Are you giving your children vitamins this winter?

[gatorsmom]

If so, which ones?

[maestramommy]

I'm giving Dora the Target equivalent of Flintstones complete. On account of her suddenly no longer wanting to drink milk, and my inability to get her to eat enough alternate dairy to make up the difference. In addition, we're rather cooped up in the winter now, and she is also rather picky about veggies, and there isn't enough fruit available to make up the difference.

[LarsMal]

No, but I probably should. I asked our ped about it at DS's 3yr visit. She said as long as he was eating a balanced diet he was fine. He's not eating as well now so he could use the vitamins, especially the vitamin D. I need to find a good egg and dairy free one, though!

[m448]

they get nutristars, CLO, vit d drops from carlsons and a probiotic

[brittone2]

We don't do multis (never have) for the kids.

They do get:
Probiotics
Carlson's kids CLO
sunshine (for extra vitamin D ;) )
minimal sugar overall (at least compared to peers). Whenever we eat more sugar than usual, it seems we get sick.

They eat lots of varied fruit and veggies for the most part. I don't worry about the vits since I feel their diet is good.

[cleo27]

We give the Trader Joe's gummy vites (I think called Trader Darwin's?)

[lisams]

DD (6) gets Nutristars (although I'm looking for something with less lead once we're done with this bottle), 4 Children's Nordic Naturals fish oils and a probiotic when I remember.

DS (almost 2) gets nothing - he's an awesome eater, loves his fruits and veggies and is still nursing a bit.

Both are encouraged to drink lots of water and get lots of outside time, especially during the winter (we live in AZ so that's easy to do).

[hannah]

Each morning DD gets a whole sugar free chewable from Costco. DS gets a half of a tablet. They seem to like them. I tried one too just to see what they tasted like and they weren't bad. They flavors are grape, cherry or orange.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

Flintstones gummies. But only one parent can give them or else dd cons her way into extras.

[gatorsmom]

We don't do multis (never have) for the kids.

They do get:
Probiotics
Carlson's kids CLO
sunshine (for extra vitamin D ;) )
minimal sugar overall (at least compared to peers). Whenever we eat more sugar than usual, it seems we get sick.

They eat lots of varied fruit and veggies for the most part. I don't worry about the vits since I feel their diet is good.


My sons diets have gotten terrible since last summer and I'm not sure why. I did try your idea of a healthy, help-yourself snack drawer with yogurt, cheese sticks and fresh fruit and they love that so that has helped with varying the vitamins in their diet. But I see that you and other poster mentioned "Carlson's kids" and CLO and i'm curious as to what these are? Do they have extra vitamin D? Our winter so far this year has been brutal and the kids don't get outside probably as much as they need. Also, what brand Probiotics are you using and why?

I've been giving the kids Polyvisol and expected to see other parents here using that one. Any reason you guys are staying away from that? It seems to be the go-to vitamin for peds around here.

[awoodm]

DS1 takes a Probiotic (chewable Jarrow's) and a Flinstone every morning. We've done the Flinstone for several months, and the probiotic since he was a few months old due to him being on antibiotics so much. However, it seems that no matter what we do - we have all been sick the last two Christmas/New Years. Yuck.

[m448]

as long a child is exclusively or mostly bfing I don't do vitamins. Since mine didn't do solids until 10-11 months old I didn't introduce vitamins until 18-24 months. Carlson's is the cod liver oil. Since some researchers and doctors are recommending higher dosages of vitamin D (2000 IU for kids, 8000-10000IU for adults) we've also added that to our diet. I take a carlson's vit d capsule and the boys do the solar d drops from carlson's. The cod liver oil is for the omega 3 fatty acids. I use the jarrow probiotic capsules and open them up into their cod liver oil (as well as the vit d drops).

[ahrimie]

Flintstones gummies. But only one parent can give them or else dd cons her way into extras.


LOL that just cracks me up.

[Jo..]

We do cod liver oil and probiotics for DD age 6 months, the same plus a Flintstones vitamin for DS age 2. Interestingly, neither have ever had ANY illness except colds.

[brittone2]

Yep, CLO=cod liver oil. I prefer the Carlson's as they don't add a lot of synthetic vitamin A. Some new research says the A may compete w/ the D. Some CLOs have a lot of vit A which can be toxic in addition to competing w/ the D. CLO has D in it. We also eat a lot of pastured eggs, pastured meats and pastured dairy, all of which contain some extra D. And we live in sunny NC. I think D is really important (although I still don't give it to my nurslings).

