In an ideal world, we’d all get our optimal doses of vitamins and minerals without the need for drops, capsules or powders. A balanced diet mixed with some outdoor pursuits is always going to be the best way to make sure we get enough of the good stuff on board.
But alas, an ideal world this is not – and when it comes to balanced diets, kids can be distinctly uninterested. Getting them outside to bank some vitamin D from the sun can be a feat in itself, thanks to games consoles that their fingers are glued to, comfy beds that teens love laying in for the majority of the day, and the many and varied indoor screens that we’re all total suckers for.
That said, the NHS notes that babies and children up to the age of four are always going to be at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D (unless they’re glugging over 500ml of formula a day, as that’s already enriched with it). So, supplements are recommended for under-fours regardless of their food intake and sunlight exposure.
It’s not just all about vitamin D, though. Government guidelines recommend all kids from the age of six months to five years (again, aside from formula-feds) take daily supplements containing vitamin A and C as well as D.
There is a huge variety of supplements for kids out there, and finding the best for your cubs is mainly about two things.
Firstly, the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you think they could do with bolstering their intake of, and secondly, the form they’d be willing to take it in. Some little ones are happy to chew on a fruity-tasing gummy, while others might prefer drops, sprays or powders mixed in with their drinks or concealed in food.
Here are some of the best supplements that we’ve had road tested by tiny tasters.
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BetterYou Multivitamin Kids’ Daily Oral Spray
There’s no faffing with this multivitamin – just four quick sprays in the mouth and you’re done, no spoons or syringes needed. It doesn’t have to be taken with food like lots of other supplements, either.
The flavour? That would be chocolate and marshmallow (these guys clearly know their audience). Indeed, after tasting his first dose, our one-year-old tester keenly opened wide whenever we pointed the nozzle in his direction.
There is 32 day’s worth of liquid in the bottle, which has 14 different nutrients for supporting the immune system and fighting fatigue. It’s sugar-free and kind on teeth, too.
Buy now £10.46, BodyKind
Wild Nutrition Child’s Multi Strain Biotic
Suitable from birth, this powdered formula has been created especially for tiny guts. It contains eight strains of bacteria and is designed to support the natural development of gut microbiome.
Taking probiotics like this can help boost immunity and fight infections (good news for the whole household if your babe often bring home bugs from school or nursery) as well as help encourage good bacteria to thrive again after a course of medication. It’s been found to ease gut issues too – parents often find it helps with their babes’ constipation in particular.
The powder is really fine – making it super easy to dissolve into water or milk – and is virtually odorless and tasteless, so even the pickiest of tots won’t care that it’s been added to their drink.
Buy now £30.50, Amazon
Feel Kids Multivitamin Gummies
These gummies are more akin to what you’d find at a sweet shop than a pharmacy. That is, in terms of flavour and texture – we doubt there’s much confectionery at the corner shop that’s free of artificial sweeteners, colours, preservatives and sugar, while also being vegan and containing 10 different vitamins and minerals.
Feel is an online supplement brand that has a handy subscription option, and its products are designed by nutritionists and made with sustainability in mind. These gummies are for kids aged three to 16 and contain zinc (for their immune system), biotin (for energy production and metabolism) and several different vitamins including the government-recommended A, C and D. They come in packs of 60, which will last you a month or two, and are easy to chew with a great fruity flavour.
Buy now £16.95, Feel
Vitabiotics Wellbaby Multivitamin Liquid
This children’s multivitamin has been developed especially for the littlest of them – from four to 12 months old. Because, despite getting pushed about in comfortable buggies, being cooked for, entertained and sung to like they’re ancient Roman emperors, babies do have quite a lot on their plate.
Their rate of development is intense (did you know they build more than a million neural connections each second, for instance?) meaning it’s important they’re properly fueled with nutrients that can support all that mental and physical growth.
This liquid contains all the government-recommended vitamins along with several others that lend a hand with everything from brain development to maintaining a strong immune system. It’s super simple to take as well – our little ’un was fine with it going straight into his mouth from the syrine, or mixed it into his milk.
