Vitamins for Picky Eaters: Filling Nutritional Gaps Without Sneaking Sugar

Above-the-fold safety callout — please read first. Talk to your child's paediatrician before starting any supplement. The right answer for a picky eater depends on what foods they actually accept, whether they are growing normally, and whether a baseline blood panel (CBC + ferritin + 25(OH)D) shows a deficiency worth correcting. Iron-containing supplements have caused fatal paediatric poisoning — store every bottle in original child-resistant packaging, out of reach, and call poison control immediately if a child swallows more than a single labelled dose. This article is educational, not medical advice.

Most parents searching for vitamins for picky eaters want one thing: a product their child will actually swallow that closes whatever nutritional gap the rejected vegetables, meats, or dairy have opened up. The honest answer is that supplements are gap-fillers, not behaviour fixes, and the first question is not which gummy to buy but whether your child needs one at all. Most picky eaters meet the estimated average requirement for most nutrients without supplements [taylor-emmett] [tharner-2014]. The minority who do not are usually identifiable from a short conversation with a paediatrician plus, in some cases, a blood test that costs less than a month's supply of premium gummies.

This guide takes the long way round on purpose. We walk through when picky eating is developmentally normal, when it is a sign of something a multivitamin will not solve, which nutrients are realistically at risk in selective eaters, what doses are safe by age (with both AAP recommendations and the EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Levels that apply across the EU), how to choose between liquid, chewable, gummy, and powder formats, and which products and ingredients to skip entirely. The aim is to leave you with one clear plan, not a basket of products and no idea which to start with.

Picky eating is real — but a multivitamin isn't always the answer

Refusing previously accepted foods is part of how toddlers learn the world. Food neophobia — the fear of new foods — peaks between ages two and three and declines through age five for most children. Long-running UK and Dutch birth-cohort studies (the ALSPAC cohort and the Generation R study respectively) tracked thousands of children and consistently found that selective eaters, on average, met the estimated average requirement for most nutrients [taylor-emmett] [tharner-2014]. Where intakes fell short, the usual culprits were iron, zinc, vitamin D, and dietary fibre — not the full multivitamin profile that most kids' gummies are designed to deliver.

That matters because the framing on most parenting and brand sites is backwards. They open with "your child is picky, here's what to buy" and follow with ten products. We open with "your child is picky, here are the four questions to answer before you buy anything". The questions: is this pattern developmentally normal for your child's age? Is there a red flag pointing to a medical condition that needs evaluation rather than a supplement? Have you ruled out iron-deficiency anaemia, which itself reduces appetite? And if supplementation is appropriate, which nutrient at which dose, in a form your specific child will accept?

When picky eating is normal — and when it isn't

Developmentally typical fussiness looks like a child who eats fewer foods than their parent would like, occasionally cycles through phases of refusing previously accepted foods, prefers familiar to unfamiliar, but is growing along their established centile, has stable energy and mood, and accepts at least 20 to 30 different foods across a typical month. This child does not need a feeding evaluation. They probably do not need a multivitamin either, though one at the labelled paediatric dose is unlikely to cause harm.

Talk to your child's paediatrician promptly if you notice any of the following: weight loss or failure to grow as expected; the diet has shrunk to fewer than ten to twenty accepted foods; mealtimes consistently take more than 30 minutes or end in distress; your child gags, chokes, or vomits on textures they used to accept; they avoid entire food groups (no proteins, no fruits, no vegetables); there are signs of nutritional deficiency such as pallor, fatigue, hair thinning, or frequent infections; your child relies on oral nutritional supplements like PediaSure to maintain weight. These can be signs of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), iron-deficiency anaemia, coeliac disease, eosinophilic oesophagitis, or another condition that needs evaluation — not a multivitamin.

How to tell developmental fussiness from ARFID

ARFID is a DSM-5 diagnosis [apa-arfid] and it is distinct from typical picky eating. The defining features are significant weight loss or failure to gain weight as expected, clinically apparent nutritional deficiency, dependence on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements such as PediaSure, and marked interference with social functioning — the child cannot eat at school, at a friend's house, or at family events. Crucially, ARFID is not explained by another eating disorder, by cultural practice, or by lack of available food. Community prevalence estimates range from roughly 0.5% to 5% of children depending on the source. When any of the red flags above appear, the family should be referred to a paediatric feeding-disorder team: usually a paediatrician, a registered dietitian, a feeding therapist (often a speech and language therapist or occupational therapist with feeding training), and sometimes a paediatric gastroenterologist. Supplementation is gap-filling, not feeding-disorder treatment. A child with ARFID may still benefit from a supplement to address a documented deficiency, but the supplement is the side patch, not the repair.

