Supporting Your Childs Immunity: Top Supplement Picks for Kids
Now more than ever we are looking to ensure that our immune systems are kept as strong as possible and the same goes for our children. As a healthcare professional, I always recommend that we get as much nutrients, vitamins and minerals from out diet as possible. However, we sometimes require supplements to ensure that we are getting enough. This is particularly important if your child or teen is a picky eater or simply doesn’t like certain fruits or vegetables, if they have recently been unwell, taken antibiotics or are going back to school or creche after a break.
Children and teens are generally full of energy and undergoing rapid growth and development. It is for this reason that they need optimum nutrition to support them during this stage of their life. There is a wide variety of supplements that can be taken by children and teens to support their diets and in turn keep them healthy and well. I would generally recommend multi-vitamins and fish oils for children and teens. These can be taken alone or in combination with each other depending on the needs of the child.
If your child is taking any medications or has any medical conditions, please consult your doctor or pharmacist before giving them any nutritional food supplements.
My top supplements that I like to recommend on a daily basis in the pharmacy are:
Multi-Vitamins
Giving your child a multi-vitamin is a good idea if they are a poor eater or are not getting a wide variety of vitamins and minerals in their diet. They are also great to help boost energy levels and support their immune systems.
Revive Active Junior Revive is an Irish company that have made a super supplement specially formulated for children aged between 5 and 12 years old, delivering multiple benefits in one easy sachet.
Each Sachet contains Wellmune® (clinically proven to naturally strengthen key immune cells) plus other nutrients for healthy bone development, 18 essential vitamins & minerals, a prebiotic & a probiotic fibre, and supports cognitive function. There is no added sugar, it is unflavoured and the sachet can be mixed in a favourite cereal, juice or water once per day.
Revive Active Teen Revive is a super supplement specially formulated for teenagers aged between 13 and 19 years old, delivering multiple benefits in one easy sachet.
This supplement also contains Wellmune® plus other nutrients for healthy bone development, 18 essential vitamins & minerals, a prebiotic & a probiotic fibre, and supports cognitive function. There is no added sugar, it is unflavoured and the sachet can be mixed in a favourite cereal, juice or water once per day.
Sambucol is a supplement that is made with black elderberries and has added vitamin C and zinc. These ingredients are vital for a healthy immune system and help fight infection. It provides a natural high dose of antioxidants which are hugely important for the immune system. Sambucol comes in a tasty liquid formula that can be give with a teaspoon or syringe in to the mouth. Sambucol liquid is safe for use from 12 months of age.
Vitabiotics have a range of gummy vitamins for children. If your child would prefer to take a gummy sweet instead of a liquid or a sachet formulation there is the option of the Wellkid Marvel Multi-vits. This multi-vitamin provides nutritional support for children with a delicious strawberry flavour in the form of a soft jelly. Each jelly contains all 8 B-complex vitamins plus Vitamin A,C,D & E. They are suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets too. Children aged 7-14 year should chew one jelly per day.
Symprove:
Symprove is designed to replace or replenish your intestinal bacteria. It can be taken by the whole family and is suitable for children as well as adults. Symprove is a non-dairy, gluten free water-based barley drink. Officially known as a food supplement, it is the ONLY drink containing live multi-strain bacteria with its own high-speed Unique Delivery System (UDS™). The unique delivery system protects the live bacteria as they travel through the stomach without triggering digestion and ensures they quickly reach targeted areas of the gut. The 4 strains of live bacteria in Symprove come from the Lactobacilli family and these particular strains are unique to Symprove.
When giving Symprove to children you can calculate the dose depending on their weight. It is recommended that you give your child 1ml per kg of weight. If your child is 20kg then they should take 20mls once per day on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.
Symprove run an ongoing offer whereby when you purchase two boxes you can claim your third box for free. Your free four bottle pack must be claimed within 12 weeks of your original purchase.
Bio-Kult Infantis:
Bio-Kult Infantis is an advanced multi-strain formulation for infants with Omega-3 and vitamin D3. There are 7 strains of live bacteria, it is high in omega-c and has vitamin D to contribute to the development of the bones and the support of the immune system. Bio-Kult Infantis is suitable to be taken by babies, toddlers and young children, alongside antibiotics, when travelling and as part of a healthy diet. The formulation comes in easy-to-use sachets that can be added to food, water or juice and taken once per day. If still breast feeding some of the powder can be mixed with a little milk or placed directly on the nipple before a feed or given directly into the infant’s mouth.
Omegas
Omegas are particularly important for concentration and brain function as a whole. Coming up to the end of the school year it is a great time to ensure that they are getting the most out of their classes and that they are kept focussed.
Eskimo-3 is a unique stable fish oil supplement containing a healthy balance of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. Omega-3 fatty acids have been well studied for their role in the support of many systems in the body, including heart, musculoskeletal and cognitive. This product contains a healthy balance of Omega-3, 6 & 9 fatty acids. From fresh, deep sea fish and not from cultivated fish. It also contains vitamin D for healthy bone development in growing children and Vitamin E which helps to keep it fresh longer.
The recommended dosage for children aged 1-12 years is one teaspoon (5ml) daily with food. Eskimo comes in a natural orange flavour that kids will love. 
Vitamin D
If your child has a good varied diet and you feel as though they don’t need a full multi-vitamin. it is still important to consider giving them a vitamin D supplement. This is a vitamin that can be hard to get enough of from diet alone. The other place that we can get vitamin D from is direct sunlight which, lets face it, is something we don’t get enough of here in Ireland. There are a range of Vitamin D supplements available and I find for children and teens the most popular form are the drops or the spray.
DLux Infant provides the government recommend dose of vitamin D (400IU) in a gentle and pure formulation - Without unnecessary sugars, bulking agents or artificial flavourings.
Formulated to provide optimal nutritional delivery, each spray provides the vitamin D in micro-sized droplets that coat and permeate the soft-tissue of the inner cheek, delivering the essential nutrients into the rich vein system below. This allows the formulation to quickly enter the bloodstream for optimal absorption.
A great-tasting and convenient method of supplementation for infants and young children – No water. no tablets. no fuss.
One spray delivers 400IU of vitamin D. Use 1 spray a day (or as directed by your healthcare practitioner). Carefully spray into your mouth, ideally onto the inside of your cheek, and hold for a few seconds. It can be taken at any time of the day. 
Baby Vit D3 is a vitamin D supplement that is suitable from birth. It is really important, particularly if breastfeeding to ensure that your baby is getting a supplement of vitamin D as breastmilk does not contain any and they are not being exposed to sunlight.
Two tiny drops of these BabyVit Vitamin D3 drops can provide your 0 to 12 months child with their recommended daily dose of 5ug (200 IU) of Vitamin D. These colourless, odourless and tasteless drops can be given directly to your baby or added to food or drink for easier consumption.
Each bottle contains 340 drops, which is the equivalent of an almost 6-month supply of vital Vitamin D for your baby. Vitamin D is vital for your little one's bone health and immune health. The handy dropper applicator allows you to ensure you are supplying the correct dosage to your baby. These drops are a great source of this essential vitamin. 
Our team are always here to help in any way we can. If you have any questions or need advice, please contact any of our stores of phone our helpline 01 485 3098 or email help@meagherspharmacy.ie
