According to the Deparment of Health, parents should provide vitamin supplements for children between the ages of 6 months and five years. Children should be consuming vitamin A, C and D supplements, as well as calcium government advice says.
Researches in Wales discovered that only 30% of parents and carers had even thought about supplementing their child with vitamins and minerals, with only 15% stating that they had been given the advice of a healthcare professional about giving young children vitamin supplements. 67% of the people asked in the survey said they didn’t currently provide vitamin supplements to their children.
As this advice from the Department of Health has existed since 1992 and was originally endorsed by the then committee on medical aspects of food policy. It is also stated that any breastfed babies should be provided with a vitamin D supplement from birth.
Children’s Calcium Requirements:
Calcium helps to build strong bones as a child grows. Great sources of calcium include milk and other dairy products, however, more and more children are becoming intolerant to cow’s milk and losing out on calcium intake.
- Ages 1 to 3: 700 milligrams daily
- Ages 4 to 8: 1000 milligrams daily
- Ages 9 to 18: 1300 milligrams daily
Children’s A Vitamin Requirements
Vitamin A promotes the normal growth and development of tissue and bones, as well as healthy eyes and a good immune system. Good sources include dairy products and orange vegetables.
- Ages 1-3: 300 micrograms daily
- Ages 4-8: 400 micrograms daily
Children’s B Vitamin Requirements
Vitamin B aids metabolism, the production of energy as well as healthy circulatory and nervous systems. Foods rich in vitamin B include meat, fish, nuts, eggs and beans.
- Babies under 2 years: 0.5 micrograms daily
- Toddlers 2-3: 0.9 micrograms daily
- Ages 4-8: 1.2 micrograms daily
- Ages 9-13: 1.8 micrograms daily
- Ages 13-17: 2.4 micrograms daily
Children’s C Vitamin Requirements
Vitamin C supports healthy tissue production, as well as muscles and skin. Great sources include strawberries, tomatoes and broccoli.
- Ages 0-1: 10 milligrams daily
- Ages 2-3: 15 milligrams daily
- Ages 4-8: 25 milligrams daily
- Ages 9-13: 45 milligrams daily
Children’s D Vitamin Requirements
Vitamin D is vital for bone and tooth formation and helps the body to absorb the benefits of calcium. Sources include milk and fatty fish and plenty of sunlight.
- Babies below age 1: 400 IU daily
- Ages 1-3: 600 IU daily
- Ages 4-8: 800 IU daily
- Ages 9-13: 1000 IU daily
Children’s E Vitamin Requirements
Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals. Free radicals are produced when the body digests foods and are removed by cells.
- Ages 1-3: 9 IU of vitamin E daily
- Ages 4-8: 10.4 IU of vitamin E daily
- Ages 9-13: 16.4 IU of vitamin E daily
- Ages 13-17: 22 IU of vitamin E daily
It is recommended to provide multivitamins for children that are fussy eaters, have chronic illnesses or drink a lot of carbonated soft drinks as these can reduce the intake of vitamins and minerals from their bodies.
Child Vitamin Supplements
In the UK market, multivitamin gummies are the most popular way for children to consume nutritional supplements. The sweet gummy almost feels like a treat for children, motivating them to take it daily, with drops closely following for babies and toddlers without teeth or for children where a gummy could become a choking hazard. These pots of gummies are often accompanied by a favoured cartoon character to motivate children further.
Vitamin supplements for children often do not contain the same amounts of nutrients brand to brand. Some contain up to 23 vitamins and minerals, whereas others only contain around 14.
At Supplement Factory, we can provide a “sweet with benefits” by many adopters, brands are looking to soften their daily dose tone of voice by offering a candy shop look and feel to their ranges.
We can fit various vitamins and minerals into a gummy, as well as numerous food supplement ingredients. If an ingredient is placed into a tablet we can usually tell you if it will work in a gummy.
Gummies are usually made of porcine gelatin but are also available in pectin (vegetarian-friendly). Sugar-free options are also available. As a rule of thumb, the more you cut out or make your product “free from” the more expensive the product becomes. So pectin, sugar-free gummy will be significantly more expensive than a sugar-coated porcine gummy.
A gummy can be made into almost any shape, much like a sweet. However, bear in mind that certain active ingredients can react with the compounds that make up a gummy. So if your ingredient reacts to porcine, it will likely not remain stable, therefore using a reputable manufacturer is paramount.