Seriously!? I just found out that my dc's vitamins contain

[Jayne J]

aspartame! Jeesh. And here I was thinking I was helping to make them healthier. Not to mention a whole slew of artificial dyes. GRRRR.

 

Guess that is what you get when you buy the cheapest vitamins on the shelf:leaving:

 

So, I need some recomendations for good mutivitamins. And fish oil that kids will actually take, because most days even I can't face fish burps.

 

What do you use?

[Tree House Academy]

Do you care to share the brand? We use Flintstones for the kids vites and add D3 to them. I buy really pricey vitamins at the health food store (for women) because I have lots of "issues." Maybe others can be of more help.

[Jayne J]

They are the Equate brand. Y'know, from Walmart. They are the Psuedo-Flintstones. And right there on the back in teeny-tiny letters (well, at least I can't claim it is a conspiracy--I just needed to read the darned bottle) is aspartame, talc (??), natural and artificial flavors, hydrogenated vegetable oil, FD&C red#40 lake, FD&C yellow# 6 lake, and FD&C blue #2 lake.

 

Mmmmm. Sounds good. Sigh.

 

Talc? What's with the talc?

[scrapbookbuzz]

We use Nutrilite vitamins. Natural, pesticide-free and artificial stuff-free. I'll PM you more information! :^)

[AuntieM]

You might want to check your toothpaste, too.

[gaillardia]

Someone once told me that most children's vitamins contain tar, including Flintstones. She saw someone burn the vitamin, what was left? Tar and some other horribles.:ack2:

I use Solaray Children's Chewable, we pay $10.59 for 120 chewables. No yeast, no sucrose, no artificial flavors or colors.

There was a post in the past month or two at most, about best fish oil products for kids. I can't ever remember the name of the product but someone from the company posted and mentioned if you go to their website you can get a coupon for the product.

Fish oil cream in individual foil packets, it tastes like orange cremesicles.

[LittleIzumi]

Gummy Vites gluten and dairy free, vegan I think, no artificial stuff. They are colored with carrot juice and that kind of thing.

 

They also make an Omga/ fish oil one that my kids love. I am sure it's not as good actual fish oil but they won't take that and they will take these, so it falls into the "better than nothing" category.

 

We use this brand as well. They are at Costco!

[Jayne J]

You might want to check your toothpaste, too.

 

 

 

:willy_nilly: I feel a bit like Neo here---the red pill or the blue one...

[AuntieM]

:willy_nilly: I feel a bit like Neo here---the red pill or the blue one...

 

I know how you feel! I just remember a few years ago being shocked at the items containing aspartame where I'd never have expected to find it. It's hard to police *everything* without losing your mind or blowing your budget! But for things a kid puts in his mouth every day - ie, vitamins and toothpaste - I've tried to be more careful.

[In the Rain]

We use the same ones that Christina linked. We buy all 3 types at Costco: vitamins, brain boosters (Omega 3) and calcium.

[Mergath]

We give dd Barlean's fish oil, which we buy at the local supplement/healthy stuff store. It's orange flavored, and she loves it. Some days she actually cries because she can't have more, lol.

[LittleIzumi]

We give dd Barlean's fish oil, which we buy at the local supplement/healthy stuff store. It's orange flavored, and she loves it. Some days she actually cries because she can't have more, lol.

 

:lol: The dds want more and more Gummi Vites too (they have the regular--but only one, so half dose, and my oldest has the calcium as she's allergic to dairy).

[Ali in OR]

Kind of a related question--Are gummy vitamins bad for your teeth?

 

One of my dds gets cavities very quickly--seems she is more prone to cavities than the others. We've been taking a gummy vitamin C (Power C from Costco). It does have 1.5 gm sugar. Anyone know if this could cause problems for someone who gets cavities easily?

[Slartibartfast]

I use the gummies from the health food store.

[caitlinsmom]

We use Childs Life Cod Liver oil (we buy it at Fred Meyer). Its flavored and while the kids dont like the thickness of it they still think it tastes good. No fishy burps/odor at all.

[AngelaNYC]

Another vote for the Costco Gummy Vites. We get the Calcium and Omega-3s in that brand, also.

[Heather in OK]

Nature's Plus Children's Parade

 

Nothing artificial.

 

Some of the Flintstone's vitamins have transfats in them. Not to mention the food dyes. Not much of a nutritional benefit there.

[MaMa2005]

Gummy Vites gluten and dairy free, vegan I think, no artificial stuff. They are colored with carrot juice and that kind of thing.

 

They also make an Omga/ fish oil one that my kids love. I am sure it's not as good actual fish oil but they won't take that and they will take these, so it falls into the "better than nothing" category.

