What children need to grow up healthy: nutrients by age, the snack box check and the right supplement

Guide · Children, growth, nutrients

Our children's biology has stayed the same. Their everyday life has not.

Between their first and eighteenth birthdays, children grow by a good metre. They need the same building blocks as fifty years ago; only the plate looks different today. What children are missing today, which nutrients matter at which age, what well-nourished children gain from them and how to recognise a supplement that is right for children.

Ask parents in Austria what they would most like to give their child for break time, and sandwiches, fruit and raw vegetables come out on top. Ask the children what they buy for themselves, and the list looks rather different. The figures from a survey in Austria show this more clearly than any statistic on nutrients:

• Vegetables and crudités: 60 per cent of parents want them, 4 per cent of children buy them.
• Fruit: 74 per cent want it, 18 per cent buy it.
• Sweets: 9 per cent of parents want them, 31 per cent of children buy them.

This is no criticism of children. What "tastes good" depends on something different at every age: for little ones on how their sense of taste develops and an innate liking for sweet things, for school children on family and friends, for teenagers on advertising, social media and whatever is trending right now.

Often too little on the plate

Often too much

Children are not small adults. Every stage has its own building site, and with it the nutrients that matter most change too.

Toddlers, 1 to 3 years. Until their second birthday, children still grow 10 to 12 centimetres a year. The brain and nerves develop especially quickly, and the milk teeth come through. Often in short supply: vitamin D, iron, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids.

Preschool children, 3 to 6 years. 5 to 8 centimetres a year, plus more muscle and stamina. At this age, 10 to 13 hours of sleep a night are recommended. Often in short supply: vitamin D, iodine, omega-3 and folate.

School children, 6 to 12 years. Growth slows to 5 to 6 centimetres, but now come the change of teeth, denser bones, school and sport. Often in short supply: vitamin D, calcium, iodine and magnesium.

Teenagers, 12 to 18 years. After infancy, the time of greatest change: during the growth spurt, up to 10 centimetres are added in a year. Needs now match those of adults, and for calcium they are even higher. From their first period, girls often need more iron.

Calcium per day

600 to 1,200 mg

The reference values for Austria, Germany and Switzerland (D-A-CH) rise from 600 mg at 1 to 3 years to 750 mg at preschool age, 900 to 1,100 mg for school children and 1,200 mg for teenagers. Around 99 per cent of the calcium in the body is found in bones and teeth.

Vitamin D per day

20 µg

This is the amount the D-A-CH values give from the first birthday onwards when the skin does not make any vitamin D of its own. In Austria, that is the case from October to March, because the sun is too low. From food, children usually get only a small part of this.

Strong bones

10 to 18 years

In these years, most of the bone mass that a person draws on for their whole life is built up. This is exactly when many teenagers drink less milk and more sugary drinks.

Now for the nice part. In the EU there are dedicated, scientifically assessed claims for children that describe exactly what their bodies need certain nutrients for. They sound plain, but they say a lot: a child who is well supplied with these building blocks has everything their body needs for normal growth, strong bones and normal development of the brain and the immune system.

We have sorted them into four areas, based on the four-corner model Cosmoterra used in the training course: building blocks for the bones, building blocks for growing, tools for the brain and helpers for energy and the immune system. The graphic shows the claims word for word, and the cards below explain where the nutrients are found and when they run short.

☀️ Vitamin D

"Vitamin D is needed for normal growth and development of bone in children."

🥛 Calcium

"Calcium and vitamin D are needed for normal growth and development of bone in children."

🧂 Iodine

"Iodine contributes to the normal growth of children." "Iodine contributes to normal cognitive function."

🫘 Iron

"Iron contributes to normal cognitive development of children."

⚡ B vitamins and zinc

"Thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism." "Zinc contributes to normal cognitive function."

🛡️ The immune helpers

"Vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc contribute to the normal function of the immune system."

Myth 1"A child who eats normally has everything they need."

