Vitamin A for kids - How much, how frequently and how to use it during illness

[Dot-to-Dot]

I have a 2 yr old who did not get the MMR vaccine and a 9 month old who did not receive any vaccines.  I feel like I need to have some vitamin A on hand in case one of them comes down with measles and also maybe to prevent or lessen a case of the measles.  I am super confused by all of the options out there.  I don't know how much they need on a daily basis (36 lbs and 26 lbs respectively). I also don't know how much to give them to treat an illness.  (Our ped is wonderful in many ways, but doesn't buy into this kind of treatment and so he's not worth asking which is why I'm starting here.)

What I do know is that my 2yr old will likely never come near me again if I try to get her to take cod liver oil (even the flavored ones...I've tasted them and I think they're awful).  Maybe I could possibly put it in a smoothie.  She loves them...though I'm hesitant to alter the taste with CLO and then have her decide she doesn't like her wonderfully nutritious smoothies anymore.

I am a very stressed out mom and I work really hard to make sure she eats only homemade healthy foods, but I don't know if I can rely on myself to insure that she gets a huge dose of vitamin A each week especially when she's sick.  And then there's the baby...she eats sweet potatoes every single day!  But, I am wondering if I should have a baby-safe vitamin A on hand if some illness shows up.  Does anyone know their way around vitamin A and kids?

[KathrynH]

Our DS is sick often and practically quits eating when he feels bad, so we give him Poly-vi-sol with iron to keep him from becoming anemic. It has 100% RDI of vitamin A, however I know that many kids hate the taste. In your case I might recommend staying away from supplements (personally, I'd rather rely on a healthy diet). Vitamin A can be tricky & overdosing can be toxic. Theoretically you can't OD on beta carotene (one form of vitamin A), so maybe you could try adding carrot juice to smoothies?