Getting kids to take vitamins can be tough in general, but getting your child with special needs to take them can be even more of a challenge. That’s because children with special needs may be especially sensitive to taste and textures or especially resistant to trying new things.
Here are a few methods you can take to get your special needs child to take vitamins:
Important Note: Before you provide your child with vitamins, please first consult your pediatrician to make sure the supplements are best for him or her. Some children with Autism do not respond well to vitamin supplements.
1. Blended Vitamins
Smoothies are a great tactic for anyone looking to increase their vitamin intake, but they’re especially great for kids. Smoothies are basically just desserts you get to drink for breakfast – or lunch – or whenever the smoothie-mood strikes you.
If you use a blender or a magic bullet to make smoothies for your child with special needs, just drop in some vitamins. They’ll be crushed up seamlessly into the blend so your child won’t even be able to taste them. If you’re not making smoothies for your child, consider making the switch! They really are a great, sweet treat.
2. Chewable or Gummy Vitamins
The chewable Flintstone vitamins or gummy vitamins are a clever trick to make your child with special needs think they’re eating candy and not something that’s really good for them. The trouble here is making sure your child understands that they can’t have more than one or two vitamins (depending on the serving size).
You may consider giving your child an assortment of gummy snacks and sneaking a few gummy vitamins into the mix, so they don’t feel cheated or teased by the tiny gummy serving.
3. Hidden Vitamins
If you know your child with special needs doesn’t pay too close of attention to the food in front of them, then hiding vitamins in their food might be a good method for you. Vitamins are usually too big to try to slip unnoticed into another type of food though, so you might consider breaking them into halves or thirds or crushing them up.
Foods that are great disguises for vitamins include:
- Yogurt
- Pudding
- Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter
- Oatmeal
- Mac ‘n’ Cheese
4. Nutrient-Rich Superfoods
Rather than trying to sneak a supplement into your child’s diet, you might consider changing their diet instead. We know how important routine is to children with special needs, so rather than changing all their comfort foods to fruits and veggies, you might change one meal so that it includes a nutrient-rich superfood.
Here are some great superfoods that kids love:
- Greek Yogurt
- Eggs
- Avocados
- Tomatoes
- Milk (Can Be Non-Dairy!)
- Nuts
- Cocoa
- Cinnamon
- Berries
- Tofu
- Black Beans
At Special Strong, we don’t just offer personal training sessions to children and adults with special needs. We also have a nutritionist who can help you improve your child’s diet, ensuring that their vitamin and mineral intake is where it should be. Speak to a representative at Special Strong today to learn more about our nutrition services.