Children's Flintstones Vitamins: Yabba Dabba Doo or Don't

Since I became a parent three years ago, I’ve been having an internal debate about the benefits of multivitamins for my children (3-year old girl and 10-month old boy).  My children’s pediatrician has said from the start that I should give them a daily multivitamin.  I questioned this from the beginning, but now after reading my two articles this week, I am really conflicted.

My daughter willingly eats a well-balanced diet, which includes several different types of fruits and vegetables along with lean protein, whole grains, and dairy.  There are times when she doesn’t always eat as well as I’d like, but everyone has those moments.  I believe she is receiving all the vitamins and minerals her body needs through her diet.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend vitamins for children who eat normal, well-balanced diets.  That makes me wonder why our pediatrician recommends my children take multivitamins.  I have less issue with my infant son taking vitamins because his main source of nourishment has come from breast milk and formula, which may lack certain vitamins and minerals.  As he incorporates more solid foods into his diet, I believe he will follow in my daughter’s footsteps and eat a well-balanced diet, and possibly not require a multivitamin.

I reviewed two articles on children and multivitamins.  Neither of them exactly answered my question if my children should really take daily multivitamins.

One article I reviewed was a secondary analysis of the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, written by Dr. Ulfat Shaikh, from the University of California Davis School of Medicine.  He discovered that white, non-Hispanic children between the ages of 2-4 who had well-balanced diets and active lifestyles took more multivitamins than other children.  They also tended to come from higher-income families with better access to healthcare.  Children from low-income families were least likely to take vitamin supplements.

I was not surprised by the findings of this research, especially since my second article referenced how registered dieticians gave their children multivitamins even though their children ate well-balanced diets.  They gave these vitamins to their children as a boost and gap-filler to ensure their children received the Recommended Daily Values of vitamins and minerals.

This article, written by Colleen Pierre, suggested parents take a closer look at their children’s diets.  She gave a four-step process for parents, which included using an online tool from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.  This tool helps parents see how their children’s nutritional needs are being met through their diets.  Subtle changes to snacks and meals can help children meet their Recommended Daily Values.  One of Pierre’s tips is often overlooked.  The Recommended Daily Values printed on food labels are for adult diets; children require much smaller amounts.

When choosing this controversy, I was surprised by the limited amount of research done on multivitamins and children.  While combing through data, I found numerous studies on individual vitamin supplements, such as vitamin D and iron.  I did find several articles and discussions in popular sources about children’s use of multivitamins but all of them came to the same conclusion – the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend vitamins to children who eat a well-balanced diet.  I would like to see further research done on children and the use of multivitamins to see if there is really such a need for these products.

I wonder if pediatricians, including our own, just assume children are not meeting their Recommended Daily Values of vitamins and minerals through their diets, and therefore need to take multivitamin supplements.  Every time we visited our pediatrician, he encouraged the use of multivitamins.  I would rather see my children take more specific supplements, such as iron supplements or vitamin D, if it was deemed necessary through medical testing.

It is almost as if doctors would rather children had too many vitamins and minerals than not enough.  Is there any concern for toxicity?  I think more questions need to be asked.


Should your children take vitamins?


Pierre, C. (n.d.). Kids & Vitamins. Parents - Pregnancy, Babies, Baby Names, Pregnancy Calendar, Ovulation, Birth & More.. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from http://www.parents.com/health/medicine/vitamins/kids-vitamins/

Shaikh, U., Byrd, R. S., & Auinger, P. (2009). Vitamin And Mineral Supplement Use By Children And Adolescents In The 1999-2004 National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey: Relationship With Nutrition, Food Security, Physical Activity, And Health Care Access. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 163(2), 150-157.

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013) Nutrition: concepts & controversies (13th ed, p. 226-232). Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.