If you’re a mom you’ve probably been round and round over the choice of your child’s multivitamin. I know I have! Over the years, my stance on kids multivitamins has changed, but one thing that hasn’t changed is my quest for the healthiest kids multivitamin.
One way to narrow your search is to make a list of must-haves for your kids’ multivitamin. I’ll share some basic qualities that I look for in this post, but first things first …
Do Kids Really Need Multivitamins?
When my kids were young, I didn’t give them multivitamins. I had full control over their diet, and I simply thought they didn’t need them. As they’ve gotten older, and I have less control over their diet, I worry that they aren’t getting enough nutrients in their diet.
In addition, one of my favorite health gurus, Dr. Mark Hyman, recommends multivitamins even if you are eating an excellent diet, and there are plenty of days when my kids do not eat an excellent diet. Like most busy families, we are doing our best and aiming for “pretty good.”
While even a top-notch diet can have holes, a child eating a Standard American Diet (SAD), desperately needs a multivitamin. The modern American diet is nowhere near capable of providing a child (or adult) the nutrients they need.
According to the CDC, only 10% of Americans get the recommended number of fruits and veggies and the standard recommendation is not even the optimal number of fruits and veggies.
In addition, you have likely heard that modern farming methods are depleting our soil, so it takes more food than it did decades ago to get the same amount of nutrients. Due to these reasons, I’ve changed my tune on multivitamins for my kids and the whole family.
Can a Child Overdose on Vitamins?
If you are following the recommended dosage of a vitamin and eating a normal diet, you shouldn’t worry about your child overdosing on vitamins. If you have concerns, you can always check with your pediatrician before starting a multivitamin.
Iron and vitamin A are the most talked about vitamin overdoses in children. Because of this, many kids’ multivitamins don’t include iron in their formula. None of the options in this post contain iron and only contain modest amounts of vitamin A.
What to Look for in a Kids Multivitamin
The Ingredients
You want to be sure the basics are covered like vitamin A, B12, C, D, E, calcium, zinc and folate (formulas vary a bit beyond this). Some kids’ multivitamin formulas will include vitamin K while others contain additional minerals like selenium, iodine and chromium.
Chat with your pediatrician if you want to get down to the nitty gritty on vitamin formulas. Your child’s diet may play a role in what you look for.
Be on the lookout for unnecessary junk like artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, sugar and maybe more ingredients depending on your lifestyle. Many vitamins are now gluten, soy or dairy free as well as kosher.
Folate vs. Folic Acid
Most high-end vitamin brands use folate over folic acid. For some people, folic acid (synthetic form of B9) is not easily absorbed and may build up in the body, which can be dangerous. However, folate, the natural form of B9, is quickly and easily absorbed.
Potency
You want to be sure you are getting an adequate dose in just one serving of the vitamin. Percentages of vitamins and nutrients will be listed right on the label and are usually broken down by age.
When you check the label be sure to consider serving size. If you need three sugary gummy vitamins to get adequate nutrients, then the vitamins quickly start to resemble a pack of gummies,
Many experts recommend whole food vitamins, because they are more bioavailable, which just means they are ready to be used by the body. When you take synthetic vitamins, the body has to break them down and convert them first, and it’s not always easy to predict how well they are absorbed and used.
On the other hand, synthetic vitamins can be an easier and cheaper way to get a higher dose of a particular vitamin, so the decision may vary based on the situation.
Third Party Testing
Third party testing can ensure the ingredients listed on your vitamin label are actually in the vitamin. Testing can also check for contamination like heavy metals and pesticides. There are several types of third-party testing—some focused on the ingredients and potency and some focused on the facility and manufacturing process.
Some common vitamin and supplement stamps of approval to look for are Clean Label certified, NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices). I’ll touch on these briefly, but you can click on the links to learn more.
The Clean Label Project means that products have been tested for purity and contaminants including heavy metals, pesticide residues and plasticizers. The certification utilizes California’s Proposition 65 list.