I don't do a multi because I personally think the synthetic vits are garbage. If we did one, we'd use something food-based.

Does Polyvisol have fluoride? I don't even remember? That would be another deal breaker for me if it did.

[rlu]

Flouride tablet nightly, plus a generic version of Flintstone's (the currents ones have a dinosaur on them).

We're in CA so DS gets outside most days.

[AngelaS]

If we're starting to get sick we load up on Vit. C but after talking to my chiro today, the next time we need vitamins, I'll be buying D. :)

[Ceepa]

We use the synthetic viatmins.

[s7714]

I tend to give them vitamins about 3 times a week, but occasionally more if they seem to have a really off week as far as diet. I give them My First Flintstones (3 year old) and Flintstones Bone Support (almost 6 year old) because those are the only ones I have been able to get them to eat. My older DD also gets a Calcium/Vitamin D supplement everyday due to her bone condition (and those are the Kirkland brand Calcium/Vit D chocolate soft chews).

[gatorsmom]

Yep, CLO=cod liver oil. I prefer the Carlson's as they don't add a lot of synthetic vitamin A. Some new research says the A may compete w/ the D. Some CLOs have a lot of vit A which can be toxic in addition to competing w/ the D. CLO has D in it. We also eat a lot of pastured eggs, pastured meats and pastured dairy, all of which contain some extra D. And we live in sunny NC. I think D is really important (although I still don't give it to my nurslings).

I don't do a multi because I personally think the synthetic vits are garbage. If we did one, we'd use something food-based.

Does Polyvisol have fluoride? I don't even remember? That would be another deal breaker for me if it did.

Polyvisol contains (I'm looking at the bottle): vitamins A,C, D, E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and Iron. For calcium i give them a children's Tums which contains 750mg calcium carbonate (Gator especially rarely eats any dairy foods.) Cha Cha gets half a Tums. Although now that I"m looking at the bottle, apparently children under age 4 are not getting their vitamin needs met 100% by the Polyvisol which is probably why more parents aren't using it. LOL. Looks like i need to start searching for something else.


It doesn't contain flouride. Why don't you like fluoride? Just curious because I've never heard anything seriously wrong with fluoride in the diet.

[clc053103]

would love to hear about flouride, we don'thave it in our water and both dentist and ped ordered a supp.

DS who's diet is terrible and not varied (not for lack of trying!) gets the BJ's gummie vitamins every morning.

[hillview]

Nope.
/hillary

[Gena]

DS takes Centrum Kids and Coromega (Omega 3). We are currently doing a trial of a Vit B6 supplement to see if it helps with his stimming (an autistic behavior).

[brittone2]

For those who asked about fluoride, here's a blip from C&EN (a publication geared toward chemists and chem engineers) that runs through a nice summary of concerns.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/government/84/8436gov1.html

I've read other things prior to this that make me not so fond of systemic fluoride in particular, but this blip in C&EN summarizes some of the concerns nicely.

We use toothpaste, etc. w/ xylitol, which IMO accomplishes many of the same goals (kills off strep mutans bacteria, which causes decay, and the xylitol may help remineralize teeth). There is a growing body of dental research on xylitol so it isn't just an alternative health fad ;)

YMMV. I just don't see much of a benefit for us as a family over the alternatives, which I'm more comfortable with, kwim?
edited to fix typo

[vludmilla]

No vitamins here. We do use CLO--she loves it in her smoothies.

[pb&j]

DS gets half a Flinstones. I take the baby outside every day for sunlight (vit D) as long as it's not rainy or super cold. DS also spends a lot of time outside.

[maestramommy]

My sons diets have gotten terrible since last summer and I'm not sure why.

I've been giving the kids Polyvisol and expected to see other parents here using that one. Any reason you guys are staying away from that? It seems to be the go-to vitamin for peds around here.

I checked out Polyvisol first, since I used to give Dora Trivisol as a baby. It didn't have calcium, which was my number one reason for getting a vitamin.

[overcome]

I give DD, who is 3,
http://www.vitacost.com/Natures-Plus-Animal-Parade-Chewables

I used the liquid Polyvisol about 2x when DD was an infant and it smelled like garbage so stopped.

