{"id":273433,"date":"2026-01-31T08:59:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/273433\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T08:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T08:59:14","slug":"does-your-child-really-need-to-take-vitamins-the-experts-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/273433\/","title":{"rendered":"Does your child really need to take vitamins? The experts\u2019 take"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many people with childhood memories of cod liver oil may be scratching their heads in disbelief at this week\u2019s news that parents are reportedly spending an average of \u00a3234 a year on vitamins and supplements for their children.<\/p>\n

According to research from the buy-now, pay-later platform Clearpay, 92 per cent of parents have purchased vitamins and supplements for their child over the past year, with the primary aim of enhancing immunity and focus. But are they an important enhancement to our children\u2019s diets \u2014 or just an exercise in branding? <\/p>\n

\u201cMy view on supplements is that they should be just that \u2014 targeted supplementation for specific reasons,\u201d says Lucy Upton, a specialist paediatric dietician registered with the British Dietetic Association and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Children\u2019s Nutrition. With the exception of vitamin D, children should be able to get what they need from food, she says.<\/p>\n

\"Lucy<\/p>\n

Lucy Upton: \u201cSupplements should be just that \u2014 targeted supplementation for specific reasons\u201d<\/p>\n

If you choose to buy a supplement for your child, it doesn\u2019t need to be expensive, says Danielle Petersen, a registered dietician specialising in childhood nutrition. \u201cA general multivitamin or vitamin D from the supermarket will often be of similar quality to an expensive brand costing five times as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what else should parents bear in mind?<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t beat a good diet for gut health <\/p>\n

Gut health is as important for children as it is for adults, Upton says. \u201cThe first three to five years of a child\u2019s life is when their gut microbiome is developing rapidly, and the community of bacteria they develop will be a blueprint for their immunity and brain health.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, there is no great evidence that a generalised probiotic gut-health supplement will help otherwise healthy children, and it\u2019s much better to focus on food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Danielle<\/p>\n

Danielle Petersen: \u201cIf your child is a fussy eater then it\u2019s worth considering a multivitamin\u201d<\/p>\n

If the goal of consuming 30 different plant-based foods a week seems unattainable, Upton\u2019s key message is to aim for some variety, including beans and pulses, nuts and seeds, and wholegrain cereals and oats.<\/p>\n

The one non-negotiable is vitamin D <\/p>\n

NHS guidelines for children under five state that they should take a vitamin D supplement year round, unless they are drinking more than 500ml of infant formula daily, Petersen says. \u201cWe do see deficiency quite a lot and that can affect immunity, bone health and muscular health.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recommended dose is 10mcg a day for babies and school-aged children. <\/p>\n

\u201cLook for a vitamin D3 supplement rather than D2, as there is evidence it is better absorbed,\u201d Upton says. \u201cAnd check the dose \u2014 some children\u2019s supplements only contain 2.5mcg or 5mcg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 The 27 healthiest food swaps to make in your supermarket<\/a><\/p>\n

Multivitamins can help \u2014 but beware the double dose<\/p>\n

Children who eat a good, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables don\u2019t need a multivitamin, Petersen says. \u201cBut if your child is a fussy eater then it\u2019s worth considering one.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, if you give your child other supplements, check the micronutrients in each, as some may be repeated and you may end up unknowingly giving a dose that is too high. <\/p>\n

Plant-based diets may lack calcium and vitamin B12 \"A<\/p>\n

Vitamin B12 is found in fortified food such as breakfast cereals<\/p>\n

GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

A vegan or plant-based diet may be lacking in certain nutrients, mainly iron, calcium, vitamin B12, iodine, riboflavin and zinc, Petersen says. \u201cVitamin B12 is found in fish, meat, dairy foods and also fortified food such as bread, breakfast cereals and some yoghurts, but not in plants.\u201d <\/p>\n

Plant-based sources of calcium include almonds, Brazil nuts, some fortified calcium-set tofu, Ready Brek and sesame seeds. Some plant-based milks are fortified with calcium as well as vitamin B12 and iodine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to get a multivitamin with enough calcium in it, so you may need a separate supplement,\u201d Petersen adds, \u201cbut be aware that most calcium supplements have vitamin D in them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 What to eat to avoid a cold: the winter immunity diet<\/a><\/p>\n

Some children may need extra iron <\/p>\n

About one in five children in the UK is iron deficient, which can present as paleness, headaches, shortness of breath, lethargy and sleepiness. \u201cChildren between 6-24 months can be at higher risk because their iron requirements relative to their body size are quite high,\u201d Upton says. <\/p>\n

Eggs, meat, oily fish and fortified foods all contain iron. Upton adds: \u201cPlant-based sources are trickier to absorb. I suggest three solid sources of iron a day; for example, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, tofu and fortified cereals.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeficiency does not happen overnight, but if there are concerns, parents should speak to a GP about a blood test [and they] might prescribe a supplement if anaemia is diagnosed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Magnesium supplements are overrated\"A<\/p>\n

Half a banana is equivalent to the dose of magnesium many supplements provide<\/p>\n

GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

Research shows a steep rise in the use of magnesium supplements. \u201cThe marketing really preys on things that parents worry about, such as sleep,\u201d Upton says. \u201cBut there\u2019s no evidence that children are falling short of magnesium, which can easily be obtained from food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Half a banana, a slice of wholemeal bread, or a bowl of oats with dairy are the equivalent to the dose of magnesium many supplements provide, she says. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re unlikely to need a supplement for immunity and focus<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no robust evidence that supplements improve focus in children unless they are deficient in something,\u201d Upton says. Instead, feed them a broad range of foods that will support energy levels and stable blood sugars, and give them enough iron and omega-3. And make sure they get enough sleep.<\/p>\n

Zinc (found in meat, beans, shellfish, dairy, eggs and wholegrains) and vitamin C play a role in supporting immunity, but no supplement will \u201cboost\u201d the immune system, Upton says. \u201cIn fact, we do not want to boost it, as an overactive immune system is not helpful. We want to support it to function as normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Most children get enough vitamin A and C<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren with a broad and varied diet probably do not need additional vitamin C,\u201d Upton says. \u201cSince it\u2019s water-soluble, if it is not needed on a particular day, it\u2019s excreted in urine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Half a kiwi, an orange, 2-3 large strawberries, 3-5 small new potatoes with the skin on, or a quarter to half of a bell pepper all provide enough daily vitamin C for a toddler. Teenagers need about twice that.<\/p>\n

Many children aged six months to five years have no problem reaching their vitamin A requirements too, Upton adds. \u201cVitamin A comes in two forms: from foods such as meat and dairy (the \u201cactive form\u201d, aka retinol), and as beta-carotene from orange, red and yellow fruits and vegetables, which is converted to vitamin A. Many children consume more than enough.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many people with childhood memories of cod liver oil may be scratching their heads in disbelief at this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273434,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":{"0":"post-273433","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}