Vitamin Water for Kids?

I know there was recently a news report about people getting too much vitamins because of the vitamin water. My peditrician prescribed vitamins for my kids and then told me to switch to multi vitamin like Flintstones chewables.

my two cents:
vitamin waters contain too much sugar, even if it only looks like a little bit. kids don't need it. not to mention, if you feed you kids processed foods such as conventional breads, cereals, juice, etc., they are supplemented completely already. in addition, if you happen to give them vitamins it's just too much. wasteful. stick to water or electrolyte water, no sugar added. smart water and whole foods 365 electrolyte water are great examples of good water to give kids if you feel that tap water is just not good enough. but really try to avoid the sugar, and keep them away from the herbs too. not necessary for them at all. hope this helps.
D. :o)

If it's a choice between vitamin water and soda, I'd take the vitamin water (with no stimulants). But if its a choice between vitamin water and plain H2O, I'd stick with good, clean water if your child will drink it.

Children's vitamins plus a reasonably good diet will give most kids everything they need. Of course, toddlers go through stages when we worry that they are not eating enough. But I think we risk misdirecting their natural appetite when we give them "engineered" products in order to quell our worries.

I believe that early beverages are best kept simple, mainly because kids could become bored with plain water, nature's most excellent drink, and demand beverages that involve jazzy flavors, more expense, and questionable value.

In my humble opinion, my kids need to learn to drink water, the staple of life, without it being colored and sweetened. I also don't feed them junk food like gold fish crackers (white flour and shortening), animal crackers (white flour and sugar), fruit snacks (sugar), candy (except for a rare treat), soda or juice (sugar), etc etc etc. I save tons of money, and they eat real foods like fruit, whole grain breads, etc.

I rep for a Manufacturing Company so I thought you might enjoy some info. There is very good marketing on TV and you'll see vitamin water, Calcium in Everything. Doesn't mean it is usable minerals. I won't take anything with calcium added because it is an inorganic calcium and you can end up with calcium deposits since the body doesn't know what to do with an inorganic calcium. The body also cannot utilize vitamins if it cannot get minerals. Most products on the marketplace have cheap inorganic minerals so not only are they not bio-available they can create deposits. So beware of all the enticing marketing. If you would like more information you are welcome to email me.
N. B.

You should try to stick with plain water and get your vitamins from whole foods. Our bodies were not designed to be able to use the megadoses of isolated vitamins found in supplements, there are too many missing elements. Plants like fruits, vegetables andwhole grains have been found to have over 25,000 different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients all of which are important to our health and readily available to the body. I found a product called Juice Plus+ that offers the nutritional equivalent of 17 servings of fresh, raw fruits, veggies and whole grain in capsule, chewable and gummie form. If you are interested, you can check out my website www.juiceplus.com/+db35635. It is a simple affordable way to get the nutrients we need everday!
Have a good day,
D.

Vitamin water contains high frutose corn syrup, which is bad to consume for any age. Real sugar would be better. Only giving your child juice during meal time and not in between is the best way to decrease the occurance of obesity.

I have heard that the vitamin water has sugar in it - which we are trying to avoid in our house - not to mention the high fructose corn syrup! I figure it's just another fancy way for someone to sell me a product and make a buck...all the while labeling it with "water" in the name so I feel it's good for me or my kids.

We just give a Flintstones vitamin daily, and regular food with a good variety of nutrients. The kids drink water, lemonade (homemade with lemon juice, so I can control the sugar), and milk.

At this age, your daughter will be exposed to only what you choose to give her - so be thoughtful about what you are purchasing to drink, read labels, etc. The up side is that you can save money by doing this as well.

My kids LOVE the flintstones vitamins and I have never had one refuse it. They're sweetened after all, so they think its like candy!

Just make sure that they are not getting an overdose of anything. You have to be careful because a lot of "kid foods" are fortified with vitamins. When you add them all up, they could be getting too much.
Although some don't matter...like Vitamin C, if you take too much, it just come out in your pee. But too much of others can have harmful side effects.

Hi R.,

If you read the labels on most flavored waters, they have sugar and even sodium, and like others mentioned high fruictose corn syrup, plus the makers can't even guarantee that you'll get the same amount in one bottle as the next has, so we can reason that we don't know that they are putting the right amount(or even what they say they're puting) of vitamins in them. And like the one poster mentioned, these doses were not meant for children, anyway.

I agree, plain water only for kids, especially little ones. And if you *must* give kids a "special" water, there are special waters meant only for kids. You could also flavor regular water different ways: add a little bit of unsweetened Kool-Aid powder, lemon, lime, 100% fruit juice, frozen fruits, or make them an herbal tea w/no caffeine. Those come in many different flavors.

Hope that helps, :o)

K. W

R.,
I agree with you about the nevers you stated. Most people are unaware that these drinks contain guarana which is caffeine. In my opinion and for our children I believe that children should not drink adult beverages. These products are designed for adults with specific dosages targeted to adult sized bodies, not children. My concern is that the child is getting adult dosages of vitamins and chemicals which can be dangerous.

Stick with plain water or watered down juice or even water with a little lemon and lime.
There are also drinks targeted for children and their body size.