 

:iagree:

[Mermaid Mama]

Kind of a related question--Are gummy vitamins bad for your teeth?

 

One of my dds gets cavities very quickly--seems she is more prone to cavities than the others. We've been taking a gummy vitamin C (Power C from Costco). It does have 1.5 gm sugar. Anyone know if this could cause problems for someone who gets cavities easily?

 

Chewable vitamin C is very bad for your teeth.

It's acidic.

Acid eats teeth.

 

Your daughter should rinse her mouth with a baking soda/water solution every night before bed, and maybe even midday. (This is alkaline - and so will neutralize the acid that weakens the teeth). The old timers may not have known WHY it worked - but they knew that it DID.

 

I hate all the acid they put into drinks and vitamins, etc.

(Phosphoric acid in soda and now even some "juice" drinks.....citric acid in everything else. I have a friend who lives on Gatorade - he makes the powdered stuff - and I swear that it has contributed to the wearing down of his teeth. Sure, he'd have issues regardless - but I think his Gatorade addiction has hastened the destruction).

 

OT: For a multivitamin - we like Animal Parade.

Is it perfect? No, but it's the closest thing I have EVER found.

[tenoraddict]

Gummy Vites gluten and dairy free, vegan I think, no artificial stuff. They are colored with carrot juice and that kind of thing.

 

They also make an Omga/ fish oil one that my kids love. I am sure it's not as good actual fish oil but they won't take that and they will take these, so it falls into the "better than nothing" category.

Are you sure about the Gummy Vites? I stopped using them because of the gelatin in them...maybe they changed the formula? Yummy Bear Organics by Hero (sold at The Vitamin Shoppe) is the only one I've found that has nothing bad in them, and that my kids will actually eat. The fish oil they take is Nordic Naturals' Omega 3-6-9 Junior (though they do have gelatin in them). They're chewable, but my kids just swallow them whole. They've never complained of fish burps.

[Hedgehogs4]

There is a guidebook called Comparative Guide to Children's Nutritionals which compares and rates over 160 children's vitamin supplements based on a complete nutritional analysis for completeness, potency, bioavailability, bioactivity of vitamin E (i.e, the non-toxic variety) antioxidant triad, glutathione support, metabolic support, cardiac health triad, homocysteine reduction triad, bone health support, bioflavonoid and pheonlic compounds profile, lipotropic factors, and potential toxicities. In it, the top five products are:

 

1. Douglas Laboratories Vita Big-Kids

2. Usana Health Sciences "Usanimals" (these two companies are the only two that get a five star rating)

3. Pro Thera Vita tab

4. SuperNutrition Perfect Kids

5. Pharmanex Jungamals (these three all received a 4-star rating)

 

my guess is that you won't be able to find these in a regular store. we use Usana products, which you have to get through a distributor. I don't know about the others.

[angela in ohio]

aspartame! Jeesh. And here I was thinking I was helping to make them healthier. Not to mention a whole slew of artificial dyes. GRRRR.

 

Guess that is what you get when you buy the cheapest vitamins on the shelf:leaving:

 

So, I need some recomendations for good mutivitamins. And fish oil that kids will actually take, because most days even I can't face fish burps.

 

What do you use?

 

It is hard to find vitamins without it!

 

We use NutriStars, except for oldest dd, who had an allergic reaction to them. Sometimes you can find store brand vitamins, too. When I've needed to cut financial corners before, I've been able to find one version of Meijer brand vitamins that didn't have aspartame.

[Amy in KS]

My dentist doesn't like gummy vites. They tend to stick to teeth and cause decay. They also can stain teeth.

[LittleIzumi]

Are you sure about the Gummy Vites? I stopped using them because of the gelatin in them...maybe they changed the formula?

They do have gelatin (but are indeed dairy free). I didn't realize that until you mentioned it. Drat. It's fine for dd and I'm taking a prenatal instead now, but I may have to find another one for me post-baby....

[TengoFive]

My kids all love Nature's Plus. Other thing most people don't know about multivitamins is a lot of them you get at places other than the HFS do more harm than good. They use forms of the vitamins that are quite hard for your body to process, let alone absorb and many aren't absorbed at all. In general the vitamins you get at a hfs will be more expensive but a better value because they're actually absorbed instead of just passing through. My kids like the Nordic Naturals chewable fish oil.

 

Nature's Plus Children's Parade

 

Nothing artificial.

 

Some of the Flintstone's vitamins have transfats in them. Not to mention the food dyes. Not much of a nutritional benefit there.

