Considering my passion for vitamin D you might find it curious that I feel strongly that children’s multi, and for that matter your multi, should not have any vitamin D in it. I will explain my reasons in a bit, but before I do there are some even more important issues to discuss.

You might not realize that thousands of children are seriously injured or killed every year because well intentioned parents have left chewable multivitamins in an unsafe location in their home. This tragic scenario doesn't have to exist, and later in this report I will tell you the simple little tweaks you can make in your children's multi that will virtually eliminate this risk for your child.

However, there is a broader issue I would like to address first and that is:

The reality, however, is that your kids are growing at lightning speed both mentally and physically. To fuel their growth, they need proper nutrition and regular exercise. Without them, nourishment deficiencies and inactivity could lead to future health issues.

In other words, your kids need proper nutrition and exercise as much as, if not more than YOU do.

I've been outspoken for some time about the importance of eating as much organically, biodynamically, and locally grown foods as you can. This by far is one of the best paths toward optimal health for your family.

Plus, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting daily amounts of omega-3s -- for both you and your kids. Omega-3s are essential for your kids' neurological development.*   

I recommend you make every effort to plan as many wholesome meals as possible -- and do your utmost to replace soda and sugary juices with clean, fresh water.

Remember -- your kids will follow your lead.  

It's simply not possible in a few pages to provide you with all the details of how to keep your children in the best health possible. That's actually why I created the online newsletter and the Mercola.com Natural Health site.

Our team surveys THOUSANDS of articles every month. We find the absolute latest and best details on what you need to be concerned about for your children's health... and what you can do to take proactive steps to keep them healthy.

So please make sure you at least scan every new issue of the newsletter for crucial new updates to your children's health. And you can use the search engine to research any specific question you might have.

The best possible form of vitamins and minerals for your kids is from high quality unprocessed organic and locally grown food. However, I realize this can be challenging for many parents.

So, the rest of this report will focus on the supplement insurance policy you might want to consider for your children. I will focus on what you need to be concerned with if you choose to give your children a supplement.

As I mentioned earlier most children’s multivitamins contain some problem ingredients and may be downright risky for your kids. I've seen too many formulas that contain artificial and potentially toxic ingredients.

Here's a table showing examples of what I believe to be potential risky ingredients. It also illustrates how two of the most popular children's multivitamin formulas stack up.

As you know, I've been absolutely fanatic about emphasizing your need for vitamin D... and that applies to your children as well.

So, you would think it would be wise to choose a multivitamin containing vitamin D. But my recommendation is actually counter intuitive -- I recommend you do NOT use a supplement with vitamin D.

How can that be?

Let me explain. During the summer when your kids receive regular doses of sunshine on large amounts of their skin, they do not need any oral vitamin D -- they receive all they need from sunlight.

However, in the winter if they are not getting UVB exposure from a safe tanning bed, they will need LARGE doses of vitamin D. The dose will be on the order of 2,000 to 5,000 units per day (typically around 1000 units for every 30 pounds of body weight).

If this dose was in your children's multi and they took it in the summer, it would create vitamin D toxicity. If your children used a lower dose, it would be safe in the summer but virtually worthless in the winter.

So, rather than have your child take a supplement with the wrong dose of vitamin D it makes far more sense to provide them with a customized dose that depends on their individual circumstances.  The typical dose of vitamin D for children is about 1000 units for every 30 pounds of body weight.

The challenge of course would be to provide the vitamin d in a form that most kids can take since they are unable to swallow pills. That is one of the primary reasons my team took two years to develop an elegant solution.  A great tasting spearmint flavored spray that kids love. 

This allows you to give them the best dose based on their weight and time of year.  You won’t be locked into the wrong dose that is rarely or never right.

BUT please remember the only way to know for sure if you or your child is on the right dose is to test your blood levels for 25 hydroxy D.

Clearly most all children require iron and can be deficient. This is in contrast to nearly all post menopausal women and adult men where supplemental iron is typically toxic and can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.

But iron can also be toxic to children if taken in large amounts. Tragically, this happens every day as children's chewable multivitamins taste so good. It's common for kids to consume an entire bottle at once thinking they are candy.

Everyday children are rushed to the ER with iron overdose from this scenario and many of them die.

When it comes to iron, I see three options for your children:

• Good -- Find out if the supplement has iron. If it does, make sure the bottle has a child-proof cap and keep it away from your children.

• Better -- Make sure the supplement does NOT have iron in the form of ferrous sulfate. It should be in the form of carbonyl iron. There has never been a reported fatality from this type of iron. It is very safe.

• Best -- Provide your children with a multivitamin without any iron in it at all. Make sure your children obtain regular iron sources from their food. 

