Inside: Are drinks and vitamins really working to make the height higher for kids? Find out what it is and whether it’s worth it.
Do you claim to help children grow by watching special drink mixes and vitamin commercials and ads?
I remember realising them a few years ago. As a petite mom of two boys on the small side, I was mixed with emotions. Marketing seemed to imply something that was wrong with being a small thing and that it needed to be fixed. It clearly wasn’t sitting with me.
But as a registered dietitian, I was not interested. So I looked into the fine printing and science behind these products. If you’re wondering about them, here are five things to keep in mind.
1. Being small is not the same as growing problems.
Some children suffer from medical problems that affect their growth, such as hormonal defects and conditions that make it difficult to absorb nutrients from foods, such as inflammatory bowel disease.
However, the other children are naturally small. According to the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP), “Most children who are shorter and more healthy are not medically ill.”
According to AAP, here are the reasons why children may be short:
Having one or both parents shortens after puberty is simply shortened without any identifiable cause
Needless to say, expensive shake mixes and vitamins do not change these factors.
Read on, do you need to give me growth supplements for my child? Here’s what you need to know. Real mom nutrition