[randomkid]

Yep, CLO=cod liver oil. I prefer the Carlson's as they don't add a lot of synthetic vitamin A. Some new research says the A may compete w/ the D. Some CLOs have a lot of vit A which can be toxic in addition to competing w/ the D. CLO has D in it. We also eat a lot of pastured eggs, pastured meats and pastured dairy, all of which contain some extra D. And we live in sunny NC. I think D is really important (although I still don't give it to my nurslings).

Do your DCs take the CLO without a problem or do you mix it in something? I just don't know if I could get that in my picky DD.

We live in FL - do you think extra Vit D is necessary?


I don't do a multi because I personally think the synthetic vits are garbage. If we did one, we'd use something food-based.
I've been giving DD a Flintstone Vitamin since it's the only one she will eat, probiotics daily (open a Jarrow capsule and mix in a drink) and recently started Juice+ gummies. This is a whole food supplement and I have a friend who swears by it for her DD. It does seem that DD has been doing better since being on it - that or it's just coincidence. Does anyone have experience with or know anything about Juice+? The only complaint I've heard is the cost, but it's only about $11/month for the gummies.

DD eats some veggies and fruits, better than a lot of kids according to their parents, but I don't feel her diet is varied enough. I'm trying anything to boost immunity.

OP - were you asking for all ages or the babies? I gave DD Poly-Vi-Sol until she was old enough for chewables. I've done probiotics for a long time and gave up on Flaxseed Oil. Just recently added the Juice+ on a friend's recommendation.

[DrSally]

No, but I probably should. I asked our ped about it at DS's 3yr visit. She said as long as he was eating a balanced diet he was fine. He's not eating as well now so he could use the vitamins, especially the vitamin D. I need to find a good egg and dairy free one, though!


Both lil critters and the Target version of lil critters say they're egg, milk, peanut/nut free. I've used them with DS with no problems. Not crazy about the gummy thing, but DS eats them fine. I give them mostly for the vit D

[DrSally]

I've been giving the kids Polyvisol and expected to see other parents here using that one. Any reason you guys are staying away from that? It seems to be the go-to vitamin for peds around here.


I used to give both my kids the target brand of polyvisol. I like that they have 100% vit D and no sugar. But then the dropper broke into a long shard on both the bottles (one for each child). Luckily, I caught it before dropping the dropper into their mouths, but I was po'd. I called Target and impressed upon them that it must be a manufacturing defect since it happened with both bottles shortly after opening, and that both my kids almost swallowed a sharp shard of plastic, but I don't think they did anything. Now I give DD the brand name polyvisol (thicker dropper) and DS Target brand lil critters or brand name lil critters. He doesn't mind the drops, but he loves the gummies.

[DrSally]

For those who asked about fluoride, here's a blip from C&EN (a publication geared toward chemists and chem engineers) that runs through a nice summary of concerns.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/government/84/8436gov1.html

I've read other things prior to this that make me not so fond of systemic fluoride in particular, but this blip in C&EN summarizes some of the concerns nicely.

We use toothpaste, etc. w/ xylitol, which IMO accomplishes many of the same goals (kills off strep mutans bacteria, which causes decay, and the xylitol may help remineralize teeth). There is a growing body of dental research on xylitol so it isn't just an alternative health fad ;)

YMMV. I just don't see much of a benefit for us as a family over the alternatives, which I'm more comfortable with, kwim?
edited to fix typo

Brittone2, I agree with you on the flouride. Which Xylitol based toothpaste do you use. I've been thinking of starting that. Is it ok to Swallow, or should DS be spitting before I start it?

[Sillygirl]

as long a child is exclusively or mostly bfing I don't do vitamins. Since mine didn't do solids until 10-11 months old I didn't introduce vitamins until 18-24 months. Carlson's is the cod liver oil. Since some researchers and doctors are recommending higher dosages of vitamin D (2000 IU for kids, 8000-10000IU for adults) we've also added that to our diet. I take a carlson's vit d capsule and the boys do the solar d drops from carlson's. The cod liver oil is for the omega 3 fatty acids. I use the jarrow probiotic capsules and open them up into their cod liver oil (as well as the vit d drops).

Those adult doses you quote are quite a bit higher than maintenance doses I've seen recommended in the medical literature. I prescribe a LOT of vitamin D and test for deficient states. I give 50,000 units a week for six to twelve weeks depending on the degree of insufficiency, followed by a maintenance dose of 2000 units a day (which is what I take myself.) I would not recommend someone start 10,000 units daily without a doctor's advice.