Let's face it. Your kids will not consume anything, much less a multivitamin, unless it tastes really good.

So, some sort of safe, natural sweetener needs to be included as an ingredient. Or you'll never have any success trying to get your kids to take them.

Well, what about natural sugar?

Natural sugars, like the sucrose found in fruits and vegetables, are your healthiest sweeteners. However, I didn't find evidence of natural sugars in the children's multivitamins I researched.

Instead, many of them contained Aspartame or high fructose corn syrup -- two unhealthy choices.

And when I say natural sugar is okay for your kids, of course I mean in moderation. I would recommend 1 g (gram) or less per multivitamin serving for your kids.

Yet, I found some multivitamins with as much as 3 g of sugar or more.

I realize multivitamins for your kids need to taste good, but 3 g of sugar (whether natural or not), is too much sweetener.

Allergens can cause you and your children potential health challenges.

Double-check your children's multivitamin to ensure it is free from the following potential risky ingredients and allergens*:

• Yeast and wheat gluten

• Soy protein

• Milk and dairy

• Corn

• Sodium and Starch

• Artificial colors, preservatives, and flavorings

• Sweeteners will need to be used in a chewable -- Make sure the sweetener is natural and has one gram or less of sugar per serving and does not have any high fructose corn syrup

In your digestive process, when an inorganic mineral presents itself to your digestive system, a chemical conversion process starts to work -- chemically bonding the inorganic molecule to an organic molecule.

Chelation is the name of this process, and it creates an end product called a chelate.

This chelate can be seen on a cellular level as an organic compound that can now be absorbed and used in your child's body*.

But it is not a perfect biological world in your kids' digestive systems.

Many things can affect the efficiency of the natural chelation process. The mineral may come into contact with what are called "antagonists", and then get passed through your children's systems without being absorbed.

So select a supplement that has the minerals bonded to an organic molecule already in a form your kids' bodies can absorb.

The organic molecule used is typically an amino acid so the complexed mineral is called an amino acid chelate.

You can start to feel good if your children's multivitamin avoids risky ingredients and includes those I recommend.  

But if the multi is not made by a manufacturer committed to proven high-quality processes and practices, how consistent will it be for your children?

So, make sure your multivitamin manufacturer is highly certified and adheres to strict quality practices...

• Ensures top-quality raw materials used in the product -- Vendor Certification Program (VCP)

• Complies with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) -- written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

• Maintains the highest health standards -- GMP certification

• Supports the highest level of manufacturing quality standards -- ISO 9001 certification

• Complies with a rigorous third-party certification of in-house lab performance -- ISO 17025 certification

• Ensures finished products meet and exceed quality standards -- adherence to United States Pharmacopeia (USP30) specifications

• Complies with health and safety measures -- Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002.

Here's a summary table that defines my extensive selection criteria you should use when selecting a children's multivitamin.

If your kids' multivitamin doesn't match up well with this, please keep searching. I'm sure you agree that settling for 2nd best is not an option for your children.

I spent the last two years tweaking the taste and formula to create a supplement that not only tastes good but meets the rigorous selection criteria.

The Children's Chewable Multivitamin formula I recently finalized meets or exceeds ALL of the important criteria considerations I specified above and...

• Delivers an absolutely delicious orange-mango flavor your kids with love -- while limiting the amount of natural sugar to only 1g per serving

• Avoids artificial colors, preservatives, flavorings, synthetic toxins, and allergens potentially risky to your kids

• Provides extensive, natural ingredients to help you manage your children's potential vitamin and mineral deficiencies*

• Comes with a patented chelation formula to help maximize your children's mineral absorption*

• Helps prevent risky kids' overuse issues by NOT including vitamin D and iron in the formula

• Benefits from a manufacturer's extensive commitment to high-quality measures and certifications

• Is an exclusive formula only available on Mercola.com

I think you'll agree, this natural, high-quality formula is just what you need to complement your kids' diets.

Please take the time to implement my 7-step guide designed to help you improve your family's nutrition and overall health. Remember, there's no better time to start than right NOW!

• Lead by example by taking the time to plan family meals using wholesome, unprocessed foods

• Replace soda and sugary juices with clean, fresh water

• Limit your time in front of the TV and get out and exercise more

• Make sure you receive daily amounts of omega-3s

• Get plenty of sunshine

• Put in place a comprehensive vaccine plan for your kids

• Complement your family's diet with a high-quality multivitamin with essential minerals

Remember, your kids will follow your lead and need your help in getting the proper nutrition.

So, just like you should consider taking a multivitamin to complement your diet, you should insist they do the same.

products.mercola.com/multivitamin-childrens-chewables/