Vitamins for a 2 year old?

[melon]

I don't currently give him any vitamins. He's almost 23 months.

At his 2 year appointment Dr will ask if he's taking any (I never filled the prescription she gave me at the 18 mo appt).

I feel like they're all filled with extra stuff he doesn't need.

He has a pretty round diet and eats lots of fruit, veggies, meat, grains, etc, and very little junk food. So I feel like a supplement is unnecessary. But I'm sure I'm wrong.

Do you give your toddlers vitamins? What kind? Are there any that are better than others?

[larzanna]

Yes i do, i buy the animal parade ones.  I also give him an extra vitamin C.  There are no artificial flavors/colors ect in them. I figure that it helps to cover the bases if he misses anything in his diet. 

[pbjmama]

Why are you sure you are wrong? What kind of vitamin did your dr want you to give? Most common are vitamin d and iron. So, make sure you have lots of iron and vitamin d! I've never given my kids vitamins on a regular basis.

[Bugglette]

I give my son, 3yrs, half of a Flinstone complete (the ones w/iron) and 1 vit D gummy.  I give him these because my uncle, a doctor, recommended that my sister and I give our sons a multi-vitamin w/iron, vit D and Omega-3 (we're still looking for a good kids Omega-3).  He gave us actual mg amounts for each thing (don't have the #s with me right now) and we chose brands/amounts based on the 3s he gave us.

I didn't give my son vitamins, or think I would ever give him vitamins, until my uncle recommended it...he has been taking his vitamins for about 4 weeks now.

[curious&eager]

I give my DS vitamins just b/c I figure it can't hurt and he loves gummies.  His iron is great, so he can have just a gummy vitamin.  My gummies don't have iron.  I give him Clifford gummies and they have omega-3 in them.  He loves it b/c with the Clifford gummies, he can have two.  We were giving him Go Kids and they are just one per day.  He always signs more and tells me more either way b/c he loves his gummies.  It's so funny to me b/c I use these vitamins as a bribe to get him to eat more vegetables (eat 4 big bites for 1 gummy, 8 bites for 2 gummies).  So, for us it's a win, win :)

[CookAMH]

My 22 mo takes Catalyn Chewable (from Standard Process, they have a website). Serving is 3 a day for 4yo, so I give him one. It's whole food vitamin.

[AKA_PI]

I give my 2 year old son Flintstone vitamins and gummy vitamins as well. He loves them and I haven't had any issues with them. 

[Mal85]

My daughter just turned two last week and I started her on a gummy vitamin. I never worried about it while she was nursing and really the last several months she has loved a variety of foods. But recently she's become a lot more picky about what she eats, so it makes me feel a little better to give her a vitamin.

[peainthepod]

I give my toddler Rainbow Light Nutri Stars. They're chewable and the only children's multivitamins I can find in our grocery store that don't have tons of artificial ingredients, sweeteners, colors, etc. He seems to like them. I also give him Vitamin D3 drops on occasion because we live in a very cloudy and wet climate.

[MusicianDad]

No vitamins here. Unless the doctor can show me that DS is lacking in something, I won't arbitrarily decide to dose him with supplements. He's doing just fine on his own with the food we provide and he eats.

[crunchy_mommy]

I give DS 'occasional' vitamins (basically whenever he asks for them, so anywhere from 2-6 times a week??) I don't like the idea of supplementing because I feel like he should get everything he needs from his food/sun/etc. but we live in the Northeast so vitamin D is an issue, and I have some nutritional deficiencies (possibly related to my chronic illness) so since DS is still getting about 50% of his calories from breastmilk (yes, at 2 years old!) it seemed like a good idea to have a little 'insurance' in case my breastmilk is as deficient as I am... We give him Animal Parade chewables which have whole food concentrates and DON'T have 130220193% of the RDA -- it took me some time to find ones with reasonable %RDA, and we only give him 1 vitamin even though a full dose = 2 vitamins. He likes the taste of them and they don't have artificial colors/flavors/gluten/dairy/etc.

I found DS did start eating better after we started giving him vitamins (he used to be at about 90% milk/10% table food)... doctor thought it might help and I guess it did... Once he is closer to 80% table food I will probably feel more comfortable backing off on the vitamins if he's still eating a varied diet.

[GreenMomPhD]

I give my daughter Nordic Naturals chewables.  I looked into the company and they seem to be pretty responsible, for lack of a better word!  They are free of articifial colors, preservatives, etc. also.

[Nicole730]

I give my 2 year old Trader Joe's brand vitamins.  He doesn't eat a well-rounded diet though.  Plenty of fruit/whole grains/protein, but almost zero veggies.

[terrainthailand]

Our two year old takes a supplement.  I've always turned my nose up at vitamins for myself, feeling like they were a bit silly if you're eating a well balanced diet and living a healthy lifestyle, which I try to do.  But when I was pregnant I re-examined my thinking.  I don't believe that a daily multi-vitamin is going to do any damage and that few people have a diet so spectacularly well rounded that they can't benefit from a daily supplement.  I say go for it.

[nukuspot]

I don't do any vitamins here EXCEPT VITAMIN D.  I just don't think that she needs them if she is still nursing and eating a balanced diet (minus greens which I can't get her to eat but I eat lots of greens so I am sure she is getting the folate, etc in my breastmilk.)

I give her Carlson's D drops every day though because we live in a very cloudy place and I know that even though I mega dos myself with D, I am still always borderline deficient so I know she needs another source.

When she stops nursing one day depending on her diet I probably will start her on a multi vitamin if she still isn't eating greens, but for now I think my BM is a good multi!

[MsFortune]

We do gummies.  DS eats like crap.  He's super fussy and will just skip eating altogether if he does not like what is being offered.  We try variety, try to keep offering, but he mostly eats yogurt.  So I figure a vitamin is pretty much needed since his diet is not balanced.  

Plus he loves the gummies.  If I forget vitamins, he will remember!

[AboutPediatrics]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

We do gummies.

Many parents give their kids gummy vitamins if they are picky eaters.

While most kids don't need a daily vitamin, it is important to keep in mind that for those that do, gummy vitamins don't have any iron, which is actually one of the more important things that some picky eaters miss out on in their diet.

For those parents that are giving their kids vitamins, make sure the vitamin they are taking actually includes the vitamins and minerals that you think they are missing in their diet.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

DS takes Vitamin Code chewables.  There is a guy at the health food store that often helps me to find exactly what I'm wanting in terms of a supplement and this is the one that we found that is whole food based (I was hoping for a New Chapter but they didn't have one for kids and the guy at the HFS said that the companies are similar.)

He also takes 1000 IU of Vitamin D a day and drinks Emergen-C when he's getting ill or just when he wants it instead of plain water (that happens about once a week I'd say.)

[Turquesa]

Are you still nursing him?

Originally Posted by melon 

I don't currently give him any vitamins. He's almost 23 months.

At his 2 year appointment Dr will ask if he's taking any (I never filled the prescription she gave me at the 18 mo appt).

I feel like they're all filled with extra stuff he doesn't need.

He has a pretty round diet and eats lots of fruit, veggies, meat, grains, etc, and very little junk food. So I feel like a supplement is unnecessary. But I'm sure I'm wrong.

Do you give your toddlers vitamins? What kind? Are there any that are better than others?

[2happymamas]

DD takes the Rainbow Light kids vitamin and Rhino Acidophilus daily.