Fact: eating normally is the most important foundation, and for many nutrients it is enough. For vitamin D it hardly works through food, and for iodine, calcium and iron a little is often missing, because fish, milk and wholegrains end up on the plate less often than you might think. Look closely and you will usually find the gap not in the food but in the everyday life in between.

Myth 2"You can only get omega-3 from fish."

Fact: oily sea fish provides the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA directly. Plants provide alpha-linolenic acid, ALA for short, from linseed oil, rapeseed oil, walnuts or chia seeds. The body can make EPA and DHA from ALA itself, but only to a small extent that varies greatly from person to person. For children who do not like fish, ALA sources are therefore a good start, and fish once or twice a week remains a good goal.

Myth 3"Vitamins for children: the more, the better."

Fact: children are not small adults, and that includes the dose. For fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D and for minerals such as iron and zinc there are maximum amounts that are lower for children. A child-friendly supplement is therefore not the one with the highest dose, but one with an age recommendation, clear amounts per day and a form your child is happy to take. Better not to combine several supplements at once without looking at the total amount.

Food supplements for children are made for a specific age. Check which age a product is intended for, and stick to the amount for that age.

Every nutrient is listed on the pack with its amount and the percentage of the reference intake. That way you can see at a glance what your child is getting.

The best supplement is no use if it stays in the cupboard. A spoonful of juice or a drop in yoghurt is more likely to become a habit than a large capsule.

Children's supplements stay below the maximum amounts for vitamin A, vitamin D, iron and zinc that the authorities have set for each age group.

A look at the ingredients is worthwhile: how much sugar is in one serving, which colourings and sweeteners are included, are there any allergens?

Even children's supplements do not belong in children's hands. You measure the dose, your child takes it. This is especially important with juices that taste good.

From what age are food supplements for children intended?

The exact age is stated on the label. The Dr. Wunder D3 + K2 Kids Duo drops are intended from the first birthday, the Body Basic Omega+ juice and the Kinderfit juice from 3 years. Products for adults are not intended for children.

Which nutrients are most often in short supply in children?

Vitamin D and iodine in all age groups, calcium as well in school children and teenagers, iron in toddlers and girls during puberty, and often omega-3 fatty acids and folate too. Vitamin D is needed for normal growth and development of bone in children.

What is the difference between Kinderfit and Body Basic Omega+?

Kinderfit is the classic Cosmoterra formula for children with vitamins and trace elements. Body Basic Omega+ is intended for the whole family and also contains linseed oil as a source of omega-3, choline, calcium, magnesium, iron and iodine. Which juice suits better is often decided by taste, too.

My child does not like fish. How can they get omega-3?

Through plant sources of alpha-linolenic acid: linseed oil, rapeseed oil, walnuts and chia seeds. The Body Basic Omega+ juice provides 550 mg of alpha-linolenic acid from linseed oil per 15 ml. Fish once or twice a week is still a good goal, because it contains EPA and DHA directly.

Can I combine several children's supplements?

Better not without looking at the total amount. Vitamin D, vitamin A, iron and zinc are often found in several products, and lower maximum amounts apply to children. A well-formulated basis is enough in most cases.

Why is vitamin D a topic all year round?

From October to March, the sun in Austria is so low that the skin makes hardly any vitamin D, and even in summer everyday life does not always bring enough sun to the skin. Food can only cover a small part of the requirement. The D-A-CH reference values give 20 µg a day for children from one year of age when the skin makes none itself.

Conclusion

Well nourished, children grow with ease.

For every centimetre, children need the same building blocks as they always did, but their everyday life makes it harder to get them all from the plate. Vitamin D and iodine are missing most often, calcium in school children and teenagers, iron in girls. For exactly these nutrients there are dedicated, authorised claims for children: for normal growth, the development of bone and normal cognitive development. The family table, exercise and sleep remain the foundation. A child-friendly supplement fills whatever gap is left in between.

Key takeaways

• Think of vitamin D all year round, iodised salt in the kitchen
• Calcium is needed most between the ages of 10 and 18
• Pack the snack box together, water as the main drink
• Child-friendly means: age recommendation, clear amounts, a form your child likes
• All children's products at a glance: our Children category

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