vitamins Archives - Ginger Casa

Make Sure That Your Kids Get Proper Nutrition and Vitamins…Without a Fight

This post was brought to you by alternaVites. All opinions are mine. Contains affiliate link

We all face different challenges with our kids, and if you have more than one child, you know that every child is different. We did just about the same thing in regards to feeding the boys with our older two, and somehow, D is the better eater. He will try almost anything once, loves broccoli, milk, salmon, and kefir, and I feel like he is getting the nutrition and vitamins that his body needs to grow healthy and strong. The Captain, on the other hand, is not likely to try new things, turns up his nose at food often, and would live off of bread and sweets if we let him. I do not want to label him as "picky," but he is definitely a food snubber.

What happened and why are they so different? I am not sure, so I cannot tell you, in all honesty! We served them both pureed baby foods, both were breastfed and formula fed, both had a sensitivity to milk that they have seemed to grow out of, and they turned out completely different. (While the verdict is still out with Baby Brother, I tried a different approach with him, baby-led weaning, to try to avoid the food snubbing as his oldest brother does. I'll fill you in when he's 5. ha!)

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Be Prepared for Spring Allergy Issues with a Family Allergy Season Survival Kit #WellatWalgreens

By Gena 13 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its client. All health related suggestions and opinions expressed in this post are all my own. #WellAtWalgreens

Our entire family suffers with allergy issues, yet somehow, we are always unprepared when allergy season hits. Spring is our absolute favorite time of the year and being outside is a must. Soccer games, planting our garden, going to the park, fishing, looking for bugs, and just being outside and enjoying the weather as a family is very important to us. Allergies have ruined much of this time for us year after year, but this year, I'm going to be prepared! I purchased a few items that will get our family through allergy season in our Family Allergy Season Survival Kit.

The older boys and I went to Walgreens to see what we would need to deal with our allergy issues before they became a big problem. I quickly found their allergy medication section and saw the Well at Walgreens brand of different medications. Hubby had asked me to pick him up some Wal-Zyr, which is a 24 hour antihistimine for adults.

The Captain has allergies year-round and we need to always carry something with us in case he breaks out in hives or has a sneezing fit. Last Spring, he and a friend were rolling in the grass and he immediately started itching, sneezing, and had itchy eyes. I found that Well at Walgreens had a quick acting antihistimine for children called Wal-Dryl allergy tabs AND they had a bonus size, too!

We also have skin allergies and eczema and while we aren't sure exactly what causes it, we do know that our skin has to be extra moisturized and protected against allergens. Walgreens had a tremendous selection of products for eczema and skin care. I found a great heavy duty, non-petroleum moisturizer from BabyGanics that is pure and natural, so I decided to give it a shot. So far, it has helped the Captain's skin stay moisturized and feel much better!

So what's in our family allergy season survival kit? Here's a run down of the essentials:

Wal-Zyr 24 hour antihistimine for adults, so we can attack allergies before they start
Wal-Dryl allergy tabs for kids, so the Captain's allergic reactions can be stopped quickly
Anefrin decongestant Nasal Spray from Well at Walgreens
BabyGanics Protective Ointment for the Captain's skin allergies and eczema
tissues!
Neil Med Sinus Rinse to flush out allergens and soothe sinuses
caffeine free herb tea for soothing sore and itchy throats
raw local honey to help allergies year round

Walgreens also has a terrific selection of vitamins and supplements for kids and adults to boost immunity so allergy issues won't be such a problem. And of course, don't forget the pain relievers, humidifiers, and Breathe Right nose strips to make breathing at night easier. We also rely on Walgreens for our prescription medication when it is needed. Walgreens truly is a one stop shop for allergy season.

Beginning February 1, 2011 through December 31, 2014, 1¢ from the purchase of every Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness product, up to $3 million annually, will support bringing preventative wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment®. What a fabulous initiative that makes me love Walgreens even more.

What does your family rely on to get through allergy season?

Natural Vitality Provides Organic Non GMO Supplements For Your Health!

By Gena 16 Comments

This post about organic non GMO supplements was brought to you by Natural Vitality. All opinions are mine.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients list of your vitamins or supplements? I hadn't, until I became pregnant with #3. My go to prenatal vitamin had food dyes, chemicals, and the source of the vitamins and minerals was unknown. This got me to realize that I need to be checking the labels of all the supplements and vitamins we use in our house. When I discovered Natural Vitality, I was excited because the organic, non GMO ingredients in their supplements are high quality and Non-GMO Project certified. That's not an easy task, but Natural Vitality has done it.

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Supplement Your L’il Critter’s Diet with Gummy Vites!

By Gena 7 Comments

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for L'il Critters. I received a product sample and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

We are extremely lucky that D loves his fruits and veggies and has the ability to eat a well balanced meal. Does he always? Well, no, but he does a lot! The Captain, however, stays away from anything green except for salad, and I worry about him getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals. They both have their days where they don't want to eat anything healthy, so adding a vitamin to their daily diets was something important to us.

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Supplement Your L'il Critter's Diet with Gummy Vites!

By Gena 7 Comments

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for L'il Critters. I received a product sample and promotional item as a thank you for participating.

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Add Tropical Traditions’ Greens to Your Smoothies!

By Gena Leave a Comment

This post about Tropical Traditions Greens has been sponsored. All opinions are mine.

