5 Kids That NEED Nutritional Supplements -- 3 That Don't

The debate over children's vitamins and minerals has raged over the past 15 years, since figures about the widespread use of children's vitamins have come to light. Not all kids need multivitamins, or even supplements of some minerals. However, there are some situations where the modern convenience of vitamins and minerals in pill, powder and liquid form really are necessary. We look at five types of kids who need nutritional supplements, as well as three types of kids that shouldn't necessarily have them.

1. The lactose intolerant child

Calcium is an essential mineral during childhood, when teeth and bones are being formed … and also when their strength is being tested by falls off fences! If your child gets an upset tummy from drinking milk or eating dairy, like many do, then calcium supplementation is appropriate.

2. The rainwater kid

If your family lives on well water, you must be enjoying the delicious taste of water straight from the ground! However, well water is not fluoridated, so cavities are a risk. Fluoride nutritional supplements can be inexpensive alternatives to fluoridated bottled water.

3. The hydroponic garden kid

Growing our own vegetables is becoming more common, with hydroponic bench-top setups making plenty of veggies tasty and easily accessible. However, if many of your vegetables come from hydroponic sources then you and your kids will be missing out on important minerals that usually come from the soil.

4. ADD kids

There is increasing evidence to show that an omega-3 rich diet can help with attention deficit disorder. If you want to support your child's brain naturally, omega-3 supplements like fish oil are a quick and easy way to do that.

5. Bedridden kids

If you have a chronically ill child, then the last thing they need is a vitamin deficiency to play further havoc with their health. We normally get Vitamin D from sunshine -- if your child doesn't get 10 minutes of sunshine a day for a few days, then vitamin D supplements may be appropriate.

Kids that don’t need nutritional supplements:

• Kids that don’t like some fruits or vegetables -- they'll get plenty of nutrients from others, or from juice, without nutritional supplements
• Children that have fluoridated water for drinking -- excess fluoride can cause tooth staining.
• You have a fussy eater aged over 4 -- kids over 4 are old enough to learn that if they don't eat their vegetables, they don’t eat anything.