Vitamins for a 18 Month Old

My 14 month old baby boy takes a vitamin from Shaklee. It is a powder and I put it in his juice now. Before I would put it in his cereal. I started him on it at 9 months. He was a bit underweight. It's flavorless and it dissolves quickly. Hope this helps.

At 1 year when my son stopped drinking formula and we switched to regular milk , his pediatrician perscribed Poly-Vi-Fluor with Iron. It has all the regular vitamins, iron AND fluoride for his teeth. It comes in a liquid form that you can mix with a drink or drink it straight from the dropper. Good luck, hope this helps.

We never did cows milk with either of our boys. I see a natropath as well as read a lot on nutrition and there are no benefits to drinking cows milk. Goats milk digests much better for human bodies. We did have our first on Rice milk as well, bu after finding out that rice milk is not very nutritious and that canola oil is not healthy, we have since switched to hemp milk. I would love to do almond milk, but my little one is allergic.

We feed our kids a varied diet of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, legumes and brown rice, so I never fell they are lacking. However, as far as vitamins, I recommend Child Life. The creator is a doctor from Santa Monica and his lines of supplements is excellent. We sell them at our store in Fullerton, Belly Sprout. Some Mothers markets have them as well.

Check out our blog online at www.bellysprout.com. We often post things on diet and nutrition!

Good luck!
C. Funk
www.bellysprout.com

Hi R. -

Hi R. - Hope you were comforted and helped by all the advice you received. I thought of your request about "vitamins" for your child when I've been seeing many significant studies published recently about how isolated man made vitamins are not working and that our bodies are designed to need nutrients from whole food to support good health. I had referred you to Juice Plus and wondered what you chose and if you looked at the Juice Plus research and what you thought. My goal is to help families get healthier with Juice Plus and nutritional education one person at a time. It's very rewarding to know I've been able to help someone's child and/or their whole family reduce their risk of getting sick. I hope I can do that for you.

My kids have been taking Juice Plus every day for 4 years and they are very healthy, hardly ever get sick (including mom and dad). Please take the time to investigate by going to www.wethriveonJuicePlus.com. The scientific research proving Juice Plus positively affects immune function, DNA and cell protection, improves cardiovascular health is unlike any other supplement you'll find. Your child would take the gummie form. Just let me know if I can be of any help to you. ____@____.com

my daughter has taken poly vi sol since she was born she 22 months now. there are generic forms of this too. he may looseweight due to running around and being active. if he looses too much weight then take him to his dr.

My son and I drink Rice Milk. Actually switched my son over when he was about 18 months. If you look at the ingredients and compare the Rice Milk to Whole Milk, you will see that for the most part, Rice Milk has more vitamins and nutrients per serving than whole milk does. So it's actually better for him.

For vitamins we give our kids Yummi Bears by Hero Nutritionals. It's allergen and gluten free. So no milk or soy products or by products in it. And it's manufactured in a dedicated allergen free site. It is costly at $25 for 200 bears, but it's worth it if you've got a kid with allergies. My kids don't have allergies, but we eat mostly organic and I have to eat gluten/wheat free so we make sacrifices elsewhere.

My DD started taking these when she was 15 months old, when her molars came in and she could chew them. My son started taking them when he was about 2 years old simply because I didn't know about them until then.

As for the weight loss, as long as he is in the normal range for his age, and is reaching all of his developmental milestones, I wouldn't worry about it. My son was and still is a skinny kid. And at 18 months old my son was RUNNING EVERYWHERE and pulling himself onto everything and climbing up on things all the time. And now he is a lean, mean 4 yo with a hard 6 pack for abs :). His Daddy is jealous of that 6 pack :).

