
You could just omit the spinach, or put in a bit of the frozen stuff maybe.

Date: 11/26/2009 11:07:32 AM
Author: Jas12
janine--i buy the organic pre-washed baby spinach in a bag and then rewash. I don''t know about the ecoli risk, i''ve never heard of it being contaminated around here, but now that you mention it, i think i have heard of it in general.
You could just omit the spinach, or put in a bit of the frozen stuff maybe.

Did the smoothie.  Unfortunately Amelia hated it.  That kid can detech a veggie from a mile away.  I''ll keep trying though!

Date: 11/26/2009 3:49:11 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 11/26/2009 11:07:32 AM
Author: Jas12
janine--i buy the organic pre-washed baby spinach in a bag and then rewash. I don''t know about the ecoli risk, i''ve never heard of it being contaminated around here, but now that you mention it, i think i have heard of it in general.
You could just omit the spinach, or put in a bit of the frozen stuff maybe.

Did the smoothie. Unfortunately Amelia hated it. That kid can detech a veggie from a mile away. I''ll keep trying though!

Lol, A is becoming that way too.  I was feedign her mashed sweet potatoes last night, which she loves, and I hid a tiny piece of green bean in a bite of potato.  She took the bite, but then the bean came sliding back out of her mouth a few seconds later.