[asta]

An obscene number of things marketed to kids contain aspartame, splenda, etc. Even canned fruit labelled "sugar free" often contains splenda. What gets me is, why does it need ANYTHING? What is wrong with pear juice for pears? Why must it be HFC or corn syrup or even sugar? If they don't want to spring for juice, how about water?

 

Ever try buying gum? I can't find a single pak of gum any longer that doesn't have an artificial sweetener in it. It may be the last ingredient, but it's there.

 

Grr.

 

 

a

[nmoira]

 

Ever try buying gum? I can't find a single pak of gum any longer that doesn't have an artificial sweetener in it. It may be the last ingredient, but it's there.

Try GLEE Gum. They even have kits so the kids can make their own.

[tenoraddict]

 

Ever try buying gum? I can't find a single pak of gum any longer that doesn't have an artificial sweetener in it. It may be the last ingredient, but it's there.

Try Spry. You can buy it from The Vitamin Shoppe.

[Josephine]

We use Trader Joe's Gummi Vites just because I thought it would be better than Flintstones. I looked and it does have sweeteners and gelatin but no artificial sweeteners.

 

Josephine

[Mergath]

An obscene number of things marketed to kids contain aspartame, splenda, etc. Even canned fruit labelled "sugar free" often contains splenda. What gets me is, why does it need ANYTHING? What is wrong with pear juice for pears? Why must it be HFC or corn syrup or even sugar? If they don't want to spring for juice, how about water?

 

Ever try buying gum? I can't find a single pak of gum any longer that doesn't have an artificial sweetener in it. It may be the last ingredient, but it's there.

 

Grr.

 

 

a

 

Ugh. Don't even get me started. I spent an hour at the grocery store the other day trying to find a can of condensed tomato soup for a recipe that didn't have HFCS. And failed. Utterly. Even the healthy, "natural" brand in the health food section had it. It's getting ridiculous. I make stuff from scratch whenever I can, but even I don't have time to make my own tomato soup and then condense it so that I can use it as an ingredient in another recipe. GRR.

 

And the canned fruit is just obscene. I've pretty much given up on it. We stick to bags of frozen fruit in the winter now.

[Ruby]

I have to second the Nutrilite vitamins. NO artificial coloring etc. They are sweetened with xylitol which is recommended by dentists. They also have chewable gummy Omegas that taste like lemon drops or fruit punch. Best brand on the planet. They sell 10x more than GNC. Just my 2 cents. Ruby

[Melissa in FL]

We use nature plus animal parade for our kids. I also give them nordic natural DHA for fish oil. I order both at the link. Check out the great ingredients in the animal parades: Other Ingredients: Fructose, citric acid, guar gum, natural cherry, orange and grape flavors, magnesium stearate, spirulina (naturally rich in essential nutrients), rose hips (Rosa canina fruit), whole brown rice, broccoli, spinach, mango fruit, carrot, West Indian cherry (Malpighia glabra fruit) and papaya fruit. Mineral aminoates are hypo-allergenic whole brown rice chelates.

 

Both of these are yummy!

Melissa

[tenoraddict]

Ugh. Don't even get me started. I spent an hour at the grocery store the other day trying to find a can of condensed tomato soup for a recipe that didn't have HFCS. And failed. Utterly. Even the healthy, "natural" brand in the health food section had it. It's getting ridiculous. I make stuff from scratch whenever I can, but even I don't have time to make my own tomato soup and then condense it so that I can use it as an ingredient in another recipe. GRR.

 

And the canned fruit is just obscene. I've pretty much given up on it. We stick to bags of frozen fruit in the winter now.

I don't have the slightest idea how to condense soup, but if you do, Pacific makes a great tomato soup with nothing bad in it. I get it delivered by the case from Amazon.com.

[Mergath]

I don't have the slightest idea how to condense soup, but if you do, Pacific makes a great tomato soup with nothing bad in it. I get it delivered by the case from Amazon.com.

 

Thanks! I'll have to check that out. :) And I don't have any idea how to condense soup, either. I just assumed it would involve some kind of long simmering.

[LittleIzumi]

Are you sure about the Gummy Vites? I stopped using them because of the gelatin in them...maybe they changed the formula?

 

Oh, but their calcium bears have no gelatin. :)

[Heather in AL]

This post made me look at our vitamins.... Flintstones.... and yes, there is Aspartame in there. Grr!!

 

I'm so tired of having to police my food for this thing or that thing.... I tried looking for whole wheat bread without HFCS in the store the other day, and found the brand we have been buying (but are looking for a change) is the only one they carry. :glare: And the gum.... and the canned tomatoes.... everything either has aspartame or HFCS in it. Sigh. What's a person to do??

 

I'm off to check my toothpaste now.... (I had never thought of looking there!)