Guidelines for effective vitamin C supplementation for children

Vitamin C plays an important role in improving resistance, strengthening the immune system, and the overall health of the baby. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to meet the full needs of vitamin C for the body. However, how to properly supplement vitamin C for children? Check out the tutorials below from Solife!

1. Benefits of Vitamin C for Children

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a vitamin found in citrus fruits, apples, potatoes, and peppers. Besides, this vitamin also appears in many forms of good functional foods for the body.

Vitamin C brings many great uses for many different subjects, especially children. Specifically:

• Vitamin C participates in the production of tissue cells in the skin, supporting effective wound healing for babies.
• Supplementing vitamin C for children helps strengthen strong resistance against harmful agents both inside and outside the environment. Besides, it also helps to prevent bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin, loose teeth, infections, and anemia, …

• An effective antioxidant that helps children prevent the risk of arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.
• Involved in the synthesis of important chemicals in the body to transmit signals in the nervous system. Supports the baby’s physical and mental development.
• Helps children absorb other essential compounds for comprehensive development such as iron, calcium, …
• Supports the formation of bones and teeth.

It can be said that the most important role of vitamin C for children is to improve the immune system. In addition, this is also an extremely important factor in the development of children’s early years.

2. Signs of vitamin C deficiency in children

Cases of vitamin C deficiency in children are very rare. However, parents need to pay attention to supplement vitamin C for children in the following cases:

• Children do not eat enough green vegetables, and ripe fruits needed to meet the daily vitamin C needs that the body needs.
• Children with bacterial infections, viral infections, fevers, and flu… should be provided with adequate vitamin C to improve the immune system and fight pathogens.

• In the case of children with anemia or iron deficiency, vitamin C should be added to enhance iron absorption and increase blood circulation.
• Children living in an unhealthy environment, with a lot of dust, pollution, and cigarette smoke… need vitamin C to support the recovery of damaged cells.

3. Safe and effective way to supplement vitamin C for children

Supplementing with vitamin C is the first solution to help improve children’s resistance and overall health. Do you know how to make vitamin C supplements for children safe and effective? Check out the 4 ways below:

3.1 Supplement under the guidance of a doctor or specialist

Do not arbitrarily supplement vitamin C at home, because this can lead to an excess of vitamin C or cause certain side effects. Parents should consult with experts, and check the calcium concentration inside the child’s body to be able to supplement properly and with the recommended amount.

3.2 Feeding children vitamin C-rich foods

Vitamin C is abundant in everyday foods, especially from fresh citrus fruits, tangerines, and green vegetables. In particular, natural vitamin C is quickly absorbed by the body and stored longer than synthetic vitamins, safe for children’s digestive systems. Therefore, give your baby foods rich in vitamin C every day.

3.3 Use vitamin C supplements properly

Besides food, parents can refer to more calcium from supplements or vitamin C pills for children. However, priority should be given to products in the form of effervescent marshmallows to make the baby feel more appetizing and stimulate the taste buds. Besides, it is important to choose safe, benign vitamin C preparations that do not cause side effects during use.

3.4 Supplementing the right dose of vitamin C for children

The right amount is essential when supplementing with vitamin C or any other vitamin or mineral for the body. Supplementing with an overdose of vitamin C for children or taking supplements for a long time can lead to “drug tolerance”, affecting health as well as the ability to absorb water.

4. Notes when supplementing vitamin C for children

Some parents still have misconceptions about calcium supplements for children, especially thinking that the more the supplement, the more beneficial it is. Therefore, in the process of giving children calcium supplements, please note:

• First: At different ages, children will need different levels of vitamin C. Therefore, mothers need to understand the needs of the baby to timely supplement properly. Specifically, children from 1 to 3 years old need 15 mg of vitamin C, children 4 – 8 years old need 25 mg, and children 9 – 13 years old need 45 mg per day.
• Second: Vitamin C can cause side effects such as dizziness, diarrhea, digestive disorders, and stomach ulcers … if supplemented in high doses or for too long.
• Third: Should supplement vitamin C children in the morning, because this is the time when the body absorbs this vitamin better than in the afternoon or evening.

• If supplementing with vitamin C through dietary supplements, it is necessary to choose products from reputable brands and refer to the dosage from the manufacturer.

Above are the benefits of vitamin C and 4 effective ways to help supplement vitamin C for children. Solife hopes that with the information just shared, parents will have more knowledge in fully and properly providing this vitamin to help their baby be healthy and develop more comprehensively.

Read more:

• Vitamins and minerals for teenager growth
• Does vitamin C increase height? How to supplement?

Trần Hoàng Uyên

Trần Hoàng Uyên (Senior Manager Pharmaceutical company) là chuyên gia cấp cao với nhiều năm kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực dược phẩm. Tốt nghiệp cử nhân chuyên ngành Quản lý dược I tại Trường Đại học Y dược TP. Hồ Chí Minh và hiện đang công tác tại công ty dược phẩm. Với hơn 10 năm kinh nghiệm làm việc trong ngành dược, chị Hoàng Uyên là chuyên gia cộng tác tham vấn y khoa cho danh mục blog cũng như các nội dung liên quan trên Solife. (Tran Hoang Uyen (Senior Manager Pharmaceutical company) is a senior specialist with many years of experience in the Pharmaceutical field. She graduated Bachelor of Pharmacy Management I at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City and is currently working for a pharmaceutical company. With more than 10 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Hoang Uyen is a medical consultant collaborator for content on Solife's website.)