Advice on Fish Oil

S...I use something that I think he might take. You can order a free one for him to try.

The web site is

http://www.coromega.com/index3.html

It is like a paste but great tasting. Easy to take.

Hope this helps, Trisha Anderson
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www.JustCallMeEinstein.com
Brain Food for adults and children

I personally had sensory issues and started using Ocean Essentials. My 4 children ages 3, 5, 7 and 9 all use them. They also use the Nutrilite gummies...you can look at the link below and type in either fish or DHA

http://gcarlton.qhealthbeauty.com/

Good Luck!

You can put the fish oil in food. You can't taste it when it's in sauces and things like that. Plus it's good for the whole family so everyone can benefit from it.

I would get a second opinion about giving a child fish oil to treat sensory issues. My daughter had a sensory issue that escalated out of control, in part I believe because her doctors did not take it seriously (I now feed her through a G-button). A good occupational therapist will help with sensory issues far more than any nutritional supplement. There are many great occupational therapists in my community who specialize in helping kids with sensory issue, including food and texture issues. I would ask around to see what is available in your community. Hope this helps, and good luck!

I have a friend whose wife works at the Children's Hospital in Boston and she said they did some research on kids with and without fish oils. The kids that were giventhe fish oils did so much better than the kids without that they felt it unfair to withhold something that would improve their health so immensely.

I have been looking for a flavored fish oil in a liquid and so far I have found nothing here in the KC area. The friend fromo above sent me this link to a pharmacy in Boston that carries the stuff and it's flavored so that the kids will take it. It's worth a try!

America’s Compounding Center
866-222-7993
http://www.accrx.com

Good luck!

S.,
Try the Nordic Naturals chewable capsules. They are small round capsules with the fish oil inside and they come in a couple of different flavors: I think strawberry and lemon. I know that this brand is a bit more pricey but it is one of the best.
D.

Flaxseed and fish oil can be bought in liquid form at your local health food store. Then blend it in a shake. I put milk, yogurt, flaxseed oil, frozen blueberries, and honey or sugar in a blender and my daughter loves it! She asks for a "shake" every morning. If you experiment to find what your child likes, it can be a very healthy meal. I sometimes at bananas, protein powder, juice...

S., Wow! Your doctor actually gave you good advice! Fish oil can mean the difference of day and night in kids like this so you have to do whatever it takes. You are on the right track but I feel for you because 4 year olds do not swallow pills well. However, he may be able to with a little practice. I have had some luck with Carlson liquid cod liver oil (Lemon flavor) put into orange juice. Start with an extremely small dose, maybe a couple of drops, and work up. Even though he needs more than you can give him, anything will help. My kids now are 9 and 13 and they LOVE taking their fish oil capsules.
Fish oil helps with hormone issues, cognitive problems, autism, ADD...you name it....probably because nearly all kids are deficient in DHA. Good luck and I'm eager to see others' advice. M
PS After reading all the responses you need to be aware that all fish oil is not the same. You must get pharmaceutical grade oil that has had all the heavy metals removed (mercury, etc) Also, flax seed must be ground fresh just before eaten because flax oil oxidizes almost immediately. Flax also does not have enough of the EPA/DHA that the kids need for brain development. I don't recommend Flax as a substitute for fish oil. Also, most Chiropractors sell high quality fish oil products in their offices, usually better quality than run of the mill health food stores can offer.

I have an idea one of my friends has a little girl who has to take meds for something. She always breaks the pill into little pieces and mixes it will a spoon full of her fav jelly. You miht give that a try.

Try www.askdrsears.com . He has a children's fish oil product that is mercury free... extremely important.

If you can find fish oil pills (I've never tried), you could try getting a pill crusher (available at pharmacies for about $3-4), which is very easy to use, and then put the powdered pill in applesauce or some other soft food (or drink). Hope this might help!

