Ideas To Help Your Child Take Supplements

Vitamin supplementation is often a road traveled for families with children on the autism spectrum. Varied dietary issues, food choices and food intolerances make it hard to make sure each child gets all the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy body.

Here are some suggestions for ways of getting supplements and medications (as needed) into your child’s bellies:

  1. In jam or syrup or pear sauce over a GFCF (Gluten Free/Casein Free) waffle or pancake
  2. Cook into supplements that ARE NOT HEAT SENSITIVE INTO sauces, cookies or muffins
    • a. Essential fatty acids, calcium can cook.
    • b. To determine heat tolerances please check the manufacturers labels – when in doubt call the manufacturer or your doctor.
    • c. Do not heat oils such as Cod Liver or Flaxseed oil. Be sure to check labels on heat for each product. If not clear, call the manufacturer.
  3. In diluted juice, rice, potato or soy milk
  4. Syringe them directly into the child’s mouth – follow it up with a kiss and a GFCF cookie!
  5. Spoon in with maple syrup to disguise flavor
  6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on cookies or muffins
  7. Teach and reinforce taking supplements during ABA sessions
  8. Give with a high motivating reinforcer such as TV, Computer, or favorite toy
  9. GFCF Ice cream or smoothie
  10. Pills! Here is the protocol we used to get our son to swallow pills:
    • a. Start with small pieces of Starburst candy, roll them into tiny balls and have your child work on swallowing these without chewing
    • b. Give small piece of candy with favorite drink and place the pill on the childs tongue. Give the drink and gently push the child’s head towards his/her chest. The liquid and gravity will help roll the pill towards the back of the throat and down the hatch.
    • c. For children who do not like the taste of supplements – they will be motivated to swallow pills! Even at a young age – generally four years and up.
    • d. DEMONSTRATE the process! Have them watch you swallow vitamins and graphically show the vitamin on your tongue, drink liquid and then show them that the pill is all gone.

Product available called Oraflo which manufacturers a “pill swallowing cup”. For more information please click here.

NEED MORE IDEAS?

Kirkman Laboratories – a wonderful supplement manufacturer has even more ideas that, click here for more info.

Related reading:

Books:

Pdr Supplement A 2005: Physicians' Desk Reference (Physicians' Desk Reference (Pdr) Supplement) by Pdr Physicians Desk Reference for supplement descriptions and doses.

Web links: