Should a Child Take a Multivitamin?
The first thing I asked Dr. Hopkins to look into was if kids should take a multivitamin at all.
The unsurprising conclusion: The best way for kids to get critical nutrients is by eating diverse range of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, dairy, fish, etc. This goal might seem laughable if you’ve got a picky child or one who doesn’t eat a perfect diet. Moreover, many nutrients are lost during the processing of the food most Americans eat.
After looking at the science, our opinion is that high-quality multivitamins can make sense for kids who don’t eat a diverse diet.
What to Look for in the Best Multivitamins for Kids
In order to come up with a list of children’s multivitamin brands that we could confidently recommend, Dr. Hopkins and I considered the following factors:
- Third-party lab testing. This is perhaps the single most important determinant when it comes to finding the best multivitamin. This is the only way to ensure your kids are getting what you want them to be getting.
- The right kind of certain nutrients. The best multivitamins for kids will use methylated folate instead of folic acid (it’s better absorbed), D3 instead of D2 (because it’s more effective at raising vitamin D blood levels), and a mix of different vitamin As (because some people have a genetic polymorphism that prevents them from being able to natural vitamin A into its active form).
- The inclusion of underrated nutrients. We gave extra credit to brands that included things like choline in their blends.
Ranking the Best Multivitamins for Kids
With this criteria in mind, Dr. Hopkins and I set out to rank the seven brands of kids multivitamins that you ask about most. Here is where we landed, from best to worst.
Should a Kid’s Multivitamin Have Iron?
We don’t recommend giving iron to every kid. However, picky kids who don’t eat meat, beans, or other iron-rich foods could be deficient. In that case, we recommend a separate iron supplement, and we like the one by Hiya. You should definitely check with your pediatrician before starting your child on an iron supplement, as too much iron can be toxic.
What Other Nutrients Will a Picky Eater Lack?
It’s important to note that not all picky eaters will end up with nutritional deficiencies. White pasta has a fair amount of iron. Chicken nuggets are good sources of selenium, manganese, B vitamins, and niacin. Pizza will give you a lot of calcium and iron.
But in addition to iron, kids with very restrictive eating habits may wind up deficient in the following nutrients, so we looked for kids’ multivitamins with high levels of these, among others.
- Zinc. Found in beans, meat, and poultry. We looked for multivitamins with around 3 mg of zinc.
- Vitamin A. Kids can get this from kale, carrots, and squash. We looked for multivitamins with around 350 mcg, from a blend of retinyl palmitate and beta-carotene.
- B12. Kids who don’t eat any animal products should take a B12 supplement. We looked for multivitamins with around 2 mcg of B12.
Also, most of us are low in vitamin D, which we get from sunshine, as well as mushrooms, oranges, and fish. The best multivitamins for kids will have at least 20 mcg of D3.
Please comment with questions about these kids multivitamin brands plus any others you may be wondering about!
Stay sane,
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1 comment
Victoria
Hi, I would like to know how you feel about Animal Parade Gold and MyKind Organics. Thank you for your time.