Have you talked to your pediatrician about vitamins? A lot of Doctors will tell you that if he's eating a balanced diet with tons of fruits, veggies, grains and proteins, he may not need vitamins. I always try to keep high fat/healthy snacks such as avocado, cheese and yogurt with us so he's getting the calories he needs for running around. Just try to stay away from the chips, crackers and cookies. Instead pack garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes and fruit slices or pieces. - www.weelicious.com

Hi R.,

I've heard that hemp milk is pretty much the equivalent of milk taste-wise and nutrition-wise. My son also has a milk allergy but it was diagnosed when he was a few years older than your son and had developed quite a preference for milk by that time (I guess the saying is that the things you shouldn't have you want the most) so, after a bumpy start getting him to go dairy-free, we are just now introducing milk-substitutes for him to drink. So far he is liking almond milk and the carton does say that it provides 20% of your daily nutritional needs in calcium -- whatever that means.

Anyway, I'm sure that you have done some reading up on milk and dairy allergies by now but I just wanted to caution you, for your son's sake, to really learn how to read those labels and to learn what the dairy buzz words are since milk or dairy can be found in the most unlikely places like lunchmeat, sphaghetti sauce, bread and vegetarian cheese (you'll want the ones that are labeld "vegan"). If you google "milk allergy" there's a pretty informative web-md article that you can pull up that will give you all of the information that you need to know.

Good luck with your transition onto dairy-free living.

Good luck with your transition

My son has used Poly Vi-Sol by Enfamil since he was about one, when we were on solids as a regular part of diet. His Pedi recommended it, and it comes with or without Iron. It comes in dropper so, you can add it to rice milk or water and my son doesn't notice the difference...

If you are concerned ask you son's doctor...quick phone call doesn't hurt.

Deanna

I like "Ultra Care for kids by Metagenics", a vitamin protein powder, tasty to kids and made for those with food sensitivities.
They also have "Multigenics Chewable" to supplement the powder.

Metagenics products are of the best quality and purity. They are sold only through Health Professionals.
I carry these in my clinic and do serve the San Diego County, Ca area.

There may be some liquid Vits that are okay, but I don't know of these right now.

Also for variety, have you tried Goat, Hemp, Almond or Multigrain milk?

Sesame seeds have alot of very absorbable Calcium in them- you can make stuff that tastes good with Sesame Tahini butter.

Wishing you wisdom and wellness!
C.

Have you tried goats milk? Whole goat milk would have more calories than rice milk I think. I buy this brand at Whole Foods and at the Co-Op:

www.meyenberg.com

If you are interested in a natural alternative that is highly nutritious, please let me know. I do not recomend vitamins. All nutrition should come from whole foods and vitamins are not whole. They are a part. Rice milk says on the container not for infants and it is a processed food. You are right to be concerned about the nutrition.

God Bless!
J.

Goat milk works very well for many people who cannot tolerate milk. I moved from Washington state and there is a company there, who was a client of mine for several years and I used their products.... wonderful! Their goats are free of all pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones. They have several great products, but I would highly recommend the CapraMilk for your baby. Here's a link to CapraMilk specifically. They are very nice people... if you give them a call they will give you more information.

http://www.mtcapra.com/capramilk.php

iam the grandmother of an 18 month old all of your suggestion seem very helpful to me.

There is a great calcium and vitamin D only vitamin at Costco that is a gummy for kids.

R., Our pediatrician has our 3 month old on Tri-Vi-Sol (by Enfamil). The drops are lactose-free, gluten-free and free of artificial sweeteners. They are great. I know they also make Poly-Vi-Sol and I am not sure of the difference. Talk to your pediatrician at your baby's next visit or to the pharmacist, they are available over the counter...we buy ours at Longs Drugs... Our 2.5 & 4.5 year olds take Arbonne vitamins, which are amazing too. They are liquid as well, all natural. Hope this helps!

if she will chew...my kids LOVE the multitarts by nutrilite
Check out their site for the information and nutrition and compare it to the others...I know they are not full of sugar (my son has diabetic issues) http://www.nutrilite.com

only down side is you can only get them online. I order these for the kids and the Double X for ____@____.com
Good luck

Hi R.,
Have you tried almond milk? It tastes great and because it's from a nut it has more calories.

I would first ask your Pediatrician.