Check with your pediatrician or pharmacist about the vitamin dosages and make sure they are safe before you give them to your child.

For our boys adult drinks are 100% off limits.

Best of luck to you.

Personally, I wouldn't do it. The vitamins are not designed for children and you're just adding sugars and calories to their water. Tap water is still preferred to juices and bottled water because of the extra fluoride needed for their teeth. If you still want to give it to kids, I would check with your doctor first.

I don't know about kids, but I personally had a very bad Vitamin Water experience. It has a sugar content equivalent to that of soft drinks, according to wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glac%C3%A9au
It contains between 25 - 30 grams of sugar per drink according to the nononsense guide. http://www.oohoi.com/healthy_living/vitamin-info/vitamin-...

Your child wouldn't drink a while bottle, but for me Vitamiin Water was just too sugary.

R.,

I have a son that is almost 5, and a daughter that is 17 months. They both love the Propel waters. I don't see any harm in giving it to them, especially since their parents don't like the taste of plain water. I don't give the gatorades to them though.

Hope this helps,
Melissa

I am a momma of three year old and a one year old. I started to take this vitamin called bazi it is awsome. What is awsome anyone can take it. Adults or kids of course you would not give it as much as a adult would take. but you can put it in juice or water or anything and dillute it or just take it straight. If you would want some info i have a website drinkbazi.biz/USA/?ID=kyliemaren08 and if you need more after that I would love to email you more info. Thanks for your time. I do give my daughter just a little bit and she loves the taste of it and it has more then vitamins it has fruits and minerals ok thanks again for your time. any questions pleae let me know. hope to hear from you soon.

C. Shore

oregon

I wouldn't give kids Vitamin Water regularly, but I have given my kids (2 and 4) FUZE if they start to show signs of getting sick. FUZE has a lot less sugar than Vitamin Water and it is a very lite flavor.

Sugar, even in low doses is unhealthy for anyone, including children.
# Sugar can suppress the immune system.
# Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
# Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
# Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
# Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
Just google "sugar effects on health" and you will find lists with 100+ reasons.

Also, the vitamin water that I have tested has an acidic pH, which having an acidic body causes all kinds of health problems. It is better that your tap water, which may contain lead, arsenic, fluoride, chemicals including chlorine, and pharmaceuticals and birth control that isn't filtered through the city's water filtration.

Personally I use a water machine that filters, ionizes and alkalizes our family's drinking water and have noticed huge changes in our health and my older dog!! Helped a lot with nausea in my first trimester too. Plus it's cheaper than what I was spending on bottled water, which most are acidic and my nutritionist found that I had a toxin in my system that gets leached from the plastic. ick!

Hope this helps R.!

I wouldn't use it, this is on instinct and knowledge of what these companies are all about. Give her real spring water...Crystal Geiser (from Mt. Shasta) or Mountain Mist (from Mt. Rainier) which have the minerals in the balance nature intended in water already in it :) They're also a lot less expensive.

Best wishes,
Liz Brandegee
Classical Homeopath

I have never heard any side effects myself, but I wouldn't worry about whether they have vitamin water right now or not. Believe me, most tap water is harmless and safe for them to drink. I usually give my son Propel. The brand Vitamin Water has high calories and isn't the best to drink.

HI: If you are concnerned about giving vitamin supplementation to your child, I would not use vitamin water, but rather purchase a very high quality children's vitamin that is pharmaceutical grade and is scientifically developed for your child. Vitamin water is not calibrated for children's nutritional needs. Lyle McWilliam's book, A Comparative guide to Children's Nutritional Supplements, available at your library or from Amazon will give you guidance on the top vitamins for children as young as 12 mos. I know that he says that the Usanimals from Usana Health Sciences is the best in the counry. The majority of products on the shelf at the pharmacy are worthless. Douglas Laborabories makes a very good children's vitamin. The website for douglas is www.douglaslabs.com. The website for Usana is www.Usana.com, but you must have a distributor's number to enter. If you are interested in ordering Usanimals, let me know, and I can give you an entry number and you can order them yourself on line.

If you are unsure about supplentation read Dr. Christine Wood's book How to Get Kids to Eat Great and Love It. She is a great believer in supplementation because of our food production and distribution process. She has a website which I am sure you can find if you google her name.

Well, I hope this helps. All four of my grandchildren are on vitamins and they seem to be free of colds and very healthy!
Contact me at ____@____.com if you have any questions or want to get the Usanimals.

Vitamin water has alot of sugar... I give my kids Propel water by gatorade and they love the new G2 (low sugar gatorade) They sell both of these at cosco at good prices.
Lenc

Hi there!
My son's pediatrican said it is fine for toddlers. I give my son (who is also 2) propel. I try to water it down with regular water too sometimes. I do watch to see what is in them though, like you said the taurine, ginsing, caffeine, etc. My son loves them. I think as long as that is not the only thing they drink, they should be fine. Vitamin water a long of times has high fructose in them, so watch for those. I think propel water would probably be better.

My 16 month old is allergic to all juices. (They give him the poops. =]) I give him propel water to keep him hydrated, along with his whole milk. His favorite is the grape propel and no fruit juice =] be sure you don't get the energy kind of propel that one has caffine in it! Best of luck