Medical mimics of picky eating to rule out

Several treatable medical conditions present as "my child is picky" and are routinely missed:

• Iron-deficiency anaemia. Anaemia itself reduces appetite, creating a circular trap: the child eats less because they are anaemic, becomes more anaemic because they eat less. Toddlers who drink more than 500 mL of cow's milk per day are at the highest risk because the calcium and casein suppress non-haem iron absorption [aap-iron].
• Coeliac disease. Chronic gut discomfort makes children avoid the foods that trigger it. Serology (tissue-transglutaminase IgA) is the screening test; ask about it if there is growth-faltering or a family history.
• Cow's-milk protein allergy or FPIES. Persistent rejection of dairy or specific proteins, sometimes with subtle GI symptoms.
• Eosinophilic oesophagitis. Pain on swallowing, occasional food impaction, preference for soft or liquid foods over solids.
• Functional constipation. Extremely common, frequently missed; chronic abdominal discomfort suppresses appetite and is often the real reason a child has "stopped eating dinner." [naspghan-constipation]
• Oral-motor or sensory processing differences. Sometimes co-occurring with autism spectrum; true texture, smell, or temperature aversions.
• Reflux (GORD). Pain-association with feeding, often most pronounced in toddlers.

None of these are solved by a gummy vitamin. Several actively worsen if you skip them and reach for a supplement instead.

Test before you supplement: the labs to ask your paediatrician about

Empirical supplementation — handing a child a multivitamin without knowing what (if anything) they are short of — is wasted money in the best case and dangerous in the worst. Iron is the clearest example. Iron-containing supplements have been the leading cause of fatal paediatric supplement poisoning in the United States for decades, according to the FDA and the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Ingestion of more than 60 mg/kg of elemental iron causes severe gastrointestinal bleeding, metabolic acidosis, and hepatotoxicity, and is a medical emergency [aap-iron] [fda-iron-poisoning]. The right answer for a possibly iron-deficient picky eater is not "give them iron". It is "test them first".

A reasonable baseline panel for a child whose eating pattern is causing genuine concern includes a complete blood count (CBC) with red-cell indices, serum ferritin to gauge iron stores, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) to assess vitamin D status. If the family is vegan or strict vegetarian, add vitamin B12. The AAP considers serum 25(OH)D below 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) inadequate and below 30 nmol/L (12 ng/mL) frankly deficient [aap-vitd]. Ferritin below about 12 ng/mL in a young child usually indicates depleted iron stores; ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant, so an inflamed child can show artificially elevated ferritin and the paediatrician will interpret the result in context.

The reason to test first is not bureaucratic. It is the circular-causation problem in reverse: if a child has iron-deficiency anaemia driving their picky eating, correcting the anaemia under medical supervision is the intervention. A general-purpose multivitamin without an iron-deficiency-anaemia therapeutic dose will close some other gaps but is unlikely to fix the anaemia, and you will spend months wondering why the eating has not improved. Supplementation is gap-filling, not feeding-disorder treatment. When there is a treatable medical cause underneath the picky eating, supplementation is also not the medical treatment.

What nutrients are actually at risk in selective eaters?

Across the published literature on paediatric selective eating, the nutrients that show up as genuinely under-consumed in a meaningful fraction of children are predictable. Here is what to look for, and why.

Iron — for the meat-and-bean refuser

Iron is needed for haemoglobin, myoglobin, and brain myelination, and the last point matters most before age three because iron deficiency during this window is associated with persistent cognitive and behavioural effects even after later correction [aap-iron]. A child who eats little or no red meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, fortified cereal, or eggs is at higher risk. RDAs are 7 mg/day for ages 1–3, 10 mg/day for ages 4–8, and 8 mg/day for ages 9–13. The EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Level for children under 14 is 40 mg/day. Do not supplement empirically. Read the iron deficiency and supplementation guide for children for the full diagnostic and therapeutic framework.