I am a big fan of Tropical Traditions. I have ordered from them a few times in the past and the quality is always top notch. I love Tropical Traditions because of what they stand for. The founders of Tropical Traditions are big supporters of family farms and organic standards. They are always against GMOs and thoroughly scrutinize each product they sell to make sure it meets their standards, beyond the traditional organic standards. Tropical Traditions always offers sales and bulk prices to ensure that you, the buyer, gets the best possible product at the best possible price. Plus, it is a Christian company, so that is, of course, an added bonus!

I recently got to try the Antioxidant Natural Greens from Tropical Traditions. I was looking for a great, simple dietary supplement to to add to smoothies that would add vitamins and nutrition and I wouldn't have to create it myself.

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Add Tropical Traditions' Greens to Your Smoothies!

By Gena Leave a Comment

This post about Tropical Traditions Greens has been sponsored. All opinions are mine.

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Children’s Vitamins: Gummies or Chewables?

By Gena 14 Comments

We recently took Captain Fussybuckets to the doctor for his 3rd year well child checkup and the pediatrician asked us if he was taking a daily vitamin. I proudly said “yes!” and she asked which one and I said “some gummy.” She then went on to give me a lecture about how gummies don’t have nearly enough vitamins and minerals in them and he needs to be on a chewable vitamin. Hmmm….I had never heard that before. He was on chewable vitamins about a year ago, but then I started finding them on the armrest of the couch or on the floor. He would suck on them for a minute and then spit them out. So, clearly a gummy that he actually chews up and swallows is better than a chewable that he just sucks on for a minute, but she left me scratching my head so I did some research.

Let me say that I’m NOT a doctor and I have no medical training, so take all of this with a grain of salt. But before you read any further, take note that vitamins are expensive and I have heard it said more than once that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world. Think about it…..we take all of these vitamins that we don’t even know if we need and if they’re not absorbed, well, you know what happens then. And with SO many of our food products being fortified with vitamins…from cereals to juice, chances are, you’re getting plenty of vitamins even if you’re not taking extra vitamins. But for growing kids, I still think that taking an extra vitamin is important. (And you for sure should take a prenatal vitamin if you’re pregnant!)

Some pediatricians recommend toddlers and kids take vitamins, some do not. With our first two pediatricians, they never said a thing about vitamins. I do believe the general consensus is that if you don’t give them too much vitamins and minerals, in unsafe levels, it “can’t hurt.” Kids “should be” getting their vitamins and minerals from food, but we all know that with picky toddlers and kids, that’s hard to do.

the Captain’s vitamin of choice – Sour Gummies

So, back to the question…..are gummies and chewables the same? You have to read the labels. For this experiment, I am comparing Flintstones Complete chewables and Flintstones Complete gummies, and I’ll be using the percent of the daily recommended amount for kids ages 2-3.

Flintstones Complete chewables: Flintstones Complete gummies:

Vitamin A 60% 40%
Vitamin C 75% 38%
Vitamin D 50% 50%
Vitamin E 150% 90%
Thiamin (B1) 107% —
Riboflavin (B2) 106% —
Niacin 83% —
Vitamin B6 143% 71%
Folic Acid 100% 50%
Vitamin B12 100% 50%
Biotin 13% 25%
Pant. Acid 100% 50%
Calcium 6% —
Iron 90% —
Phosphorus 6% —
Iodine 107% 21%
Magnesium 5% —
Zinc 75% 16%
Copper 100% —
Sodium * —
Choline * *

* daily value not established

So it appears that maybe our pediatrician was right! Look at all the vitamins & minerals that are missing from the gummy! And nearly all of the percentages are far less in the gummy column than in the chewable column. And if you look at calcium…not that 6% is that great (chewable) but there is NO calcium in the gummy version! This is a bit concerning to me because my 3 year old RARELY drinks milk. Good thing he loves cheese and calcium fortified orange juice. I have bought him a separate calcium gummy, so I know they exist, but I would like them to all be rolled up into one.

One thing that does concern me about the chewable vitamin…..there are a lot of vitamins that have a higher percentage than the recommended daily value. I’m sure it’s fine with those certain vitamins, but isn’t too much of a good thing bad?

I’m not picking on Flintstones, by any means. I’m thinking that if you compare any gummy to a chewable, the chewable will always win. My pediatrician explained that they just can’t put into a gummy what they put into a chewable. (which might explain why it’s chalky and harder to take!) But, if you know of a gummy vitamin that your child takes that has all the recommended vitamins and minerals, or that even compares to a chewable, please, let me know!

So what should we do now? I like to think that some is better than none. I might try chewable vitamins again in the future, but vitamins are expensive, so why waste money on something my kid is not going to eat? I’ve even bought him some of those super fruit chews that have a ton of goodness jammed into them, but he hates those, too. So, we will stick with gummies for now and I’ll just have to try my hardest to make sure he gets fortified cereals, pastas, juices, etc.

Have any tips for me? PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know!

**all vitamin information came from www.flintstonesvitamins.com**

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Make Sure That Your Kids Get Proper Nutrition and Vitamins…Without a Fight

Make Sure That Your Kids Get Proper Nutrition and Vitamins…Without a Fight

Be Prepared for Spring Allergy Issues with a Family Allergy Season Survival Kit #WellatWalgreens

Natural Vitality Provides Organic Non GMO Supplements For Your Health!

Supplement Your L’il Critter’s Diet with Gummy Vites!

Supplement Your L'il Critter's Diet with Gummy Vites!

Add Tropical Traditions’ Greens to Your Smoothies!

Add Tropical Traditions' Greens to Your Smoothies!

Children’s Vitamins: Gummies or Chewables?

Flintstones Complete chewables: Flintstones Complete gummies:

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