My 4 year old daughter refuses to take her vitamins. She has been using the polyvisol infant drops until now but she needs to start taking chewables. Our pediatrician recommended vitamins for my daughter, but she refuses to take them. She keeps asking for the drops because she's used to them. It has been almost a week of trying to convince her, but she still won't take them. Any advice on how to get her to take the vitamins? Thanks in advance for your responses.
Maybe take her to CVS and let her choose the ones she likes? Well, I mean of the ones that are for her age.
:)
What kind are you giving her? My boys love Flinstones, and my before and after school kids love the Gummies. Let her think they are her candy treat instead of something replacing her familiar drops.
"Yes, you can turn on the TV. Just as soon as you take this vitamin".
Yes, you CAN have a piece of Halloween candy! Just as soon as you chew up this vitamin"!
"Yes, you CAN go to Grandma's house. I want you to have fun with grandma. You can go just as soon as you chew up this vitamin".
Hi M.!
I have mostly felt...for kiddos that are eating a well balanced diet, that vitamins merely result in expensive urine! lol
That said, if pediatrician really feels this is necessary, I have a pill crusher I use for meds...and mix the 'crush' into yogurt or applesauce. I of course DO this when my chile cannot see me doing this.
Some meds cannot be crushed. I am sure vitamins can though...but double check with doc or pharmacist if in doubt.
Best!
If she eats a good varied diet she probably doesn't need them. Pediatricians recommend them routinely because so many kids don't eat all the vegetables they need for vitamins, nor all the iron and calcium containing foods they should. If she does eat a good diet, check with your ped - you can likely skip them. Otherwise, talk with DD about what vitamins do for her body (vit A helps night vision, iron for muscle strength (PopEye), etc. The talk about the foods she needs to eat each day to get all these vitamins - or she can take a chewable once a day. Her choice. Maybe you will luck out and she'll choose to eat lots of veggies instead.
Gummy ones are very well liked in our house.
Use some logic. My kids absolutely hate real medicines and shots. I tell them these vitamins and heathy foods keep our bodies from needing medicines or shots. (yet they know vaccines are a must have in our home) Extra shots are given when our bodies get too sick and we have to go to the hospital. So lets try to keep our bodies healthy everyday with our vitamins,healthy foods,washing our hands,exercise and lots of water. This was my mantra when they were little.
Good luck!
The children's gummy's seriously taste like a fruit snack. Have you tried those?
The Lil' Critters gummies are so good!
I would love to respond with "who's the boss here?"
but I know better! My son went thru a phase where he hated vitamins. I would give it to him, & return to check his teeth (after brushing). Here's the kicker: he was biting the danged vitamin in 1/2 & tossing the remainder in the back of the cabinet! What a smart little snot!
Sooo, as Christy said, use leverage. & stick to it!
For me, what I do with my 3 year old is set her on the counter and tell her she can get down after her vitamins are swallowed. She doesn't like being up there and is still afraid of jumping down herself. I don't know if that will work for you, but maybe you could try it.
I used to use the very silly method of having the animal-shaped vitamins ask to check out my daughters' teeth and the inside of their mouths in a very silly French accent. The girls discovered how yummy they were and the problem was solved.
My kids love the gummy kind. They say they taste better than the chewable kind.
Vita-Balls (gum ball vitamins) maybe? Gummie vitamins too. My kids ask for theirs so I don't have this problem. All natural vitamins taste better than the chemical Flinstone style types.
Gummies. They taste like candy. Chewables taste like medicine.
Use liquid vitamins in her juice or water.
Updated
Use liquid vitamins in her juice or water.
There are, vitamin drops, which can be bought.
"Animal Parade" makes vitamin drops, for kids. I used to get these for my kids.
Go to any Whole Foods or natural food store.
A kid or adult does not have to take chewables if they don't like it.
Because, there are vitamin drops. For both adults and kids.
I think it's easier to give kids (and adults!) comprehensive vitamins, minerals, trace elements and more in a powder that can be mixed into a shake (with water or milk) or stirred into yogurt. There's no evidence that basic vitamin pills provide much in the way of absorption - a lot of pediatricians, not having had any nutrition courses, just recommend them to keep the moms quiet, while many others just call them "expensive urine" because most of them are eliminated. The AMA did say, well over 10 years ago, that our food supply is not nutrition-laden enough so even "good eaters" don't get enough. I use something formulated by one of the top pediatric nutrition specialists who helped develop infant formulas, and it has much more nutrition at a higher absorption rate. You might want to think about what else is in those store-bought vitamins such as Flintstones and others - all kids of terrible ingredients, plus there's a warning label telling you to keep them away from children! I'd prefer (and recommend) something with NO warning labels but also a patent showing it's been proven safe and effective. It's not easy to get a patent on food but it can be done, and then you know there's much more oversight involved.