The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is a third-party organization ensuring testing and verification of product labels and claims. NSF also offers Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) registration, which ensures manufacturing products, commonly food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, are consistently produced and managed according to set quality standards.
Now, it’s time to dig in and explore the healthiest kids’ multivitamin brands on the market. We’ll talk about vitamins in gummy, chewable and pill form. There are A+ options in all forms.
Healthiest Kids Gummy Multivitamin
I want to start with gummy vitamins, because I feel like most kids prefer them, especially younger kiddos. My kids (8 and 11) still enjoy taking gummy vitamins. They’ll go for a chewable multivitamin but with less enthusiasm.
Mary Ruth’s Gummy Vitamins
Mary Ruth’s are quite popular in the world of kid’s vitamins. I’ve been following this brand for several years and feel good about giving it to my kids. The brand is non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free and contains folate (not folic acid). The gummy formula includes pectin and erythritol for sweetness.
Erythritol is sugar alcohol, which causes bloating for some people, but there is likely not nearly enough in a multivitamin to be an issue.
These vitamins are Clean Label Certified and made in a GMP-certified facility.
Mary Ruth’s offers a toddler liquid vitamin for kids ages 1-3. If you worry about your child choking on a gummy, this may be a nice alternative.
Garden of Life
Garden of Life Mykind Organics Kids Gummy Vitamin is a whole food vitamin sweetened with stevia. They contain organic fruits and veggies and folate (not folic acid). The vitamins are USDA certified organic and non-GMO, NSF certified gluten free, vegan (no pork-based gelatin) and contain no artificial colors or flavors.
Garden of Life also states that their ingredients and finished products are tested for contaminants including heavy metals and mold growth.
My kiddos have taken these vitamins and enjoyed them. If you’re close to my age (knocking at the door of 40), you may know the co-creator of mykind Organics … Alicia Silverstone! As if!
Healthiest Kids Chewable Multivitamin
Hiya
When it comes to the Hiya Kids Daily Multivitamin, you had me at Dr. Mark Hyman! When I saw Dr. Hyman endorses these vitamins, I was intrigued as his standards are very high. Hiya is an organic fruit and veggie blend with little else in the formula.
They come in tablets, but if your kiddo doesn’t like the tablets, they will send you “pixie sticks.” My kiddos didn’t care for the tablets, which taste like smarties for me, but one of my kids does like the “pixie sticks,” and we are currently using them.
The vitamins are non-GMO and use monk fruit extract for the sweetener. They contain no citric acid, no pork-based gelatin and no artificial sweeteners. They are soy, dairy and gluten free as well.
One especially neat thing about this brand is the eco-friendly bottle (if you stick with the tablets), which is made of glass. You keep it and simply order refills that come in a little pouch that you just pour into your glass jar.
Healthiest Kids Multivitamin in Pill Form
Pure Encapsulations
Pure Encapsulations Junior Nutrients is a trusted brand among functional medicine practitioners, and they make an extensive line of adult vitamins and supplements. These uncoated capsules are great for older kids who can swallow pills, of they can easily be opened and poured into yogurt or similar if needed.
These vitamins contain no artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, GMOs and unnecessary fillers and preservatives. They contain folate (not folic acid) and are free of all major allergens (peanuts, wheat, eggs, etc.)
Each ingredient and final product is independently tested for potency and purity. While I have not tried this specific product, I have had only great experiences with the Pure brand.
Conclusion
While there are lots of good and even great kids multivitamins out there, I did my best to select the best options in several different forms depending on the age and preferences of your kiddos.
There were a couple of trustworthy brands that I cut, because too many parents said their kids didn’t like the taste, and let’s face it, that matters. I hope one of the brands is a match for your family.
Finding vitamins that are made with clean ingredients and that your kids like the taste of is quite the balancing act. We’ve tried many different brands over the years, so don’t be discouraged if it takes a few tries to find the right vitamin for your kids.
If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy one of my favorite posts How to Create Real Food Kids.