We (our family) have used fish oil for yrs, and all of it tastes terrible except for the capsules. Just one of those tastes that is nearly impossible to mask. However, I worked in a pediatrician's office for yrs, and have a little trick to teach kids as young as 3 to swallow pills/capsules. We'd have mom bring a thick shake (like a Frosty), or some yogurt, or pudding. Brop the capsule in the edge of the substance where the child won't see it. Give them a bite or two with a spoon, then dip it in and bury the capsule in the next bite, and feed that bite w/o saying anything. I promise - it'll go right down, and when he finds out what a big boy he now is, he'll be so proud of himself. Works like a charm every time!

peanut butter hides many things

If your doctor is wanting your 4 year old to get the Omega-3 from the fish oil. Try the Omega-3 at Wild Oats. It is a child's form that you mix with water and makes a kool-aid like drink. I have mixed it with ice and made a slushy with it, and also with ice-cream and berries for a smoothy.
We have used it especially with my 8 year old that has sensory integration issues with her food and everyday textures and sounds.
Good Luck

Call around to health food stores for a very high quality fish oil and it will have NO odor or taste and it a daily dose will be small and mixable with something he likes to drink. If you are unable to find some locally you can go on line to order these. Good luck :)

It was also recommended that my 2-year-old daughter take fish oil. Whole Foods carrys a special fish oil for kids in a liquid form that has a cherry flavor. It's called Children's DHA by Nordic Naturals & is 4 ounces. The bottle says to give 1/2 tsp daily. I think it cost around $12. My daughter actually likes the taste of it. :) Hope this helps!

Nordic Naturals makes a strawberry flavored DHA/fish oil for children that is small compared to most oil capsules. My 4 year old nephew will chew and/or swallow that one and calls it his "strawberry pill" (eeau, make me gag). My 26 month old has been taking fish oil (without strawberry) since he was eighteen months. I puncture a capsule and mix the oil into a jar of vegetable baby food. He didn't like it with fruity stuff, and sweet fish just seems gross to me. Carrots are his favorite, but we also use butternut squash or sweet potatoes. He won't eat any of these veggie purees without the fish oil. I hope this gives you some ideas for your son.

We use Nordic Naturals strawberry flavored fish oil. We did have trouble taking it straight because of the oily texture. Mixed in a little bit of milk or juice isn't bad though. Fish oil supplements are so important don't give up!

Try flax oil. It is an omega-3 as well. You can add flax oil to foods and it doesn't have the fish taste. I've read that you can rub the fish oil onto the skin, but that was sooooo discusting when I tried that on my son...we both got sick. They also have flax seed. My dad has tried that, but I haven't. Smart Balance "butter" has omega-3's in it...you can easily add that to his food. Just ask your doctor how many mg's your son should have and look at the packages.

I don't know of any but what if you get the pill and crush it up and mix it in with his food.

My nephew is 3 and he takes DHA Junior it is a chewable tablet that tasts like strawberry. You can find them on this web site www.nordicnaturals.com
I hope this helps.
A.

They make strawberry flaverd capsuls... I make a protien icecream shake and sneek all of the vitamins I can. Be sure to make a big deal of Icecream everyday for good boys. If he is lactose intolerant I use rice and soy icecream.

I totally agree with everything M L had to say in her response. M L is totally correct. I work in the health care field and have also been studying Nutrition for the past 6 years

Carlson's brand is great and Nordic Naturals chewy dha/fish oil for kids is great too. My kids love them. Can be bought online or at any health food store. Check out the Nordic Naturals website. Google Nordic Naturals. My kids (age 3 & 4) take Twinlab Emulsified Norwegian orange flavored Cod Liver Oil. It's a yogurt like consistency. They lick it off the spoon and have been getting it since they were 4 months old. I'm not sure if your child will take it or not, but may be worth a try. It's very cost friendly at 1 tsp per day. The most important thing to remember with all fish oils is to MAKE SURE your fish oil supplement is free from all toxins, mercury, PCB's, dioxins, etc. Those are neurotoxins and you don't need to add those to his existing condition. Nordic Naturals are totally free of all those contaminants. So is the Twinlab emulsified orange flavored cod liver oil. Remember, you get what you pay for and not all supplements are created equal. I highly recommend you get a good one for him. Wal-Mart quality type supplements will not be able to meet that. You will have to go to a health food store or purchase it online. It's worth it to pay a little more. You also need to have him on a high quality whole food based multivitamin that is absorbable and will give him the nutrients his growing brain needs. Again, those can be purchased at health food stores. Including cold-water fish like Wild alaskan salmon and cod that are high in omega 3 fish oils is great to add to your family's diet. Grass fed organic beef is also loaded in omega 3's. Regular, conventional beef is not. These are great dietary things you can add to his diet. Omega 3 eggs(organic and cage free if possible) are loaded with brain building nutrients. Lots of fruits and veggies are important too. Just Fyi- tuna has more mercury in it than wild alaskan salmon. I would avoid giving that due to your circumstances. Wild Alaskan Salmon has some of the least toxins compared to other seafood. I get my alaskan salmon at Super Target or any health food type grocer. Avoid farmed fish due to increased levels of toxins compared to wild caught. A good source to look at this is at www.mercola.com and google fish oils, farmed raised fish, wild caught fish, etc. It's very informative. I highly praise your doctor for recommending this. ALL children and adults should be on Omega 3 fish oils. It benefits the body in so many ways. www.vitacost.com is a price friendly website where you can purchase the same supplements from healthfood stores and it's usually cheaper.