Vitamin D — for the year-round low-sun-exposure or dairy-restricted child

Vitamin D is the nutrient with the strongest case for routine supplementation across virtually every paediatric guideline. The AAP recommends 400 IU/day for breastfed infants from birth and 600 IU/day for all children from age one onward [aap-vitd]. NHS guidance recommends 8.5–10 µg/day for under-ones and 10 µg/day for one- to four-year-olds, with autumn-and-winter supplementation for everyone over five [nhs-vitd]. The EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 50 µg (2,000 IU) per day for ages 1–10 and 100 µg (4,000 IU) per day for 11+ [efsa-vitd-2012]. D3 (cholecalciferol) is the AAP-preferred form. See the children's vitamin D dosing guide for age-by-age detail.

Zinc — for the meat, seafood, and legume refuser

Zinc is needed for growth, immune function, and taste perception. Severe deficiency causes growth failure and reduced appetite. This is the circular-causation version specific to zinc: zinc deficiency itself blunts taste and appetite, and reduced intake worsens the deficiency. RDAs are 3 mg/day for ages 1–3, 5 mg/day for ages 4–8, and 8 mg/day for ages 9–13. EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Levels are 7 mg/day (1–3), 10 mg/day (4–6), 13 mg/day (7–10), and 18 mg/day (11–14) [efsa-zinc]. In zinc-deficient children, supplementation does restore appetite. In non-deficient children, the appetite effect is small or nil. Test before supplementing.

Calcium — for the dairy refuser

For a child who rejects dairy entirely, calcium intake is the gap to watch. RDAs are 700 mg/day for ages 1–3, 1,000 mg/day for ages 4–8, and 1,300 mg/day for ages 9–13. Fortified plant milks, leafy greens, tofu, sardines, and almonds are the realistic food sources; a calcium supplement is reasonable when food intake is genuinely inadequate, but most paediatric multivitamins contain only modest calcium because the mineral takes up too much space in a small dose.

Vitamin A — name the food sources, mind the supplement form

Vitamin A is the textbook example of "more is not better." The form matters. Beta-carotene from food (orange and dark green vegetables) has no upper limit because conversion to retinol is regulated by the body. Preformed retinol, the form used in many supplements as retinyl palmitate or retinyl acetate, has a tight paediatric EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Level: 800 µg/day (1–3 years), 1,100 µg/day (4–8 years), and 1,500 µg/day (9–13 years). RDAs are 300 µg RAE/day (1–3), 400 µg RAE/day (4–8), and 600 µg RAE/day (9–13). This is why stacking a multivitamin with a separate "immunity gummy" containing more vitamin A is genuinely risky.

Vitamin B12 — for vegan and vegetarian families

B12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods, with limited reliable supply from nutritional yeast and fortified plant milks. Strictly vegan children should be supplemented; RDAs are 0.9 µg/day (1–3), 1.2 µg/day (4–8), and 1.8 µg/day (9–13). There is no upper limit; toxicity is not a meaningful concern.

Omega-3 DHA — for the fish refuser

EFSA recommends 100–250 mg DHA per day for children aged 2 to 18 for general cognitive and visual development [efsa-dha]. ISSFAL guidance is similar [issfal]. The evidence is stronger for fish-eating populations and weaker for the specific selective-eater group in randomised trials. For children who refuse fish, an algal-oil supplement (suitable for vegans and vegetarians) or an IFOS- or GOED-certified fish oil is reasonable. Read the children's omega-3 DHA guide for product-selection criteria.

Fibre — and why supplements don't substitute for vegetables

Functional fibre supplements such as psyllium and partially hydrolysed guar gum are appropriate for paediatric constipation under medical supervision [naspghan-constipation]. They are not a substitute for vegetable refusal. Fibre is one of the components of vegetables, but not the only one — the phytochemicals, polyphenols, and food-matrix interactions that come with eating actual broccoli or peppers are not in a fibre powder. The AAP rule of thumb for total daily fibre in childhood is age in years plus five, in grams, up to age 10.

