There are 15 essential vitamins and minerals that your toddler needs to grow up healthy. Don’t settle for any multivitamin with less than the recommended daily percentages for each of the following vitamins.
- Vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for supporting your toddler’s immune system as well as enabling them to develop healthy eyes and good vision in low light. Vitamin A is naturally found in vegetables like kale, squash, and carrots. There are two kinds of vitamin A that are important for your toddler: retinol palmitate and beta carotene. Be sure that your toddler’s vitamin contains both forms.
- Vitamin C. Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for maintaining your toddler’s immune system. If you want your toddler to start preschool without bringing home every cold in the class, plenty of Vitamin C in the diet is a good idea. Children can get Vitamin C from diets rich in citrus, strawberries, peppers, and other fruit, so if your child isn’t fond of these foods, Vitamin C supplementation may be even more important.
- Vitamin D. Vitamin D enables your child’s bones to develop normally. As many as 40% of kids may be deficient in Vitamin D. Toddlers are especially vulnerable to Vitamin D deficiency if they live in very cold climates, belong to cultures in which covering the skin is important, or are very picky eater. Because vitamin D is so often deficient, choose a vitamin containing sightly higher levels than the daily recommended dose.
- Vitamin E. Your toddler’s eyes need Vitamin E to develop normally. This vitamin is also important for supporting the heart and the immune system. Vitamin D can be found in almonds, spinach, and avocado. Many foods don’t list Vitamin D content, so it can be hard to tell if your toddler is getting enough of this essential nutrient.
- Vitamin B1. This vitamin is important to help your child concentrate and sleep, and it helps to regulate their mood. It is especially important for diets high in processed foods like cereal, which is typical for most American toddler’s diets.
- Riboflavin. Your child needs this vitamin to have plenty of energy, develop healthy eyes, and enable cells to grow normally. It is typically found in asparagus, spinach, and bananas. This water-soluble vitamin will be removed from your child’s body if there’s too much, so don’t worry about supplementing this vitamin somewhat heavily.
- Vitamin B9. This vitamin, also known as folate, supports energy and helps cells to grow normally. It can be found in Brussel sprouts, avocado, and broccoli. Be careful to choose a multivitamin that does not get its vitamin B9 from unmetabolized Folic Acid, since it can remain in the body for a long time.
- Vitamin B12. If your child is having trouble sleeping or seems grouchy, they may be lacking vitamin B12. This vitamin supports sleep. Insufficient amounts of it result in a wide range of non-specific symptoms. Choose cyanocobalamin as a source until more research is done, since methylcobalamin isn’t as well understood in children.
- Calcium. Your child needs calcium to grow strong bones and develop normally. It is typically found in collard greens, broccoli, kale, and dairy products. A calcium supplement is especially important if your child is on a vegan diet or lactose intolerant.
- Vitamin B5. This vitamin can help your child to sleep well, enables them to focus, and supports energy. This vitamin is often overlooked, so be careful to choose a multivitamin that has it if you want to avoid a cranky toddler.
- Iodine, zinc, selenium, and manganese. These four vitamin round out the essentials for what your multivitamin for toddlers should contain.
Choose A Great Multivitamin For Your Toddler
When choosing multivitamins for toddlers it is important to pick a vitamin that has all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your child needs. Also, it is worth the extra effort to find an organic and sugar-free option.