In a more perfect world, every body’s child would be eating a balanced diet which would include the right amount of fresh fruit and vegetables as recommended by nutritionists around the world. Yet we all know that this rarely actually happens. In fact as many parents will often tell you that sometimes their children will refuse to eat some kinds of fruit and vegetables (sometimes none at all). This in fact makes it very difficult for them to ensure that their child or children are having a well balanced diet that can provide them with all the necessary vitamins and minerals that they need for a healthy life. But there are some things that a parent can do to ensure that their children are getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals in their diets each day.

One such way is to use vitamin and mineral supplements and should commence when a women finds that she is pregnant. It is extremely important that any pregnant women makes sure that she is correcting her recommended dose of Folate and Vitamin B-6 each day as they are an essential component in the formation of genetic material and hemoglobin that is found in red blood cells in the body. Also a pregnant woman lacking folic acid are at a higher risk of becoming anemic and they also increase their risk of having a miscarriage during their pregnancy. Also a lack of folic acid could cause a child to be born with some form of deformity or disability. Therefore if a woman finds that during her pregnancy she is not able to get an adequate amount of Vitamin B-6 in her diet, then it may be wise for them to look at taking a vitamin supplement during the pregnancy and also discuss the matter with their doctor.

Then once the child has been born there are a number of steps that can be taken during the first 2 years of their life which will hopefully help to increase their vitamin intake and provide them with that all essential healthier lifestyle. It is often found babies who are breastfed lack Vitamin D in their diet, although this is not necessary if the mother is eating a well balanced diet, but unfortunately breast milk alone can not provide the baby with the recommended daily dose of Vitamin D that they should have. Whilst babies being fed of formulation food do not require any vitamin supplements in their diet, in fact it has been medically approved that the commercial iron-fortified formulas available provide a baby with all the recommended amounts of vitamins that they need. In fact providing a baby with additional vitamin supplements on top of the daily recommendation can actually be harmful to a baby and in some cases can potentially be very dangerous for them.

However once a child reaches the age of 2 or older and is now eating solid foods from all the various food groups, you may find that vitamin supplements do not need to be included. It is advisable that any parent provides the adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals to their child through the foods that they eat. Yet this can be an impossible task in some cases and those parents who feel that their child is lacking sufficient amounts of vitamins or minerals in their diet should contact their doctor who can then recommend to them whether supplements are necessary or not. All parents should remember that any vitamin supplements are to be given to their child as an accompaniment to food and not in fact as a replacement for a healthy diet.

Many parents often find that information relating to health issues for their children changes frequently and whilst every attempt has been made to make sure that the content of this article is up to date, it is always advisable for any parent to discuss or check with their doctor that any changes they wish to make in their child’s diet or lifestyle (no matter how small) will not adversely affect them.