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The Most Important Nutrients for Children: A Guide for Parents

July 19, 2024Leilah FörsterReading time: 4 Minuten

Vitamin D3 for Children: Sunshine for the Little Ones

One of the most important vitamins for children is vitamin D3. The “sunshine vitamin” plays an essential role in the healthy development of many aspects of a child’s body. For example, it supports:

the maintenance and development of healthy bones, teeth, and muscles
a healthy immune system
healthy cell division

Unlike most other vitamins, vitamin D3 is scarcely found in food. A large portion of the daily requirement is produced in the skin through exposure to sunlight. In many countries, however, sunlight is too weak—especially during the winter months—to synthesize enough vitamin D3, and during the summer months, this process is often prevented by the use of sunscreen. This can ultimately lead tovitamin D3 deficiency in children.

To ensure your child gets enough vitamin D3 throughout the year, we recommend our Pro Vitamin D3 Öl 100 kids. It also contains the necessary cofactors, vitamin A and vitamin K2. You can find the recommended age-specific dosage for vitamin D3 in the table below.

Vitamin C for Kids: A Little Bit of Tartness Makes You Happy and Healthy

Vitamin C also plays an important role for children. This “acidic” vitamin, found primarily in citrus fruits, promotes, among other things:

Healthy immune system function: Vitamin C helps strengthen a child's immune system. A vitamin C deficiency can make children more susceptible to colds and other infections.
Normal collagen production: Collagen is a protein that forms the basis of many types of tissue and is therefore important for the healthy function of the skin, teeth, bones, and cartilage.
Normal functioning of the nervous system and the mind: Vitamin C plays a role in the synthesis and protection of important neurotransmitters.
Cell protection against oxidative stress: As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps neutralize harmful free radicals in the body.
A healthy energy metabolism: Through its role as an antioxidant and its involvement in carnitine biosynthesis, vitamin C contributes to a healthy energy metabolism.

You can also find the recommended age-specific doses of vitamin C in the table below.

Zinc for Kids: Emergency Relief for Colds and Other Illnesses

Zinc also plays many roles in a child's body. This trace element is important for:

Healthy immune system function: Zinc can be particularly beneficial for children when they have infections, as it supports the immune system.
Healthy DNA synthesis and cell division: This function is particularly important for normal growth and healthy development.
A healthy metabolism: Zinc acts as a cofactor in the body for numerous enzymatic reactions involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Healthy cognitive function: Zinc plays a role in many neural processes.
Maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails: Because zinc promotes cell division, it plays a role in the healthy development of skin, hair, and nails. As a result, a zinc deficiency in children often leads to wounds that heal poorly.
Vision: Zinc plays an important role in the transport and conversion of vitamin A, which in turn is essential for healthy vision.

You can find the recommended zinc dosage for children in the table below.

Other Important Nutrients for Children

Two children are running across a meadow

Of course, there are other nutrients that children need for healthy development. These include:

As an antioxidant, selenium protects cells from oxidative stress, supports the immune system, and promotes healthy thyroid function.
B vitamins (vitamins B2, B6, and B12) contribute, among other things, to the healthy functioning of energy metabolism and the immune system. In addition, folic acid plays an important role in cell division and blood formation.
Vitamin A supports vision, iron metabolism, the immune system, and the skin and mucous membranes.
Protein is essential for children—toddlers and babies, in particular, have a high need for protein, for example, as building blocks for muscles and bones.
Omega-3 fatty acids support the healthy development of the brain and nervous system in children.

You can find the recommended age-specific dosages for these nutrients in the table below.

Nutrient Intake for Children: Recommended D-A-CH Reference Values

The D-A-CH reference values for nutrient intake in children are guidelines for daily energy and nutrient intake. These can help you answer questions such as “How much zinc is appropriate for children?” or “What is a good selenium dosage for children?”

	4 to under 12 months	1 to under 4 years old	4 to under 7 years old	7 to under 10 years old	Ages 10 to 13
Vitamin D3 (in the absence of endogenous synthesis, µg/day)	10b	20c	20c	20c	20c
Vitamin C (mg/day)	20	20	30	45	65
Zinc (mg/day)	2,5	3	4	6	Male: 9 Female: 8
Vitamin B3 (niacin mg equivalents per day)	5	8	9	Male: 11, Female: 10	Male: 13 Female: 11
Vitamin B6 (mg/day)	0,3	0,6	0,7	1,0	1,2
Vitamin B9 (folate in µg equivalents per day)	80	120	140	180	240
Vitamin B12 (µg/day)	1,4	1,5	2,0	2,5	3,0
Selenium (µg/day)	15	15	20	30	45
Vitamin A (retinol, in µg activity equivalents per day)	400 g	300	350	450	600
Protein (g/kg body weight/day)	1,3	1,0	0,9	0,9	0,9
Omega-3 fatty acids (α-linolenic acid as a percentage of energy)	0,5	0,5	0,5	0,5	0,5

1 a1 µg = 40 International Units (IU); 1 IU = 0.025 µg
bThe target level is achieved by administering a vitamin D tablet for the prevention of rickets, starting in the first week of life and continuing until the end of the first year of life, for both breastfed and non-breastfed infants. This administration is independent of endogenous vitamin D synthesis and vitamin D intake from breast milk or infant formula. Prophylaxis should be continued during the winter months of the second year of life (German Society for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine).
cVitamin D intake from the diet through typical foods (1 to 2 µg per day for children, 2 to 4 µg per day for adolescents and adults) is not sufficient to ensure the desired level (25(OH)D serum concentration of at least 50 nmol/l) in the absence of endogenous synthesis. To achieve this, 20 µg/day is required. This means that, in addition to dietary intake, adequate vitamin D levels must be ensured through endogenous synthesis and/or the use of a vitamin D supplement. With frequent sun exposure, the desired vitamin D level can be achieved without taking a vitamin D supplement.
d1 mg of niacin equivalents = 1 mg of niacin = 60 mg of tryptophan
Calculated based on the total amount of folate-active compounds in a typical diet (folate equivalents): 1 μg folate equivalent = 1 μg dietary folate = 0.5 μg synthetic folic acid.
Calculation basis: 1 μg retinol activity equivalent (RAE) = 1 μg retinol = 12 μg β-carotene = 24 μg other provitamin A carotenoids.
Note: Some reference works and food tables also provide values in retinol equivalents (RE), which are based on the following conversion factors: 1 μg RE = 1 μg retinol = 6 μg β-carotene = 12 μg other provitamin A carotenoids.
gThis is an estimate.

Conclusion

Nutrients are like little heroes in our children’s bodies. Not only do they provide the energy needed for playing and running around, but they also play a central role in every child’s healthy development. From a strong immune system to healthy brain development—they’re involved in everything.

That is why it is important to ensure that children get enough nutrients. A balanced diet with plenty of nutrient-rich foods is the foundation for this. Unfortunately, however, most “modern” foods no longer contain enough nutrients to meet children’s high nutritional needs.

So if you want to be sure your child is really getting all the nutrients they need, we recommend our Pro Dialvit kids. Here you’ll find everything a child’s heart—and, more importantly, a child’s body—desires: essential vitamins, trace minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants—in child-friendly doses and packaged in extra-small capsules.