yea, i have a good idea that helped me, put the fish oil capsule in the freezer for 30 mins before you give it, then put it in a spoon full of ice cream. If that doesn't help you can poke a hole in the capsale, mix it with a small amount of pudding, yogurt, applesauce, or Icecream and give it immediatly. Drinking fluids immediatly after taking the fish oil is helpful also, just nothing warm for about 30 minutes.
I hope it helps

Try grinding up the pill and putting in a food he likes to eat.

I use Children's DHA 100% artic cod liver oil. It comes in a strawberry flavor and I mix it in with juice. My children don't even notice (just make sure it is in a covered cup or they will see the oil float to the top). I've also been told I could add it to their yogurt as well. I mail order mine from a vitamin shop, but have seen it at Whole Foods Market. My son will eat the soft chewable ones also in the strawberry, but my daughter won't...every child is different but hope it works!!

Hi.

I have a suggestion. If the pill can be crushed, which it should be ok,after crushing it put it on one slice of pb&j!Kids love it and it gets to the system quicker.

C.

Have you tried the Fish Oil on Dr. Sears website. I have used that with my 3 kids & have not had any problems. I also do a lot of hiding things in their food (powder in applesauce, liquid in milk or pudding, melting gummies in pancakes, etc.) Good luck.
Jen

Is he advising you for the Omega-3's? You can get that in Flaxseed. You can sprinkle and disguise it in food. Just a thought!

You could ask your pharmacist to flavor a liquid for you. But you could also consider fixing tuna salad or salmon on a regular basis. Talk with a nutritionist about fish to fish oil ratios.

Normal fish oil taste AWFUL, so we take something a little different. We take DHA junior by Nordic Naturals. It is a very high grade, but it has a strawberry taste. It is in little gel balls...you can either chew them or swallow. I believe it comes in liquid, too...if so, you can put it in a fruit smoothie...which my kids LOVE! I put about 5 strawberries, 1/2 a bannana and 1/2 cup of orange juice (to make a kiddie smoothie). Sometimes I add blueberries or pineapple...but usually not. I put FLAX SEED OIL (cold pressed VERY high grade) in it instead of the fish oil becuase my kids will take the chewies...they taste really good...I take the adult version and I save them for last (in my handful of supplements)becuase they are so good! I get all my supplements from my nutritionist becuase if you don't get a high enough grade, you are wasting your money! One of my kids is completely sensitive to textures, and he even likes them!

Good luck!

If your concern is to get the Omega's, have you thought about ground flaxseed? My friend told me about it and I found some at Costco and Sams both (as well as Wild Oats if you do not have a membership)It is cold pressed which gives it a longer shelf life which is good since it is a big bottle. Most grocery stores sell this in small amounts though..make sure it is ground or you grind it at home. It is not expensive either. I use to buy it at Hy-vee for less than five dollars, just not sure if they still have it or not. I paid about ten bucks for the big bottle at Costco.

I hide it in my kids food like their smoothies, or yogurt or casseroles... whatever it may be. I hope this helps you, it has really helped my family.

B.

Being pregnant, I had to stop taking fish oil pills because I could not handle them anymore. I have found a fish oil that I almost enjoy taking, Omega-3 Coromega, orange flavor! It is in the form of gel or pudding (it's hard to decribe), it comes in a packet with a daily dose. You can take it directly by mouth from the packet, mix it in yogurt or a small smoothie. The greatest part is that it tastes like an orange cream-cicle. It's sweetened with stevia so there are no extra calories or sugar. Taking fish oil in this form increases absorbtion because as soon as you take it, your body starts digesting it. You might try contacting the company and they may send you a free sample to try, especially if you explain your situation. I buy mine at Akins heathfood stores. I think a month supply is about $30-35. If your family likes it, you can buy it in bulk at a big savings. Ask if they have any coupons....they usually do!