QOD: Should my child take a multivitamin?
It depends. If your child is not eating an entire food group such as fruit, dairy, or vegetables, then it is something to consider.
If you have concerns about your child missing out on certain nutrients, take a hard look at what he or she is eating and try to address it with food first. For example, if your child is not a milk fan, find other sources of calcium like cheese, yogurt, fortified orange juice or leafy greens to fill in the gap. If this doesn’t work and the issue persists, discuss the option of nutrient supplementation or a multivitamin with your healthcare provider.
I just asked the pediatrician this a couple of weeks ago and she stated the same thing as this article. She also mentioned that if I am worried I can go to Whole Foods and find one that doesn’t have all of the fillers in it and give them to my girls if they happen to have a bad day and don’t eat very much. My girls LOVED their chewable vitamins so I just bought a probiotic chewable that they get daily that are the “new” vitamins!