The 7 Best Children’s Vitamins of 2023, According to a Dietitian

Who May or May Not Benefit From a Multivitamin

Before you add a multivitamin to your child’s daily routine, be sure to get the OK from a healthcare provider. Megadoses of specific vitamins can be harmful—this is why it is critical to ensure the one you choose is formulated for kids and dosed appropriately. 

According to the National Center of Health Statistics at the CDC, approximately one-third of children in the United States are consuming vitamin and mineral supplements, most often in the form of a multivitamin. These supplements can help fill nutrition gaps for children that need them most, but they also have the potential to lead to overconsumption of certain nutrients. It is important to remember that children receiving a nutrient-rich, well-balanced diet usually do not need additional vitamin supplementation.

Children with limited diets: Children who follow restrictive diets to manage health conditions or for ethical reasons and children who tend to be very selective with what they are comfortable eating are at a much higher risk for missing out on key nutrients to support growth and development. These children may benefit from multivitamin supplements.

Individual nutrient supplementation: Some children may not need a multivitamin and may instead benefit from individual vitamin supplements. For example, children who do not consume four 8-ounce servings of vitamin D fortified milk or fortified dairy alternatives may need to supplement with vitamin D. Additionally, children who follow well-balanced vegan diets will, at minimum, need to supplement with vitamin B12 but may not need a full multivitamin.

How We Select Supplements

Our team works hard to be transparent about why we recommend certain supplements; you can read more about our dietary supplement methodology here.

We support supplements that are evidence-based and rooted in science. We value certain product attributes that we find to be associated with the highest quality products. We prioritize products that are third-party tested and certified by one of three independent third-party certifiers: USP, NSF, or ConsumerLab.com. 

It's important to note that the FDA does not review dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they go to market. Our team of experts has created a detailed, science-backed methodology to choose the supplements we recommend. Additionally, we interviewed the following experts:

• Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Muhammad Khan, MD, MPH, Director of Interventional and Diagnostic Endoscopy at Nationwide Children's Hospital
• Pediatric Dentist, Joshua B. Austein, DMD
• Olivia Mayer, RD, CSP, IBCLC, a Clinical Dietitian at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

What to Look For

Third-Party Testing

Supplements that are third-party tested are sent to a lab where they are tested to ensure they contain what they say they contain and are not contaminated with specific high-risk, common contaminants. However, it’s important to note:

1. Third-party testing does not test to see if a product is effective or safe for everyone, and it does not ensure the supplement will not interact with other supplements or medications.
2. Not all third-party testing is created equal. It is not uncommon for supplement companies to pay labs for certificates after conducting minimal to no testing. 
3. The third-party certifications we can trust are: ConsumerLab.com, NSF, and USP. However, these certifications are difficult to obtain and/or expensive for manufacturers, so many companies choose not to get their products tested by one of these three organizations. 
4. Sometimes products tested by these three companies are more expensive to try to offset the cost they pay for certification.
5. Just because a supplement is not tested by one of these three companies, it does not mean it’s a bad product. We recommend doing some research on the reputability of the manufacturer and calling up the manufacturer and their testing lab to determine their protocols and decide if you feel comfortable consuming the supplement.

Form

Vitamin and mineral supplements come in a variety of different forms, including gummies, chewable tablets, liquids, and even powders. Choosing the best form for your child is almost equally as important as choosing the right nutrients and dosing. If your child won’t take it, what's the point? If they don't like food sticking to their teeth or have trouble chewing a gummy, consider finding a supplement that is a liquid or powder instead.

Ingredients & Potential Interactions

It is essential to carefully read the ingredient list and nutrition facts panel of a supplement to know which ingredients and how much of each ingredient is included relative to the recommended daily value of that ingredient. Please bring the supplement label to a healthcare provider to review the different ingredients contained in the supplement and any potential interactions between these ingredients and other supplements and medications your child is taking.

Ideally, a healthcare provider makes a vitamin and mineral supplement recommendation based on a child's individual needs. “I work with families to best understand what their child may be missing in their daily intake and formulate my recommendation based on those findings. Key nutrients in question usually include vitamin D and iron. Sometimes we see a need for vitamin B12 if the child eats little to no meat,” says Olivia Mayer, RD, CSP, IBCLC, a clinical dietitian at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

If you do not have specific nutrient recommendations from a healthcare provider, it is important to know what nutrients to look for that might be inadequate in your child's diet. Key nutrients to pay close attention to include: vitamin D3, vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin K, zinc, and choline. If your child is following a vegetarian or vegan diet, other nutrients to think about would be iron, vitamin B12, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Calcium is a large mineral, and therefore, if included in the multivitamin at the recommended daily amount for children, the multivitamin would be quite large. Calcium also tends to inhibit absorption of other minerals, such as iron, when packaged together, another reason you are less likely to find calcium included in your child’s multivitamin. Food is the best way to get calcium. To ensure your child is meeting their daily calcium needs, include high-calcium foods in your child’s daily intake, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and dark green vegetables, as well as calcium-fortified fruit juices and dairy alternatives.

Iron deficiency can occur in young children and is something your pediatrician is likely monitoring. Some children’s multivitamins do contain iron, while some do not.  Children need anywhere from 7 to 15 milligrams of iron daily to meet their needs, depending on age. Iron is naturally found in many foods and is also added to some fortified foods.

Lean meat, seafood, and poultry are your best iron sources. You can also find iron in fortified cereals, beans, and leafy green vegetables. If your child were to be consuming iron-rich foods as well as an iron-containing supplement, too much iron can cause constipation and other gastrointestinal issues. Iron supplements are generally only recommended for children not meeting their iron needs by food alone.

Bottom Line: It is essential to carefully read the ingredient list and nutrition facts panel of a supplement to know which ingredients and how much of each ingredient is included relative to the recommended daily value of that ingredient. Bring the supplement label to a healthcare provider to review the different ingredients contained in the supplement and any potential interactions between these ingredients and other supplements and medications your child is taking.

You may want to opt for formulas with limited or no added sugars and no artificial sweeteners, colors, flavorings, or preservatives. Calcium and iron are two minerals that are important for growing bodies. However, they are often left off ingredient lists when children’s multivitamins are formulated. There are a couple of reasons for this.

Children's Vitamins Dosage

Consider your child's age when selecting the best supplement for them. Be aware that some products are formulated for toddlers, while others are for older children and teens. Read ingredient labels, and look for products that do not exceed 100% of the daily value of individual vitamins and minerals, as more is not always better. You may notice that some of our multivitamins picks have slightly higher than 100% daily value for certain B vitamins and vitamin C, which are water-soluble vitamins that your body does not store, so toxicity risk is low, and more may be needed to maintain optimal status.

Follow the age guidelines outlined on the product packaging, and speak with a healthcare provider to ensure that the product and dosage are appropriate to meet your child's needs.

How Much Is Too Much?

There is no benefit to getting excess amounts of any vitamin or mineral. In fact, in certain situations, it can even be dangerous. Some vitamins, such as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, may be harmful if they are over-consumed, as these are stored in body tissue. Some minerals, including zinc and iron, can also be harmful in high doses. Water-soluble vitamins, including C and B, are not stored in body tissue, and excess amounts are excreted through urine, so there is a lower risk of toxicity. However, children should not exceed the ULs (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) for any individual vitamins and minerals, as outlined by the National Institutes of Health.

A few important takeaways when selecting a supplement is to ensure the product formulation is age-appropriate, that any and all supplements are stored out of reach of children, and that you follow dosing instructions as outlined on the product label. Be sure that children do not view gummy vitamins as candy which may cause them to consume more than the recommended amount.