The boys get TriViSol, which tastes a LOT better than the PolyViSol and doesn't stain. I get it online at drugstore.com since it's very hard to find in the stores.

And I have checked two breastfeeding moms in my clinic in the past month and both had near undetectable levels of Vitamin D. Which means there wasn't much to get into the breast milk. If you live far enough north, I wouldn't count on sun exposure. Vitamin D supplementation in kids may reduce the risk of Type One diabetes (the kind where you're on insulin for the rest of your life). Discuss with your pediatrician, but I think this is a no-brainer, personally.

[elephantmeg]

DS yes-generic flintstones

[KpbS]

DS1 takes the Little Critters multi, vit C plus echinacea, and the calcium. It is really really hard to get all of the calcium required for growing kids w/o any dairy products. Also we've done a probiotic for years but lately have taken a break.

[elephantmeg]

Yep, CLO=cod liver oil. I prefer the Carlson's as they don't add a lot of synthetic vitamin A. Some new research says the A may compete w/ the D. Some CLOs have a lot of vit A which can be toxic in addition to competing w/ the D. CLO has D in it. We also eat a lot of pastured eggs, pastured meats and pastured dairy, all of which contain some extra D. And we live in sunny NC. I think D is really important (although I still don't give it to my nurslings).

I don't do a multi because I personally think the synthetic vits are garbage. If we did one, we'd use something food-based.

Does Polyvisol have fluoride? I don't even remember? That would be another deal breaker for me if it did.

you can get polyvisol with flouride but it is prescription. DS was on it but I haven't done it with DD. We do do flouride drops here.

[m448]

Those adult doses you quote are quite a bit higher than maintenance doses I've seen recommended in the medical literature. I prescribe a LOT of vitamin D and test for deficient states. I give 50,000 units a week for six to twelve weeks depending on the degree of insufficiency, followed by a maintenance dose of 2000 units a day (which is what I take myself.) I would not recommend someone start 10,000 units daily without a doctor's advice.

The boys get TriViSol, which tastes a LOT better than the PolyViSol and doesn't stain. I get it online at drugstore.com since it's very hard to find in the stores.

And I have checked two breastfeeding moms in my clinic in the past month and both had near undetectable levels of Vitamin D. Which means there wasn't much to get into the breast milk. If you live far enough north, I wouldn't count on sun exposure. Vitamin D supplementation in kids may reduce the risk of Type One diabetes (the kind where you're on insulin for the rest of your life). Discuss with your pediatrician, but I think this is a no-brainer, personally.

yes they are much higher dosages than the typical 400iu doses. It seems though that this is another case of the FDA, mainstream medicine not catching up with the research. I read enough (then brain dumped ;) ) to convince me that an increased dose such as I mentioned would be the way to go for our family. We also live in NC and the kids do get plenty of outside time but I read somewhere that you need at least 40% of your body uncovered (maybe some other figure) and I know we don't get that in winter.

We also avoid fluoride. It's not in our water supply we don't use fluoride toothpaste (we use Spry brand xylitol toothpaste). I'm not against giving a multi at this point because although the boys have a varied diet they go through jags.

[Sillygirl]

yes they are much higher dosages than the typical 400iu doses. It seems though that this is another case of the FDA, mainstream medicine not catching up with the research. I read enough (then brain dumped ;) ) to convince me that an increased dose such as I mentioned would be the way to go for our family. We also live in NC and the kids do get plenty of outside time but I read somewhere that you need at least 40% of your body uncovered (maybe some other figure) and I know we don't get that in winter.

We also avoid fluoride. It's not in our water supply we don't use fluoride toothpaste (we use Spry brand xylitol toothpaste). I'm not against giving a multi at this point because although the boys have a varied diet they go through jags.

I'm aware the RDA needs to change and anticipate that it will within the next year or so. There has been enough research in the past five years that it's safe to say Vitamin D deficiency has been pretty well established in mainstream medicine. I'm not aware of any expert recommending daily doses of 10,000 units a day unless there's a documented deficiency, and I would consider that a dangerous dose.

[Clarity]

DD1 (2.5) gets Animal Parade Vitamin D and Nordic Naturals DHA. Just added Probiotics today.
DD2 (4 months) gets Probiotics.

[Melaine]

All this talk about Flinstones Gummies is making me seriously crave gummy bears....

