With such a huge variety of baby and toddler vitamin supplements available to buy, it can be hard knowing exactly what your child needs and if they really need them.
While your tot should be eating a balanced diet full of all the fruits and vegetables they need to get their essential nutrients, babies and young children can be quite fussy when it comes to food. It’s important your baby or toddler gets all the essential vitamins they need to ensure they grow and develop properly, which is why baby and toddler vitamins are so important.
‘Vitamins and minerals are essential for normal growth and development particularly in the early years as your child’s body is growing quickly and they’re used for chemical reactions within the body,’ says Dr R S Bedi, experienced pediatrician at Bedi Hospital. ‘Their key roles are to help the body use up the calories in food, process fat, protein and carbohydrates, and help in the repair and building of cells and tissues.’
With all this in mind, a good variety of different foods, and particularly colours of foods, in your child’s diet will ensure many of the nutrients can be crossed off the list.
How children can get their vitamins and nutrients through food
Iron
When your baby is born, he has his own stock of iron and zinc, which have been passed onto him while in the womb. However, by the time he’s six months old, those stocks are running out. ‘This is why you need to start weaning onto food at this age,’ says Dr Vikram Bedi from Bedi Hospital. ‘Milk does not provide enough nutrients for your baby, which is why you need food.’
From the age of six months, your baby needs 7.8mg of iron. ‘While formula is fortified with nutrients, including iron, you should also ensure that you wean him using iron-rich foods such as meat, dark poultry meat, beans, pulses and dark green leafy vegetables,’ says Dr Vikram Bedi. It’s worth remembering that calcium can prevent the absorption of iron so giving him milk at the same time as a plate of baked beans could potentially limit the iron content of the beans. To counter this, ensure you serve up foods containing vitamin C alongside them as they can aid the absorption of iron.
Vitamin C
This nutrient is needed to help absorb iron from food. ‘While calcium is a very important nutrient for ensuring your baby builds up strong bones and teeth, it can also inhibit the absorption of non-haem iron,’ says Jo. ‘This comes from vegetable sources such as spinach or kale. However, you can boost absorption by eating foods containing vitamin C, such as oranges, peppers, kiwis and broccoli.’
Vitamin C also helps to strengthen your baby’s immune system, which can be quite weak in the early years of his life. ‘Children aged between 12 months and 2 years often go through a picky phase and tend to eat less vegetables and fruits,’ says Julie.
Vitamin D
This is probably one of the most crucial vitamins needed. ‘It’s made when sunlight hits the skin, but because if exposure to sunlight is low, it’s vital that children aged between six months and five years take a supplement drop containing vitamin D,’ says Dr Vikram.
‘However, babies who are fed infant formula will not need vitamin drops until they are receiving less than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day, as these products are fortified with vitamin D.’ There are a few dietary sources of vitamin D – fortified breakfast cereals and margarine – but NHS advice states that you should boost your baby’s sources with a supplement.
Vitamin A
Essential for eye health, normal growth and development and the immune system, vitamin A (the beta carotene variety) can be found in orange and yellow coloured foods such as carrot, butternut squash and mango. ‘Animal sources of vitamin A (known as retinol) include meat and dairy,’ says Dr Vikram.
Omega-3 and 6
Dr R S Bedi, says: “Omega-3s are important at any age. Several studies have found that children exposed to optimal intakes of omega-3s in the womb or infanthood tend to have better cognitive function, while a recent randomised control trial showed the specific combination of omega-3 and 6 in Equazen is as effective as prescription medicines for controlling the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Parenting expert Lorraine Thomas, founder of the Parent Coaching Academy, says: “Science has found that a blend of omega-3 and 6 in the diet help with behavior, memory and, as a result, learning. They also help with sleep patterns according to researchers from Oxford University. They found children who had a diet rich in omega-3 and omega-6 slept for longer and woke up less in the night compared to those children who did not have a diet rich in omega-3 and omega-6.”
Equazen Baby supplement is a source of Omega-3 and 6, and is suitable for ages 6 months - 3 years.
If you are concerned your tot might not be getting all the nutrients they need from food, you may want to give your baby supplements as well as feeding them a healthy and balanced diet.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to get free vitamin drops for your child from pharmacies/supermarkets. But Always talk to your pediatrician for advice before purchasing.