Vitamin doses by age — what's actually safe and what's actually needed

Doses below are the AAP / IOM RDAs alongside the EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Levels that apply across the European Union. Supplementation is gap-filling, not feeding-disorder treatment — these numbers describe ceilings and recommended intakes, not therapeutic protocols.

Vitamin D dosage for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age kids

Most paediatric multivitamins deliver 400–600 IU of vitamin D3 per serving, which lines up with the AAP 600 IU/day target for children over one year. A standalone vitamin D drop dosed at 400–1,000 IU/day is a reasonable alternative if the rest of the diet looks adequate. Above 1,000 IU/day for extended periods, ask the paediatrician for a 25(OH)D test first; therapeutic high-dose vitamin D is a clinician decision because of the documented risk of hypercalcaemia at chronic excess.

Iron dosage and why "more" is dangerous

For a non-anaemic child eating a reasonably mixed diet, the iron in a paediatric multivitamin (often 4–10 mg/serving, sometimes omitted entirely from gummies to reduce poisoning risk) is fine. For a child with documented iron-deficiency anaemia, therapeutic doses of 3–6 mg elemental iron per kg per day, in divided doses, under paediatric supervision, are the standard — never self-prescribed [aap-iron]. Recheck haemoglobin at four weeks and ferritin at three months.

Zinc, calcium, and vitamin A — when "stacking" supplements becomes risky

Adding a "high-dose vitamin C and zinc immunity gummy" on top of a standard multivitamin can push zinc above the EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Level for younger children, and chronic excess zinc suppresses copper absorption. The same logic applies to vitamin A retinol: a multivitamin plus a separate cod liver oil supplement can quickly approach or exceed the paediatric UL. Supplementation is gap-filling, not feeding-disorder treatment. Pick one product matched to a real gap. Do not stack multiple products in pursuit of a benefit that is not supported by evidence.

Choosing the right form: liquid, chewable, gummy, or powder for picky eaters

The right form is the one your specific child will actually take, at a dose you can deliver reliably, with the lowest reasonable sugar load. Form factor maps onto age and onto child-specific preferences more than onto any general "better absorption" claim.

Liquid vitamins for kids — when they're the right choice

Liquid drops are the most flexible format and the only practical option for infants and many toddlers. Dose can be titrated precisely, there is no choking risk, and many liquid formulations contain no added sugar (or very little). They are the default for a sensory-averse child because the small volume can be mixed into a known-accepted food vehicle such as applesauce, yoghurt, or a smoothie. The trade-off is that the flavour itself can be off-putting if used straight, and the bottles must be measured carefully — too easy to give 0.5 mL when the dose calls for 1 mL.

Chewables and chewable tablets — age 4+ and beyond

Chewables are typically suitable from age 4 and offer more reliable dosing than gummies because the active ingredient is in the matrix, not the coating. Sugar content varies, but chewables generally contain less added sugar than gummies. They suit children who can chew tablets without choking and who reject the texture of gummies.

Gummy vitamins — the honest sugar audit

Gummies are the most palatable format and the most over-promoted. Read the full safety guide on gummy vitamins for kids for the detailed product audit. The short version: typical paediatric gummy vitamins contain 1.5 to 4 grams of added sugar per serving. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends less than 25 grams of added sugar per day for children aged 2 to 18. Two gummy vitamins plus one juice box already covers a meaningful share of that daily ceiling. Worse, gummy sugar is sticky and clings to enamel, which is more cariogenic than the same amount of dissolved sugar in a drink. The AAP and AAPD position is that gummies are not appropriate as a first-line vehicle for young children, and are not appropriate at all under age 2 — because of choking risk, sugar load, and the additional confounder that most gummies omit iron entirely (precisely to reduce the catastrophic poisoning risk if a child eats the whole bottle).

Powders and mix-ins — for the sensory-averse child

Flavourless powders that dissolve into a familiar drink or food can be the path of least resistance for a child who refuses anything new. The honest caveat is that dosing accuracy depends on the child actually finishing the food vehicle.

What to look for on the label

Third-party testing is the only practical quality signal. USP Verified, NSF Certified, and ConsumerLab tested are the three labels worth recognising. The supplement industry in the United States is regulated post-market only under DSHEA, so independent verification is what tells you the bottle contains what the label says, free of meaningful heavy-metal contamination. Heavy-metal contamination in children's vitamins is a recurring issue documented by ConsumerLab and Healthy Babies Bright Futures investigations; a USP-verified product is the practical safeguard.

