Vitamins for toddlers aged 1 to 4: what the NHS advises, vitamin D drops and Healthy Start

Vitamins for toddlers: the NHS advice in one table

The UK government advises a daily supplement with vitamins A, C and D for every child from 6 months to 5 years. For toddlers, that is the whole official list. Our general page on vitamins for kids covers babies, older children and omega-3; this one stays with ages 1 to 4.

Your health visitor can suggest a product, and a pharmacist can check whether one you’ve found contains extras your child doesn’t need.

Vitamin D for toddlers in the UK

The NHS figure for children aged 1 to 4 is 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D a day. Sunlight is the main natural source, but a small child shouldn’t spend long in hot sun, and should be covered up or protected before the skin turns red. So the drops carry on even through a summer of sandpits and paddling pools.

Look at the number on the label rather than the brand. Adult vitamin D capsules on iHerb usually hold 1,000–5,000 IU (25–125 mcg). That is 2.5 to 12.5 times the toddler figure in a single capsule. Look for a children’s product and check how much one drop, one spray or one dose gives.

Outside the UK, advice differs. ESPGHAN, the European paediatric nutrition society, advises vitamin D supplements for all infants. After the first birthday, it says supplements should be considered for children at higher risk: darker skin in northern countries, too little sun, or obesity. For other children it points to a varied diet with fish, eggs and dairy, and time outdoors. Your own GP or paediatrician will follow local practice.

Healthy Start vitamins

Healthy Start is an NHS scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for families with young children or a pregnancy. If you qualify, the vitamins are free:

• children’s drops with vitamins A, C and D, from birth until the 4th birthday;
• tablets for pregnancy and breastfeeding with folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin D, 56 at a time, until your baby turns 1;
• in England, ask your midwife or health visitor where to get them;
• in Wales, collect them from a community pharmacy collection point and show your Healthy Start card;
• in Northern Ireland, you get a letter or email explaining how to order them by post.

A toddler who drinks 500 ml or more of formula a day doesn’t need the drops. Not sure whether you qualify? Its website has an eligibility check.

Pick the situation closest to yours:

Vitamins for 1 year olds and 2 year olds

The first birthday changes the milk, not the vitamins. Many children move off infant formula around now. As long as formula stays above 500 ml a day, drops aren’t needed; once it falls below that, the daily A, C and D supplement starts.

At 2, the advice is the same. What tends to change is appetite. A child who ate everything at 14 months may refuse half of it at two and a half. That’s the moment many parents reach for a big multivitamin, and usually it isn’t needed. Fussy eating, below, explains why.

Vitamin A helps with vision in dim light and with the immune system; vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from food. Both are in the standard toddler drops, so a separate vitamin C product is rarely useful.

Iron for toddlers: only if a doctor says so

Iron isn’t part of the routine NHS advice for toddlers. Red meat, beans, lentils and fortified cereals provide it, and fruit or vegetables with vitamin C at the same meal help it absorb. If your GP suspects low iron, a blood test comes first, and any iron product is given at a dose the doctor works out for your child.

A bigger risk sits in the adults’ cupboard. The NHS warns that very high doses of iron can be fatal, especially for children, and asks you to keep iron supplements out of their reach. That includes your own iron tablets and pregnancy multivitamins. If a toddler swallows them, get urgent medical help straight away, even if they seem fine.

Adult and gummy vitamins: why they don’t suit small children

• One adult vitamin D capsule can hold more than a week’s worth of a toddler’s dose.
• The NHS advises against giving two supplements at once: cod liver oil plus drops means double vitamin A and D.
• Gummies can be a choking hazard. In 2023 Health Canada recalled a brand of children’s multivitamin gummies because the label didn’t warn against giving them to under 4s.
• They taste and look like sweets, so a toddler who finds the jar may eat several.

Drops or a measured liquid avoid most of these problems. Whatever you use, keep to the label dose and store the bottle high up with the lid closed.

Fussy eaters: do they need a multivitamin?

The NHS calls it perfectly normal for toddlers to refuse new foods, even a taste. Look at what your child eats over a week rather than a single day. If they are active, gaining weight and seem well, they are probably getting enough.

What the NHS suggests at the table:

• small portions, and praise for eating even a little;
• keep offering foods that were refused before, because it can take many tries;
• take uneaten food away calmly, without comment;
• eat together when you can, since children copy;
• don’t use food as a reward, and keep to about 2 healthy snacks a day.

Daily A, C and D drops cover the vitamins most likely to run short. If your child drops whole food groups, such as all dairy, talk to your health visitor. Children aged 1–3 need about 350 mg of calcium a day, so a child who refuses milk, cheese and yoghurt needs another fortified source.

Vegan toddlers: B12 and iodine

A plant-based diet can work for a young child, but it needs planning. A paediatric dietitians’ leaflet from an NHS hospital trust sets out the main points:

1. Vitamin B12. Plants don’t provide it. Fortified foods and supplements are the reliable way to cover it; forms are compared in our vitamin B12 guide.
2. Iodine. If your child doesn’t regularly have iodine-fortified plant drinks or yoghurts, a supplement with iodine may be needed. Seaweed isn’t a safe source, because its iodine content varies widely.
3. Main drink. From age 1, if you’re not breastfeeding, a fortified soya drink is the usual vegan choice. Rice drinks shouldn’t be given as a drink to under 5s.
4. Iron and omega-3. Serve iron-rich foods with vitamin C, and ask about an algae-based omega-3.

Ask your health visitor for a referral to a paediatric dietitian if your toddler is vegan. A single appointment can settle which B12 and iodine products to use, and at what dose.

When to talk to your health visitor or GP

• Your toddler eats fewer than a handful of foods, or is losing weight.
• Your family is vegan or avoids dairy entirely.
• Your child was born early, has a long-term bowel condition or a food allergy.
• You’re unsure whether a product suits your child’s age.

How to choose toddler vitamins on iHerb

Work through these steps before the first dose:

1. Check with your health visitor or pharmacist which product suits your child.
2. Choose a children’s product with the age range on the label.
3. Find the vitamin D per drop or per dose and compare it with 10 mcg.
4. Make sure it’s the only product with vitamins A and D your child takes.
5. Prefer drops or a liquid; read the age warning on any gummy.
6. Pick a bottle with a child-resistant cap and keep it out of reach.

Vitamin D forms and adult doses are covered in our vitamin D3 guide.