[brittone2]

Brittone2, I agree with you on the flouride. Which Xylitol based toothpaste do you use. I've been thinking of starting that. Is it ok to Swallow, or should DS be spitting before I start it?
You can actually cook/bake with xylitol ,so IMO safe to swallow. It is a sugar alcohol so in larger amounts it can cause (TMI) loose stools, so that would be the only negative side effect that I'm aware of. Oh, and xylitol is toxic to dogs so if you have one that might get into your toothpaste (I used to have a dog like that, don't laugh ;) ) it is somethign to be aware of.

We have used Spry products (toothpaste, gum, etc- they have an infant tooth gel which doesn't have dyes, contains xylitol and has a mild cherry flavor, so that's nice for the babies under 1 IME). Trader Joe's now has an affordable xylitol toothpaste...fennel flavored...so YMMV with how much you like that (our family doesn't mind ;) ). We also have used Epic toothpaste with xylitol. Some toothpastes contain both xylitol and fluoride, so just read carefully if you are trying to avoid fluoride. They aren't always mutually exclusive.

[salsah]

All this talk about Flinstones Gummies is making me seriously crave gummy bears....

mmm . . . i love gummy bears!

[Clarity]

We have used Spry products (toothpaste, gum, etc- they have an infant tooth gel which doesn't have dyes, contains xylitol and has a mild cherry flavor, so that's nice for the babies under 1 IME)

OT, but I've been meaning to ask..we've noticed three of our Spry kids toothpaste bottles grew mold on the spout. Have other Spry users ever had this happen? Dh tosses the toothpaste when he notices it and I can't blame him but it seems a bit expensive to keep throwing away before its gone!

[DrSally]

You can actually cook/bake with xylitol ,so IMO safe to swallow. It is a sugar alcohol so in larger amounts it can cause (TMI) loose stools, so that would be the only negative side effect that I'm aware of. Oh, and xylitol is toxic to dogs so if you have one that might get into your toothpaste (I used to have a dog like that, don't laugh ;) ) it is somethign to be aware of.

We have used Spry products (toothpaste, gum, etc- they have an infant tooth gel which doesn't have dyes, contains xylitol and has a mild cherry flavor, so that's nice for the babies under 1 IME). Trader Joe's now has an affordable xylitol toothpaste...fennel flavored...so YMMV with how much you like that (our family doesn't mind ;) ). We also have used Epic toothpaste with xylitol. Some toothpastes contain both xylitol and fluoride, so just read carefully if you are trying to avoid fluoride. They aren't always mutually exclusive.

Interesting, thanks! Yes, now I do remember seeing Xylitol in gum and such. Not sure if DS would appreciate the taste of fennel. The infant one you mentioned sounds good. Would prob be a step up from the plain infant toothpaste we're using (no flouride), which I think is just a mild abrasive. Thanks for the tip on making sure there's no flouride in there too.

[brittone2]

OT, but I've been meaning to ask..we've noticed three of our Spry kids toothpaste bottles grew mold on the spout. Have other Spry users ever had this happen? Dh tosses the toothpaste when he notices it and I can't blame him but it seems a bit expensive to keep throwing away before its gone!

No, never had this happen and we are kinda mold-prone here in NC.

I have had the tube split at the top (several times), kind of at the "shoulder" of the tube before it narrows into the spout.

[brittone2]

Interesting, thanks! Yes, now I do remember seeing Xylitol in gum and such. Not sure if DS would appreciate the taste of fennel. The infant one you mentioned sounds good. Would prob be a step up from the plain infant toothpaste we're using (no flouride), which I think is just a mild abrasive. Thanks for the tip on making sure there's no flouride in there too.

Yeah, the infant tooth gel is very smooth and clear, so no abrasion really. I'd probably pop that on top of whatever non-fluoride toothpaste you are currently using so you get the benefits of both, or maybe brush w/ the more abrasive one in the a.m. and the gel in the p.m. kwim?

[Tondi G]

Yeah, the infant tooth gel is very smooth and clear, so no abrasion really. I'd probably pop that on top of whatever non-fluoride toothpaste you are currently using so you get the benefits of both, or maybe brush w/ the more abrasive one in the a.m. and the gel in the p.m. kwim?

