Consider a multivitamin
“A basic multivitamin in a normal child will supply enough vitamin supplement,” recommends Michelle Davis-Dash, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and a Mommy MD guide in Baltimore. That said, “Don’t go crazy! Know that there can be too much of a good thing. Be careful especially to stay within the recommended dose of vitamin A—300 to 600 micrograms/day for children to age 13, she says. “Too much vitamin A can cause several issues, including night blindness and other visual changes.” (These are the vitamins you should take at every age.)
Be cautious with gummy vitamins
Gummies are fun and make getting your kids to take vitamins easier, but the doctors suggest you think twice. “Most gummies are packaged in clear containers in order to see the fun shapes and colors,” Dr. Burgert says. “Light exposure can break down vitamin structure. Since you never know how long those gummies have been on the shelf, it’s likely that you are just offering your child a gummy candy with little nutritional benefit.”
Rallie McAllister, MD, a family physician in Lexington, Kentucky, and co-author of The Mommy MD Guide to Getting Your Baby to Sleep, warns “much like gummy candy, the sugars in gummy vitamins can contribute to dental cavities.” She adds, “That said, if the only vitamin a child will take is a gummy, it might be worth the trade-off—just be sure to have him brush and floss his teeth well.” And you’ll have to be cautious that your young kids mistake these for candy and ingest too much.