Make Mealtime Count: Boost Your Child’s Nutrition with a Multivitamin

In a previous post, you learned why sitting down to at least five regularly scheduled family meals each week is one of the most effective habits you can establish to help raise happy and healthy kids. Another helpful habit is to make sure your child is getting all the essential nutrients they need for their growing body and active brain. A daily multivitamin can help. 

Choose the right multivitamin

There’s no shortage of high-quality kids multis, and many are specially formulated to appeal to picky eaters. From squishy gummies and chewable cartoon characters to flavored liquids and sour tarts, you’re sure to find a multivitamin that suits your child’s taste preferences. 

With so many options available, choosing the right multivitamin for your child can feel overwhelming. Here are a few guidelines to help you cut through the marketing to find what matters most:

• Choose a multi formulated for kids. This helps ensure the amount of each nutrient aligns with your child’s needs. Plus, a kid-friendly flavor makes it easier to shape a daily habit.
• Look for a quality mark. Check labels for trusted names in third-party quality testing like NSF International, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or ConsumerLab.com.
• Choose a complete multi. A “complete” multi ensures a full complement of essential vitamins and minerals, including some iron and calcium, two nutrients that tend to fall short in a kid’s diet. 
• Avoid undesirable ingredients. Read labels to avoid high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors and other undesirable ingredients. 
• Look beyond vitamins and minerals. Omega-3 fatty acids and phytonutrients like anthocyanins, lycopene and lutein provide a beneficial nutrient bonus.
• Buy enough, but not too much. Buy a bottle size that you can use before the expiration date on the label when vitamins begin to degrade. 

One important cautionary note

Always keep multivitamins out of reach of young children. Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6 years old.

It’s also essential to remind older children that a multivitamin is not candy. Only exceed the suggested use if directed by your child’s pediatrician.

Take with a meal

Once you’ve found your child’s favorite multivitamin, establish a regular habit of taking it every day. Multivitamins are easier on the stomach and better absorbed when taken with food. So, encourage your child to take a multi with a meal—every day.

Breakfast is an ideal time to incorporate this routine as it sets the tone for the day, provides added nutrition, and eliminates the need to worry about it later in the day.

By giving your child a complete multivitamin every day, you help guard against food jags, finicky eating and half-eaten lunches. It’s a type of dietary insurance that helps ensure your child gets the nutrients needed to stay focused and sharp in the classroom, on the sports field and all day long. 

Now is a great time to add a quality multi to your child’s daily routine. After all, your child’s bright future starts with today’s healthy habits. 

Here’s to nourishing success!

The EatingFor Team

Adapted from:
Eating for A’s: A month-by-month nutrition and lifestyle guide to help raise smarter kids. Kindergarten to 6th grade. (Second Edition)