Tricks & Tips for Getting Kids to Take Supplements

Kids can be the pickiest eaters on the planet. As a result, it may be hard to get them to take supplements. Therefore, having strategies to get supplements into your child is important.

Creative Ideas to Get Your Child to Take Supplements

Purchase powders or capsules that can be opened and emptied.

Mix vitamins into a small spoonful of food. 

Examples include:

•  Well-pureed baby food
•  Applesauce
•  Pear sauce 
•  Dairy-free yogurt
•  Dairy-free pudding
•  Maple syrup
•  Local honey
•  Ketchup
•  Jelly/jam
•  Mashed up banana
•  Nut butter- This is especially good for hiding strong flavors

Teach your child to take a syringe filled with the supplement

This is one of the most beneficial things you can do.

Dissolve the supplement in water or a tiny amount of juice and syringe it into the mouth.

• Make sure you aim the syringe between the back of the gum and the cheek, not toward the throat. This will avoid the taste buds that are on the front of the tongue.
•  You can purchase plastic 20mL syringes from Amazon.
•  Let the child chase the syringe with a drink of water.

Dissolve the supplement into a small cup of strong-tasting juice to hide the flavor

Examples include:

• A smoothie- which can be made into an ice piop too
• Pomegranate Juice
• Grape juice
• Orange juice
• Apple juice

TIP: A straw helps because it allows the drink to skip the taste buds.

Make liquids cold. The colder they are, the less they can be tasted.

**A trick to get your child to take fish oil or cod liver oil- put it into a smoothie. Just in a small amount, though. Give the rest of the smoothie to drink unadulterated. 

If the supplement is bitter, mix it with savory food– it is easier to mask a bitter flavor in savory food like garlic mashed potatoes.

Be creative– make supplement gummies or jello squares. Melt chocolate and as it is cooling mix in the supplement and give it as a chocolate lolly pop.

Behavioral Methods to Introduce Supplements

It is important to incorporate the practice of taking supplements into your child’s daily life.

The methods listed below are helpful.

DON’T:

• Project your idea about how it tastes such as “good” or “bad.
• Lie about what you are doing
• Put it into their favorite food or drink. It may cause your kid to stop eating or drinking these afterward.

DO:

• Be consistent and firm- you are the mom and you know this is best for your child.
• Make a visual schedule that tells your child when the supplements need to be taken. Visual schedules can lessen anxiety.
• Make it fun- “Who can finish their supplements first?”
• Complement your child- “I think I see you are getting stronger/ calmer/ more focused! You are awesome!” 
• Don’t let your child see your fear- Our kids can sense fear a mile away.

            If you are scared for them, they will know it.

• Make it your child’s choice- Put the premixed juice in the fridge. Then have them get it out on their own. Allowing kids more control over their situation may help.

Reward your child

Make a sticker chart or a reward system. But small trinkets and prizes that excite your kid.

Bribery

When all else fails, try bribery.

Allow your child to have some time on their tablet or watch their favorite TV show after they take their supplements.

Teach Your Child to Swallow Pills

Kids who dislike the taste of medication and supplements will be motivated to learn to swallow pills.

Generally speaking, kids should be at least ages 4 years old and cooperative to learn to swallow pills.

Occupational therapy and applied behavior analysis therapy can help your child learn this skill. To start, you can use small candies such as mini M&Ms, or purchase size 4 empty capsules from Amazon. (These are the smallest size capsules.)

Here are some strategies that you may find helpful:

•  Try the Oraflo pill-swallowing cup. This specially developed cup helps kids learn to swallow pills. Oralflo – The Pill Swallowing Cup.

Start with something small such as a chocolate chip and work your way up to a pill. If your kid likes sparkling water, try using that. The bubbles will mask the texture of the pill.

• Put the pill in a small amount of applesauce and have your child swallow it together.
•  Have your child take a sip of water. Then, pop the pill in. Next, have your child lean forward and put their head down so the pill floats to the back of the mouth. Finally, raise the head and swallow.
•  Put the pill as far back on the tongue as possible. Then, drink water.
•  Try a Pill Glide Swallowing Spray. This coats the throat so pills slide down easily.
•  Use role modeling! Show your child a video of another child swallowing a pill

Learn the best way to teach your child:

 This is a good video showing you how to teach a child to swallow a pill: The New Method of Swallowing (youtube.com)

Juicing may be a Good Option

One of the many possible reasons for picky eating is a lack of minerals and this problem is only compounded with continued restricted eating. Juicing allows the child to get bioavailable vitamins and minerals which may, in turn, lead to better eating habits and your child accepting more foods and

supplements.

Please note that this is NOT the same as buying juice from the store. Store-bought juice has been pasteurized and processed. Due to this process, all the naturally occurring digestive enzymes are unavailable. Therefore, using a juicer to juice your own vegetables and fruits at home is far more beneficial.

Juicing may be a good option to start introducing vitamins and minerals to kids for the following reasons:

• Many kids enjoy drinking their calories, so this method may be successful for some kids.
•  Although juicing strips the fruit and vegetable of fiber, the enzymes make the vitamins and minerals bioavailable, and thus the juice can quickly make a difference in the child.
•  Adding a fruit to the juiced vegetables makes the juice a bit sweeter.
• Juicing greens can help with constipation.

Conclusion

There are numerous ways to help your child take their prescribed supplements. Sometimes, you need to get creative. Other times, you need to implement behavioral strategies. If these do not work, you can try teaching your child to swallow pills or implement juicing to get vital nutrients. Stay positive!

Even a picky child can be a successful supplement consumer!