I recently saw this toothpaste in a neighbors bathroom and meant to ask her about it.. see if her daughter likes it etc. Might be worth checking out. strawberry flavor would go over well with my kids, I think!

http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/73864

they have a "toddler" formula too!

http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/75177

[brittone2]

I recently saw this toothpaste in a neighbors bathroom and meant to ask her about it.. see if her daughter likes it etc. Might be worth checking out. strawberry flavor would go over well with my kids, I think!

http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/73864

they have a "toddler" formula too!

http://www.luckyvitamin.com/item/itemKey/75177

Thanks for sharing Tondi! I think when I saw the Jason stuff w/ xylitol in the past it had fluoride, but this one doesn't :) (at least, I think I remember seeing the Jason one had fluoride in the past...maybe it was a different brand).

[Tondi G]

Oh and to answer the original question here....

my boys are taking the trader joes gummy vitamins and the gummy vit C and echinecea ones. I tried the calcium bears and they didn't like them (the sugar coating and texture was icky.... go figure!). They drink my moms home brewed Kombucha tea (well my 3 year old does... 7 year old isn't so fond of it) and my 3 year old loves g-ma's home made Kefir in a smoothie or with a little agave syrup in it!

I used to do a probiotic but my boys can be finicky and the 7 year old decided he didn't like the smoothies I made anymore. I need to find a way to get them to take the probiotic and I want to find a fish oil supplement they will take (they didn't like the Nordic Naturals strawberry capsules).

[gatorsmom]

OP - were you asking for all ages or the babies? I gave DD Poly-Vi-Sol until she was old enough for chewables. I've done probiotics for a long time and gave up on Flaxseed Oil. Just recently added the Juice+ on a friend's recommendation.[/QUOTE]

I was hoping to get some ideas for all of them. I don't have the babies on any vitamins right now since they are both on formula and have a fantastic diet starting solids- they'll eat anything! And they will both go on Polyvisol or Trivisol once they stop the formula.

The boys are harder. The Polyvisol + Tums will still meet Cha Cha's needs (incidently, I looked at all the vitamins that say extra calcium and they still did not come anywhere NEAR what a child needs for calcium intake. My boys won't drink milk and Gator rarely eats yogurt so they both really need a calcium supplement. The ped and a pharmacist both agreed the children's Tums is the cheapest way and contains more calcium than the expensive supplements). Gator's diet is terrible and he needs a more complete vitamin. It sounds like Flintstones is pretty popular around here. I'll have to see how much extra calcium and vitamin D he needs if he starts taking the Flintstones. And you guys have me thinking about adding CLO and probiotics. thanks for the info!

[lisams]

(incidently, I looked at all the vitamins that say extra calcium and they still did not come anywhere NEAR what a child needs for calcium intake.

I think the reason most multis don't have much calcium is because it inhibits the absorption of iron. So if you do decide to give a separate calcium supplement, make sure it's not given at the same time as a multivitamin with iron.

[gatorsmom]

I think the reason most multis don't have much calcium is because it inhibits the absorption of iron. So if you do decide to give a separate calcium supplement, make sure it's not given at the same time as a multivitamin with iron.

Excellent point. I'd forgotten that, so thank you for reminding me!

[maestramommy]

The boys get TriViSol, which tastes a LOT better than the PolyViSol and doesn't stain. I get it online at drugstore.com since it's very hard to find in the stores.

And I have checked two breastfeeding moms in my clinic in the past month and both had near undetectable levels of Vitamin D. Which means there wasn't much to get into the breast milk. If you live far enough north, I wouldn't count on sun exposure. Vitamin D supplementation in kids may reduce the risk of Type One diabetes (the kind where you're on insulin for the rest of your life). Discuss with your pediatrician, but I think this is a no-brainer, personally.

Thanks for this reminder! Dora was on Trivisol as an infant, but Arwyn wasn't. I figured she was getting enough from the SoCal sun since she was born in the summer, and we were out so much. But now that we're in NH, I've been thinking for #3 I need to get the Trivisol again. My ped is VERY relaxed when it comes to vitamins so he would only say give it to them if I'm going to stress about it.

Kate, is the Trivisol you get online the kind without the iron? The kind with iron smell awful, and yes, it stains :32: And when do you START giving it to babies? one month? Sooner?

[wendibird22]

Sorry to hijack, but at what age did you start giving your DC a chewable?
DD gets polyvisol when I remember. Our ped recommended a chewable back at her 15mos appointment but I think she's too young. The NP said no vitamin was necessary a few weeks ago since DD has a good diet. Interesting that the ped and the NP don't agree!

[KpbS]

Sorry to hijack, but at what age did you start giving your DC a chewable?

We started at age 2.