Are vitamins supplements required for your child?
Parents are sometimes encouraged by advertising or word of mouth to provide supplements of vitamins and minerals for their infants and toddlers in the belief that this may help to prevent infections or to strengthen the immune system. While most of these preparations are harmless, there is no evidence that their use offers any benefits provided that the child is receiving appropriate food choices.
Healthy term infants fed breast milk or milk formulas do not require vitamin / mineral supplements. A breast-feeding mother with a very poor diet may have relatively low levels of some B vitamins and vitamin C in her breast milk. However, even in extreme cases, it would normally be advised to provide the vitamin supplements to the mother rather than to the infant.
Conditions that will require vitamin / mineral supplementation are:
• Pre-term birth
• Delayed or inappropriate weaning
• Health problems (e.g. malabsorption , certain anemias)
Once weaning is properly established after 6 months and a variety of foods have been introduced, there is normally no benefit in using supplements. If your child is provided with a complete milk formula and is a eating a variety of foods based on the 4 different food groups (i.e. rice, bread, noodles; fruits, vegetables; egg, fish, poultry; milk & dairy products), your child should be able to obtain all the necessary nutrients in the appropriate combination and amounts required for optimal growth & development.
Nutrition supplements are therefore unnecessary unless your child is diagnosed by a medical doctor/dietitian as being deficient in certain nutrient.