How to get Your Child to Take Their Supplements and Medications
It is no secret that children can be very sensitive to tastes and textures. Therefore, it may be a challenge to be able to incorporate supplements and medications that your child will tolerate. Here are some suggestions and tips to help:
Ensure the food or liquid you are using to mix the supplements into is at room temperature or cooler. This is important because adding supplements to hot food or liquids will change the composition of the supplement, making it less effective.
Using liquids as the vehicle to incorporate supplements is the easiest approach. The best form of liquid to use is fruit juices. It is important to use organic juices that do not contain any added sugar. Pomegranate juice is a favorite due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, but other options like orange, mango, lemonade, and apple juice also work well to mask the flavor of supplements. It's best to add the supplement to about 1-2 oz of liquid so not many sips are required. Putting a lid on the drink is key to decrease the smell of the supplements, so your child's sensitive nose won't detect them. Using a colored cup can also help hide any color changes from the added supplements.
Other forms of food that work well to hide supplements include:
1. NUT & SEED BUTTERS
The greatest choice for kids who have trouble with the gritty or grainy texture of supplements and for those with strong-tasting supplements. It also works wonders at reducing the harshness of herbal medicine. If your kid has a documented nut allergy, stay away.
2. HONEY
Children that are older than one can choose this. Honey works incredibly well to cover up the flavor of bitter vitamins. It's also a great choice for kids with sugar cravings! Given the risk of botulism, honey should never be given to infants younger than one year old!
3. MAPLE SYRUP
Another sugary choice is to cover up the flavor of harsh vitamins and their grainy texture.
4. BERRIES
Fill the hollow part of the berries with liquid or powder. Uses raspberries, blackberries, and hollowed-out strawberries for optimal results. This is a convenient and enjoyable method of supplementation that also benefits from berries' antioxidant qualities.
5. JAMS
You can experiment with the jam's flavor to suit your child's tastes. This is a tasty approach to mask the taste and feel of nutritional supplements.
6. APPLE SAUCE
A simple approach to add nutrients to your child's diet is through apple sauce. The strong apple flavor covers up the taste of the vitamins, and the grainy texture of the supplement powder is covered up by the chucky texture of the apple sauce.
7. SMOOTHIES
The greatest way to introduce wholesome foods into a child's diet is through smoothies. Get your kids involved in making their own smoothie recipe using frozen berries, allowing them to choose their own flavor! Use ½ banana or ½ avocado, or another nut-based milk (almond, coconut, cashew, etc.) if your child prefers a creamier consistency. To enhance your child's vegetable consumption, add a handful of spinach or kale while you're at it!
8. YOGURT
A good choice if your youngster is not allergic to dairy products! Take into account the non-flavored alternative yogurt possibilities (almond, coconut, cashew, pea, etc.) if they have a dairy sensitivity. Yogurt's creamy consistency makes it simple to mix in supplements without your kids realizing it.
9. ICE POPS
During the sweltering heat, this is a fantastic method to take nutrients. Just buy your child's preferred juice and an ice pop mold. Fill the mold with the juice and supplements, stir, and freeze. Just be sure to choose fruit juice that is organic and free of added sugar.
10. HOMEMADE FRUIT LEATHER
You can find a recipe for fruit leather online. Once your fruit leather has cooled, you can sandwich the supplement powder between a piece of the leather and the powder, effectively creating a supplement and fruit leather sandwich. This is a delicious kid-friendly dessert!
An oral syringe is the most convenient way to administer required vitamins to a baby who is too young to chew solid meals. Supplements should be given by softly spritzing the supplement into your baby's cheek pocket while it's combined with formula or breast milk. Just be cautious to avoid putting the syringe's contents in your baby's back throat as this could provoke a gag reflex.
Wishing you luck!