Baby food supplements

Advice on points to consider when choosing baby food supplements plus information on the vitamins that your baby's diet may be lacking in.

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Weaning your baby > Baby food supplements

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In a perfect world, children would get all the nutrients they need from a healthy and balanced diet, but unfortunatly we don't live in a perfect world. It is particular important that your child gets a good vitamin intake. Toddlers do tend to refuse certain foods therefore vitamin supplements may be useful, and are often recommended for children over 1-year-old and under 5-years-old. Make sure the brand you are using does not include preservatives, additives or artificial sweeteners.

It is particularly important to ensure that your child gets enough:

• Vitamin A



• Vitamin C



• Vitamin D

Ask your health visitor if you are unsure about your child's diet and she will be able to give you advice about vitamin supplements. The general advice is that breast-fed babies should have vitamin drops from 6 months old and bottle-fed babies from 12 months old when you can start using cow's milk instead of formula milk.

There are lots of vitamin supplements around, but it is important to check that what you buy is suitable for the age of your child. These usually come as drops for very young children and chewable tablets for older children. Make sure you only give the amount recommended on the pack. Don't give more than suggested 'just to be on the safe side' because too much of some vitamins can be harmful.