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Why Should I Be Cautious When Giving My Child Fortified Cereal?

Why Should I Be Cautious When Giving My Child Fortified Cereal? (0:59)

There are a few reasons you should be cautious when giving your child fortified cereals, especially if they are also taking a multivitamin or supplement. In this video, pediatrician Joanna Dolgoff, MD, explains the details you should be aware of.

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The main concern about giving kids fortified cereals is if you're also giving them dietary supplements or vitamins even the gummy vitamins. We're most concerned with vitamin A because vitamin A tends to stay in the body the longest. Another concern is that the FDA hasn't updated these nutrition labels since 1968 and finally the RDA or recommended daily allowance for these vitamins are really geared towards adults, they have nothing to do with kids and kids need a lot less of these vitamins than adults.

For vitamin A they need about half, so as parents you really don't know how much you're giving your children, the bottom line to be safe it's best to stop the dietary supplements and the vitamins altogether.