“Hey mom, what’s for dinner?”

“Magic Stew.”

One kid whoops and jumps up excitedly, the other frowns and declares “Yuck”

What is magic stew? Just a fancy name applied to an otherwise boring pot roast. For one of my kids a funny or different name such as “fairy wands” for carrot sticks makes unappealing foods palatable. The younger one? He’s not buying it. Hide vegetables in a dish and he methodically picks them out. What is a parent to do?

Years ago my pediatrician calmed my nutrition fears by advising me to consider my child’s diet over at least a two-week period before declaring it unhealthy. If a child eats only one food group for three days straight, she said, it is not as detrimental as you might think—especially if that same child eats other healthy foods during subsequent days. My pediatrician also stressed the importance of supplementing with a good multivitamin.

Helpful Tips from All Vitamins Plus Parents

With so many kid vitamins on the market, how do you know which one your child will actually eat? We polled the parents of our AVP staff to find out which multivitamins or supplements work for their kids.

One staffer “A” gives his very picky step son the following vitamins and supplements:  Enzymedica Kids Digest- which eliminated the belly aches and refluxes even when eating not-so-nutritious foods & Irwin Naturals Yummy Veggie Fruities Jelly-Yums- one in the morning and one at night covers the serving size and boosts his fruit and vegetable intake.  “A’s” stepson actually asks for these because he likes the taste and the enzymes have helped tremendously with late-night stomach aches. “A” also buys both gummy and chewable multivitamins because offering choices gives a child a sense of control and usually eases the battle for the parents.

Staffer “T” has a fairly young son, and she knows he needs plenty of DHA for brain growth. But her family does not eat fish. The solution? Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Gummy Worms- These are flat-out the tastiest fish oil product any of us have tried. Naturally sweetened with organic ingredients, no artificial colors or flavors and safe for kids older than two years.

I have two very unique children and we have definitely been around the block with vitamins. Their tastes have changed (and continue to change), so I keep a couple of versions in my pantry. Some of our favorites include: Yummy Bears Hero Nutritionals Multivitamin- The selling point for my youngest: They look and taste like candy gummy bears. Even on a difficult day he will eat these. Nordic Naturals Nordic Berries- Organic and natural, these are my oldest child’s favorite—and I can usually get my younger son to eat these if his sister does first. Garden of Life Vitamin Code Kids – I feel this multi has the most comprehensive ingredients. It’s also made with whole food and even includes probiotics but although my daughter will eat them no problem, I have yet to convince my son to chew one up.

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One more note: We have an adult staff member here whose picky eating habits rival even those of my son. When she tells us a product tastes good and works for her, well, we tend to listen. She is a big fan of Irwin Naturals and her favorite “kid” supplement is the Irwin Kids BerryLicious Super Multi- they are individually wrapped (read: fun to open), sweetened with fruit concentrates and include 100% of the Recommended Dietary Intake of many nutrients.

Anonymous AVP Staff Contributor