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Children and Vitamins

Find out what you need to know about filling the gaps in your child’s diet with vitamins.

by: Dr. Alan Greene

o matter how hard we try to ensure our kids eat a healthy, balanced diet, the reality is many children aren't getting all the nutrients they need to thrive. Here's how the right vitamin supplements can boost your child's health.

Do infants need supplements?

Breast milk is the perfect food. As long as babies are drinking breast milk, they are filling their complex nutritional needs–except when it comes to vitamin D, which is linked to building strong bones and can also help prevent breast cancer, colon cancer and Parkinson's disease later in life.

Since we get this vitamin from the sun, and not our food supply, babies should receive 200 IU of vitamin D daily. (Most infants spend a great deal of time indoors and the depleted ozone makes it necessary for us to cover them up when they are outside.) Formula-fed babies don't require additional supplements, however, as formula is already supplemented with all the vitamins your baby needs, including vitamin D.