Buy now £6.00, Boots
Baby Ddrops Liquid Vitamin D3
This supplement is ideal for box-fresh babes who are breastfed (remembering that formula already has the sunshine vitamin added). One drop has all the vitamin D they need for the day – and there are 60 drops in this tiny bottle, so it should last you a couple of months.
There are a few ways you can administer this one: drop it onto the nipple before breastfeeding or onto a dummy for your little one to suck. A finger works well too – they love to gnaw on digits, after all.
We found the bottle easy to use with no need to measure out doses; just hold the nozzle downwards and a drop will slowly filter out. Under a tenner for two months’ worth of the good stuff is pretty decent value too.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
Holland & Barrett Baby Nighttime Liquid
Here’s something most new parents could do with: a potion that supports rest and helps sleep.
Not for them, but for the bundle of joy who’s causing that sleep deprivation. Of course, this isn’t a medical sleep aid: instead, it leans on natural remedies like lemon balm and chamomile to gently calm nerves and mellow out excitability, promoting restfulness in the mind and body.
While this formula is more of a remedy than a vitamin or mineral supplement, the extra zzzs it’ll help your little one get will support everything from brain cognition to physical development. Not to mention help the ‘rents out with their unde-reye baggage.
Buy now £5.69, Holland and Barrett
Nourished Brainiac Stack
These little pineapple flavoured gummies have been developed especially for kids to support brain health and function and help with focus and memory. There are 11 essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients in there, specifically chosen for the support they can offer growing brains.
As well as oft-seen vits like A, B12, D, there’s also maca root (a plant that’s thought to support cognitive function as well as help with mood and energy) and a probiotic to champion gut health and boost the immune system. There are 28 individually wrapped gummies in one pack, each with a pleasantly juicy, tropical taste.
Buy now £27.99, Nourished
Viridikid Nutritional Oil Blend
Omega-3 is an essential fat that’s vital to overall health. Studies have shown it can support kids’ growth and brain development and even help with ADHD, asthma and depression.
Thing is, most of us don’t get enough of this food-derived compound from our diets. Oily fish is a great source – but is also something many picky eaters aren’t going to touch with a barge pole. It can also make it challenging for little ones following a plant-based diet to get enough of this specific fat on board.
That’s where this natural, vegan and organic supplement comes in. Here, the omega-3 comes courtesy of a blend of oils extracted from flax, hemp and pumpkin seed, as well as avocado.
Suitable from 12 months and up, it’s naturally flavoured with vanilla and orange skin oils. Tasting a little earthy with a bit of a bitter edge, our one-year-old happily took it from a spoon the first time – but wasn’t that keen on the second.
But because it’s a food oil, it can easily be added to meals (try tossing through grains or salads, for instance) or mixed into juices and smoothies.
Buy now £11.40, Neal’s Yard Remedies
BioCare Children’s Mindlinx Complex
A healthy gut is just as important for kids as adults, and feeding it with plenty of live bacteria – the friendly kind, of course – is a great way to support it. This powdered supplement is packed with just that. The probiotics it includes are the most studied ones around, meaning there’s lots of research to back up their benefits. There’s L-glutamine in there as well – an amino acid that supports digestion (don’t worry, we had to Google it too).
Vegan-friendly and suitable from the age of two, this powder might be helpful for little ones who struggle with digestive issues or IBS symptoms. it’s super easy to take: just sprinkle over cold food. It’s apricot flavor, although you only need such a small amount that your bairn likely won’t even be able to taste it, making a daily dose very manageable.
Buy now £31.99, BioCare
Verdict
Multivitamins are an easy way to get all the necessary good stuff into our kids’ bodies if diets are lacking. We found Better You’s oral spray super easy to use, with our babe more than happy to take it straight from the bottle, without the need to conceal it in food or drink. Despite its sweetness, there are no atritifical flavours in it and there’s no need to worry about little teeth too, due to it’s lack of sugar.
If probiotics sound more like what your tot needs, Wild Nutrition’s Child’s Multi Strain Biotic might well be the way to go – we loved how easily it dissolved into water, and that it has no flavour at all. It’s really handy that it’s suitable right from birth too, as gut and digestive issues can be really common in those first months.
