Vitamins for Children

Proper development of children is important at early stages of life. If children suffer from  a deficiency of vitamins, it leads to impairment of organs and nervous system. Therefore, special attention and care should be taken to give the child necessary vitamins that comes from a balanced and healthy diet.

This article is about the importance of vitamins and how to overcome the deficiency of vitamins in children.

Vitamins that promote child’s growth
Vitamins A, D, B, C are useful in promoting the overall growth of children. Vitamin A promotes good vision, and helps fight diseases. Vitamin D helps in formation of bones by absorbing calcium into the body and depositing in the bones.

Vitamin B complex will help in maintaining digestive system, brain and nerves properly. Vitamin C is very important in producing red blood cells and formation of tissues in the body.

What happens when children have low levels of vitamins?
Deficiency of the above vitamins will affect the overall development of the child. Children having low levels of vitamin A will have poor eyesight, cannot see properly during night and severity may lead to blindness.

Vitamin D deficiency is seen more in children who do not have the ability to adsorb this vitamin. It leads to a condition called “rickettsia”, which means improper formation of leg bones (deformation). It also leads to muscle weakness and poor growth of muscles. Vitamin C deficiency symptoms are oozing of blood from gums, improper teeth formation and a condition called “scurvy”.

Vitamin B complex is very important for the development of immune system. Deficiency of vitamin B complex results in poor fighting ability against diseases, they are more susceptible to diseases and the recovery is slow.

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for children

Vitamin	Age group	RDA
A	1-13 years	400-500mcg 300-600mcg
D	1-13 years	400IU 600IU
C	1-13 years	40-50mg 15-45mg

How can you recognize deficiency in your child?
Kids develop some symptoms when they have any deficiency of vitamins such as irritation and poor growth of leg bones in case of low vitamin D, feeling tired after doing less activity, hair loss, dry eyes in case of low vitamin A. If your child's skin is dry, not feeling hungry, having regular infections, unable to sleep properly and feeling a sense of vomiting, indicate signs of low vitamin B and C.

How to overcome this deficiency?
Any natural source is the best choice to overcome deficiency. Proper diet will help children overcome most of the vitamin deficiencies. Try to recognize deficiency at early stages. Prepare a chart of food list that are necessary for your child.

Here are some of the foods that are rich in all vitamins and will promote the growth of the child - leafy vegetables, eggs, fish, liver, carrot, kale, apricots (vitamin A), soybeans, beans, yeast, legumes, lentils, avocado (vitamin B), milk is the best source of calcium, cod liver oils, tuna, mushroom, cheese, yogurt, butter, citrus fruits like orange, lemon are the best sources of vitamin C.

The issues that vitamin deficiencies cause are serious. If you suspect signs of vitamin deficiency, consult your pediatrician immediately.