Better tasting infant vitamins?

[RadioFanatic]

My 16 month old is being a VERY picky eater so I asked the pediatrician if he should be taking vitamins. He recommended the liquid form. MY LORD it smells AWFUL so I can only imagine how horrific it must taste. I've given it to DS twice, but understandably he fights it and then gags afterwards. Is there a better tasting brand someone can recommend or a way to make it taste better? I'm using store brand b/c pediatrician said I could but yikes, I don't want to traumatize my kid each morning. Thanks!

 

[Avonlady1001]

I hope you're not just squirting it in his mouth. I always put it in his bottle/cup or in the food. If I remember right, DD switched to chewable vitamins somewhere after her 2 yr checkup.

 

[laughinplace199]

My Ds is 2.5 yrs old and is on liquid vitamins. I put it in his yogurt or oatmeal every morning and he is none the wiser.

 

[aTasteOfHeaven]

The polivisol vitamins do smell horrible! The Flinstones vitamins have a formula for toddlers. I am not sure right off hand what the age is, but my daughter loves them.

I would just mix it in with a small amount of food or juice that you know he will eat or drink all of it.

 

[pyrxtc]

I think a lot of 16 month olds are picky eaters. It doesn't neccesarily mean they need vitamins. As long as he is growing and healthy, he is good for what he is eating and vitamins are not somehting he absolutely needs. Now if he wouldn't eat at all and would only drink his milk I would worry but they say kids tend to know what they need and only eat that. I never did vitamins for any of my kids and some barely ate as toddlers but they are all in the 90th percentile and hardly ever sick.

 

[blessedby3]

My youngest DD was anemic a while back and she had to go on liqued vitamins. They are NASTY smelling and so I put them in her oatmeal too. She took them okay that way. At her 18 mo old checkup I asked about chewables for her. Doc said that those would be fine, so I would break a chewable in half and she would chew it up- no problem!

 

[bartleby1]

Quite honestly, even though they smell DREADFUL, my kids never seemed to mind them at all. I squirted them right into their mouths and they gobbled them up and licked their lips. They even asked for them if I were to forget. I don't know. Maybe they don't taste as bad as they smell? My kids never showed any signs of disliking them. Even my third born who is one of the pickiest kids on the planet!

 

[RadioFanatic]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm actually afraid to put this foul tasting stuff in any of hte food he eats b/c he's being so picky - I don't want him to end up hating that food too, KWIM? I really think he doesn't like the taste of it b/c he fights me each time but I have managed to still get it in him. I just feel bad that he hates it so much - why won't he eat!!! And he's getting bored with what he does eat, but then doesn't like anything else I give him! Only fruit he'll eat are bananas and apple SAUCE (not apples themselves), only veggies are peas, winter squash and sweet potatoes. Meats, dairy and carbs he is fine on. Except he just doesn't eat much as a whole. It's just the veggies and fruits. And I had to stop giving him bananas bc he is not doing number 2 enough. Ahh, the fun of a toddler!

 

[mjkacmom]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm actually afraid to put this foul tasting stuff in any of hte food he eats b/c he's being so picky - I don't want him to end up hating that food too, KWIM? I really think he doesn't like the taste of it b/c he fights me each time but I have managed to still get it in him. I just feel bad that he hates it so much - why won't he eat!!! And he's getting bored with what he does eat, but then doesn't like anything else I give him! Only fruit he'll eat are bananas and apple SAUCE (not apples themselves), only veggies are peas, winter squash and sweet potatoes. Meats, dairy and carbs he is fine on. Except he just doesn't eat much as a whole. It's just the veggies and fruits. And I had to stop giving him bananas bc he is not doing number 2 enough. Ahh, the fun of a toddler!

I assume he's eating whole fruits and veggies, and not baby food. I WISH my kids had such a variety! I'm lucky if I have a child that likes more than 1 or 2 veggies. He's fine!

 

[Twingle]

Does he like yogurt? All three of mine had to take those vitamins, and I would put their dose into a drinkables, that yogurt you drink with a straw. Never had any problem with them taking it that way. Just an idea!

Good luck!