For us, for BOTH my children, we were using a prescription vitamin called "Poly Vitamins- with iron" which is liquid drops you put in their milk etc. My kids had no problem taking it, I guess it tastes good.

You can also supplement with Omega-3 type kids vitamins...these are good for brain/neurological development and a whole lot of things, it's even good for adults.

There are also kids calcium supplements too.

The 'whole milk' recommendation for children through 2 years old is ALSO because the "milk fats" are an important nutrient for brain growth... thus, I would ask your Pediatrician about this.

I found, that usually, vitamin "drops" are easier to dispense to young children...thus, they don't have to 'chew' it. And they just drink it.

Some Moms use Almond Milk... when they can't use dairy. It is supposed to be on par with regular milk. But ask you Ped first.

ALSO, in the case of my son, he is a VERY picky eater... but he does like milk... thus, my Pediatrician suggested continuing "toddler" formula for him... and because the formula is FULL of vitamins/DHA's which is essential for a growing child this age, and it has iron too. My son, has grown like a weed and has RARELY gotten sick at all. This has worked well for him. For me, I use a little formula (about 2 ounces) and then mix this in with his milk... which he then will take. He will not take 100% straight milk.
As your Pediatrician about this as an option perhaps?

Good luck,
Susan

I think the best idea is to speak to your pediatrician. They know what your child specifically may need

Check out www.doyoujuiceplus.com and see what you think. The gummies are the best and all of my kids strated eating them when they had enough teeth to chew them, they are soft and easy to chew and yummy!!!

Give me an email if you have any questions!
W.

My dr. recommended Juice Plus for my 18 month old. The consultant I use is Teri and her number is ###-###-####. WE just ordered it but it sounds great. I even bought some for my husband and I. She even sent us a dvd about it. THe information line is 800-942-1260.

i dont give my son dairy or soy either. I tried the rice milks but was also always concerned about the lack of fat and nutrients. I give him hemp milk now. Our favorite is the one from Living HArvest. The Dream company that makes Soy Dream and Rice Dream also now makes a Hemp Dream. It has a little less sugar but i dont like the taste as well. Hemp has more fat, is a complete protein and is really rich in Omega-3 fatyy acids, iron and other minerals. It is more expensive but i think when you weigh the nutrient content it is worth it.
Good Luck!

Vitamins sure are a hot topic, you got all kinds of advice here. I hope you are open to one more email on the subject.

I have been a student of nutrition ever since I became very ill over 5 years ago and the doctors couldn't figure out what "was wrong". I recieved all kinds of medical treatments for my symptoms, but nothing for my actual problem.

I needed to take my health into my own hands. I read and researched whatever I could get my hands on about nutrition, vitamins and minerals. I will share with you what I know.

I know that our food is no longer the food of our grandparents. There are more pesticides and herbicides in our food than ever in our history.

I know that because of this our children have a shorter life expectancy than that we do.

I know that the RDA is based on rations from the world wars, that means that the RDA of any vitiamin or mineral is about "not dying" as oposed to "living well".

I know that our soils are so depleted that we can no longer get what we need for health from it. There was a UCLA study done in 1957 on a spinach farm in CA. The study said that women could get all the iron they needed from one bowl of spinach. They repeated the exact study in 1995 and they reported that now it was necessary to eat 43 bowls of the same spinach farmed from the same place. Soil depletion is not a theory, it is a fact.

I know that if i did not supplement, I would still be from doctor to doctor and getting no where. You see, when I took my health into my own hands, i choose nutrition and education over medication.

And now, my famly, my husband and my two daughters aged 12 and 9 are the healthiest ever, we have only well days, the energy and the clarity that we have are contagious and yes, this come from optimal suplementation.

So in a nutshell Rachel, vitamins are an essential part of growth for you and your family. My family and I choose to use this company for all our needs: http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isavideos_wealth....

Perhaps you will find eveything you need as well. I recomend going to www.HeyYouGetReal.com and clicking on the link to Food Matters. It helped me a lot.

B.
Family Wellness Coach