Ignore the marketing terms that mean nothing: "natural," "organic" (in a vitamin context), "doctor-recommended" without a named doctor or institution, "boosts immunity" (which is not a recognised claim under EU Regulation 1924/2006), and "fills nutritional gaps without you having to do anything" (a multivitamin closes biochemical gaps in deficient children; it does not change the underlying diet).

When to escalate: feeding therapy, OT, paediatric GI

A paediatric feeding-disorder team typically includes a paediatrician (the gatekeeper), a registered dietitian (who maps the diet against age-appropriate intake), a feeding therapist (usually a speech and language therapist or occupational therapist with feeding training), and, when indicated, a paediatric gastroenterologist. The threshold for referral is any of the red flags in the earlier section, particularly weight loss or growth-faltering, a diet shrinking below 20 accepted foods, or oral aversion that started or worsened after a specific event such as illness, surgery, or a choking incident.

What feeding therapy actually involves varies by approach. In general, the work falls into three categories: sensory desensitisation (gradual exposure to feared textures or smells in a non-mealtime setting), oral-motor work (when chewing or swallowing mechanics are part of the problem), and parent-coaching in responsive feeding. The third is sometimes called the "division of responsibility" framework: parents decide what is offered and when, the child decides what and how much to eat. None of this is something a parent can replace with a gummy.

Supplementation is gap-filling, not feeding-disorder treatment. A child in active feeding therapy may still take a supplement to cover a documented deficiency. The supplement is the side patch — the therapy is the repair.

What to skip entirely: echinacea, melatonin, herbal appetite stimulants

A short list of products that show up in parental searches alongside "vitamins for picky eaters" and should not be used routinely in this context:

• Echinacea. Health Canada has issued an advisory against the use of echinacea products in children under 12 because of the risk of severe allergic reactions and insufficient paediatric efficacy evidence. EU regulators apply similar restrictions to echinacea-containing herbal medicinal products for child use. There is no role for echinacea in addressing picky eating or its consequences.
• Melatonin. Melatonin is sometimes reached for as a sleep aid when a parent suspects "tired" is driving the "won't eat" pattern. Paediatric melatonin use is rising and so are reports of accidental ingestion and overdose. This is a sleep-medicine question that warrants paediatric evaluation, not a consumer product. We will cover paediatric sleep separately.
• Herbal "appetite stimulants." Cyproheptadine and other pharmacological appetite stimulants are real medications used by paediatric specialists in specific contexts. The "herbal appetite stimulant" gummies on the consumer market do not have paediatric efficacy data, and several contain ingredients with no established paediatric safety profile.
• Adult-strength multivitamins. Preformed retinol and iron are the two most dangerous accidental-excess scenarios in children. Adult products contain both at adult doses. They are not a "stronger" version of a kids' vitamin; they are a poisoning risk.
• Stacking multiple products. Multivitamin plus separate vitamin C gummy plus omega-3 chew plus zinc lozenge is how you push past the EFSA Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for retinol, zinc, and sometimes iron. Pick one product matched to a documented gap.

Frequently asked questions

Do picky eaters really need vitamins, or is it a waste of money?

Most picky eaters meet the estimated average requirement for most nutrients without supplements, based on large birth-cohort data [taylor-emmett] [tharner-2014]. A general paediatric multivitamin at the labelled dose is unlikely to cause harm, but it is not automatically beneficial either. The case for supplementation is strongest when a baseline lab panel (CBC, ferritin, 25(OH)D) shows a real deficiency, when the child avoids entire food groups, or when there is a specific dietary context such as a vegan diet (B12) or year-round low sun exposure (vitamin D). Otherwise, the money is better spent on a paediatrician visit to map the diet and rule out medical mimics.

What is the difference between picky eating and ARFID?

Picky eating is a developmental pattern — the child eats fewer foods than the parent would like, but grows along their centile, has stable energy, and accepts a reasonable variety over time. ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is a DSM-5 diagnosis [apa-arfid] involving significant weight loss or growth-faltering, clinically apparent nutritional deficiency, dependence on oral nutritional supplements or enteral feeding, or marked interference with social functioning. ARFID requires a paediatric feeding-disorder team — not a multivitamin. The red flags that point toward ARFID rather than typical fussiness are summarised in the safety blockquote earlier in this guide.

