B Vitamins for Kids: The Essential Vitamins That Convert Food into Fuel

Ensuring your child receives the right nutrients is an important part of their growth and development. Among these essential nutrients are the B vitamins, a group of water-soluble vitamins that play a crucial role in maintaining good health.* While you might be familiar with “vitamin B,” it’s not just a single vitamin but a collection of several! Each B vitamin has unique functions and benefits for your child’s body, contributing to their overall well-being.* In this article, we’ll explore what B vitamins are, their importance for kids, foods that contain B vitamins, and how to ensure your little ones are getting the right amount for their age.

What are the B vitamins?

The B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins. While you may have heard about “vitamin B,” in reality, there is not just one B vitamin. It’s a collection of several vitamins! All B vitamins have a name and a number. Some are more commonly recognized by their name, like folate, while others are better known by their number, such as vitamin B12.

Can kids take B vitamins?

Kids need to consume B vitamins daily, as all the B vitamins are necessary for growth and development.* This is why B vitamins are included in many children’s multivitamins. If you are wondering if you need to add additional B vitamins to your kiddo’s day, check with their healthcare provider.

What do B vitamins do for kids?

Overall, the B vitamins play an important role in children’s cellular energy production.* They help to convert the food kids eat into fuel for their bodies.* Keep reading to learn how each B vitamin is unique.

What are some of the different B vitamins and what foods have them?

Although there are several B vitamins, we’ll focus on five of them in detail and explore foods high in B vitamins:

• Pantothenic Acid – Vitamin B5 - Pantothenic acid is essential for many body functions, including supporting the breakdown of carbohydrates and fat into energy.* Pantothenic acid is widely found in many plant and animal-based foods. Some foods that are sources of pantothenic acid are fortified breakfast cereals, meats, fish, avocados, dairy products, and sunflower seeds.
• Pyridoxine – Vitamin B6 - Vitamin B6 helps turn food into cellular energy and is involved in more than 100 reactions in the body!* Vitamin B6 is found in foods like poultry, pork, meat, fish, chickpeas, winter squash, potatoes, and enriched cereals.
• Biotin – Vitamin B7 - Biotin supports how your body digests carbohydrates, protein, and fat to transform the food you eat into energy for your cells.* You can find biotin in several types of food including eggs, fish, pork, meat, nuts, and some vegetables like sweet potatoes and spinach.
• Folate – Vitamin B9 - You may know folate as being a critical nutrient in prenatal vitamins. Folate is still an important nutrient during children's growth and development and supports how our bodies create new cells.* Folate is widely found in fruits and vegetables, as well as beans, nuts, and seafood. You can also find it in enriched breakfast cereals and grains.
• Cobalamin – Vitamin B12 - Vitamin B12 supports red blood cell formation, nerve cell health, and helps to convert food into cellular energy.* Found naturally in animal-based foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products, it can also be added to fortified breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast.

If you’re looking for easy ways to include healthy foods in your child’s diet, check out our article on Healthy Meals for Picky Eaters.

How much of each B vitamin do kids need?

The required amount of each B vitamin varies by the specific B vitamin and your child’s age. Check out this chart that lists many of the B vitamins and their recommended Daily Value (DV) for both children aged 2-3 years old and children 4 years old and above.

B vitamin	DV for 2-3 year olds	DV 4+ year olds
Pantothenic Acid – Vitamin B5	2 mg	5 mg
Pyridoxine – Vitamin B6	0.5 mg	1.7 mg
Biotin – Vitamin B7	8 mg	30 mg
Folate – Vitamin B9	150 mcg	400 mcg
Cobalamin – Vitamin B12	0.9 mcg	2.4 mcg

Is there a B vitamin supplement for kids?

You can find B vitamins in both B complex supplements and multivitamins. Good news – L’il Critters has several tasty gummy multivitamin options for your kiddo!

• Paw Patrol Multi Gummy Vitamin: These yummy gummies not only come in blueberry, cherry, and orange flavors but also in your l’il ones favorite Paw Patrol characters. These multivitamins have 11 essential vitamins, including pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, biotin, and vitamin B12.
• Multi+ Digestive Support* Gummy Vitamin: With Vitamins B6 and B12, these multivitamin gummies include fiber for digestive support and have yummy cherry and orange flavors.*
• Gummy Vites Multivitamin: Gummy Vites provide a fusion of essential nutrients to support health and development, including several B vitamins.* These multivitamin gummies come in cherry, strawberry, orange, pineapple, and blueberry flavors that your kiddo will look forward to taking!

We provide the nutrients you want for your family in yummy gummies, without the ingredients you don’t. That’s why L’il Critters gummies have no high-fructose corn syrup, no synthetic FD&C dyes, and no gluten.

Understanding the benefits of vitamin B for kids

The B vitamins are important for your kiddo’s health – these vitamins help their bodies transform the foods they eat into the energy their cells need every day.* B vitamins can be found in a wide variety of foods, including fortified cereals and grains as well as in meat, poultry, pork, beans, nuts, and fish. If you’re looking for a supplement with B vitamins, L’il Critters helps you ensure your kiddos get the B vitamins that they need, making every day a lot happier as they build lifelong healthy habits.

Brought to you by the L’il Critters™ nutrition experts.