Are gummy vitamins safe for toddlers?

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry both advise against gummies as a first-line vehicle for young children, and against gummies entirely under age 2. The concerns are choking risk in younger children, the cariogenic added-sugar load of 1.5 to 4 g per serving, the fact that most gummies omit iron precisely because iron-containing gummies are easily over-consumed and cause life-threatening poisoning, and the tendency for children to treat gummies as candy. Chewables and liquid drops are safer alternatives for ages 2 to 4; gummies, if used, are best from age 4 and at the labelled dose only.

How do I know if my picky eater is actually deficient in any nutrient?

The honest answer is that you usually cannot tell from symptoms alone. Pallor, fatigue, hair thinning, and frequent infections can suggest iron deficiency, but they are non-specific. A baseline blood panel — CBC with red-cell indices, serum ferritin, and 25(OH)D vitamin D — costs little and is the only reliable way to know. Add vitamin B12 if the family is vegan or strict vegetarian. Discuss the panel with your paediatrician before ordering it, because the interpretation depends on context (acute illness elevates ferritin, recent supplementation skews other markers).

Should I give my picky eater an iron supplement?

Not without a paediatrician and not without a ferritin test. Iron-containing supplements have been the leading cause of fatal paediatric supplement poisoning in the US for decades [aap-iron] [fda-iron-poisoning], and empirical iron supplementation can also mask the workup for other causes of anaemia. If your child eats little or no red meat, poultry, fish, beans, lentils, or fortified cereal, the right step is the lab panel above, not the supplement aisle. If iron-deficiency anaemia is confirmed, the therapeutic dose is set by the paediatrician based on body weight and is monitored with follow-up labs.

Why does my picky eater get sick often — is it a vitamin deficiency?

Possibly, but more often not. Frequent infections in young children — especially in the first year of nursery or school — are usually normal exposure to common viruses, not a sign of immune deficiency. Iron deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, and zinc deficiency can each impair immune function modestly, which is one reason to test for them when there is genuine clinical concern. We do not claim that any supplement "boosts immunity," because that is not a claim supported by paediatric evidence and is not a permitted health claim under EU Regulation 1924/2006. If frequent infections are unusual for the setting or are accompanied by growth-faltering or other systemic symptoms, that is a paediatrician question, not a supplement question.

Can vitamins improve my child's appetite or make them less picky?

In zinc-deficient children, correcting the deficiency does restore appetite — zinc deficiency itself blunts taste and appetite. In iron-deficient children, correcting anaemia frequently improves appetite within weeks of treatment. In children who are not deficient in either, no commercial paediatric multivitamin has been shown to improve food acceptance, expand the accepted-food list, or reduce picky-eating behaviours in randomised trials. The evidence base for behavioural change in picky eating is responsive feeding, repeated neutral exposure to new foods over weeks, and, in cases that warrant it, feeding therapy.

The bottom line

Vitamins for picky eaters work as a side patch, not as a repair to the underlying diet, and they only work when matched to a real, often lab-confirmed nutrient gap. For most selective eaters growing along their centile, a general paediatric multivitamin at the labelled dose is reasonable but optional. For any child showing red flags — weight loss, a shrinking food list below ten to twenty accepted foods, growth-faltering — the right next step is a paediatrician visit and a feeding-team referral, not the supplement aisle. When supplementation is appropriate, vitamin D year-round for nearly all children, iron only with a documented ferritin result, and DHA for the fish-refuser have the strongest paediatric evidence. The single most important safety caveat: iron-containing supplements have caused fatal paediatric poisoning, so every supplement bottle belongs in original child-resistant packaging, out of reach, and a child who ingests more than a single labelled dose is a poison-control call.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your child's paediatrician before starting any supplement. Do not exceed labelled dosages. Store all supplements out of children's reach in original child-resistant packaging — iron-containing supplements have been a leading cause of fatal paediatric poisoning.

Browse our children's multivitamin guide for the full hub, or read more on supplements for children across all categories.