Better Multi-Vitamins for Kids

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My fav: Llama Naturals (Amazon; or ALEXK20 works on their website)

ALEX15 works for Ella Ola

In my opinion, multi-vitamins are a “pick your battles” type of product. What works well for one person may not be the best choice for another. Ideally, vitamins and minerals should come from whole, organic foods like fruits, vegetables, and quality meats. No multivitamin will ever be truly “perfect.”

If you feel your child needs one, it comes down to deciding what matters most to you. For some, that may be a clean supplement facts panel, high bioavailability, or natural nutrient sources - even if it means accepting less ideal ingredients like sweeteners or natural flavors. The “better” or “safer” option will always depend on the individual and their specific needs.

This is not medical advice. I always recommend consulting with your trusted provider before adding any new supplements or vitamins.

3 Types of Vitamins

Whole Food Vitamins: fruits and vegetables turned into a format (like a powder) that can be incorporated into vitamins. True whole food vitamins will have minimal processing.

Naturally Derived Nutrients: vitamins and minerals that are derived from a natural source, but go through various processes to isolate specific nutrients in the desired doses/potency (ex: vitamin A created from beta-ionone found in lemongrass).

Synthetic Nutrients: vitamins and minerals derived from a synthetic source, but go through various processes to isolate specific nutrients (ex vitamin A created from beta-ionone found in acetone).

Please don't take this visual as gospel. I created it myself with the help of Google and Chat GPT - and I literally have no idea if any of this is correct. Ha! I'm waiting on my fact checking source/expert to confirm all looks good, but still wanted to get it out there because (at least for me) it helped me wrap my head around things better.

"Whole Food Vitamins"

The term “whole food vitamins” isn’t regulated by the FDA, so many companies mix synthetic or isolated vitamins with some whole food ingredients and market them as “whole food.” Some even ferment synthetic vitamins into a food base to make stronger claims.

True whole food vitamins are minimally processed, usually lower in nutrients, but provide natural cofactors/flavonoids from fruits and vegetables. They’re great for those with balanced diets who just want a boost, but not practical for high doses (like vitamin C) without lots of pills and cost.

Most multivitamins combine whole foods with synthetic or naturally derived nutrients. For truly whole food nutrition, the best sources are real foods (organic produce, meats) or single-ingredient supplements.

Whole food

Naturally Derived Vitamins

Naturally derived nutrients come from sources like plants, vegetables, fruits, or animal products, but are processed to isolate a specific vitamin or mineral in a consistent, concentrated dose. For example, vitamin A can be made from beta-ionone in lemongrass. While the nutrient’s origin is natural, the food matrix is removed, leaving a purified form.

This allows for reliable potency, higher doses than food alone can provide, and the removal of unwanted compounds.

Naturally derived nutrients are often considered a middle ground (more concentrated and standardized than whole foods, but with a natural origin unlike fully synthetic nutrients).

Naturally derived

Synthetic Vitamins

Synthetic nutrients are vitamins and minerals created in labs from chemical precursors like petroleum byproducts or acetone, then refined to match the structure of natural nutrients. For example, vitamin A can be made from beta-ionone derived from acetone. While the source is artificial, the finished product is usually chemically identical to what’s found in food.

This method makes vitamins affordable, consistent, and widely available. Quality suppliers test to ensure only the intended nutrient remains, and in some cases, synthetic forms may even be more bioavailable than food-based versions, especially for people with genetic variations or health conditions that affect nutrient conversion.

Synthetic

How to Tell if a Vitamin is Natural or Synthetic

A good first step is to check the active and “other” ingredients to see if there are blatant plant/animal/food sources listed (ex: beta carotene from D. Salina algae with x, y, z other nutrients). Most companies producing a naturally derived product will brag on it, so it’s fairly easy to spot. 

Then you can start checking the long chemical names next to the common vitamin name for the endings “-ide” or “-ate” (ex: B6 as pyridoxine hydrochloride). You can be pretty certain that the product contains synthetic derivatives if those are on the list. 

FACT or FALSE? “the body may have a harder time recognizing and processing synthetic nutrients, which can make them less effective.”

Synthetic nutrients are a double-edged sword. It’s not as simple as whether the body “recognizes” them. Their value depends on the specific nutrient and the person’s needs. For generally healthy people, whole-food or natural multis are usually best, but some may need synthetics to fill gaps food alone can’t cover.

Pros: they can have higher doses, can create bio-available forms/pre-converted forms of vitamins that certain people may not be able to absorb or convert on their own due to health conditions/genetics. They can be nearly identical to natural forms with a lower cost and smaller amount of pills.

Cons: when talking about something like iron, for example, we know the best source is heme iron from meat. Part of this is because meats that produce heme iron are also rich in b vitamins and other cofactors that aid in the absorption and utilization of iron by the body in specific ratios. 

Synthetic Vitamins: are they all bad?

Nope! High-quality synthetic nutrients can be very beneficial, especially for people with chronic health issues, genetic SNPs, or other conditions that limit nutrient absorption from food.

Synthetic vitamins are made from artificial sources (e.g., vitamin A from acetone) but end up with nearly identical chemical structures, and studies generally support their effectiveness. Reputable suppliers test to ensure only the intended vitamin remains, whether the source was natural or synthetic.

In fact, some synthetics are more bioavailable. For example, food-based B12 often requires multiple conversions, but those with certain SNPs can’t complete the process. In these cases, synthetic forms like 5-MTHF may be the most effective way to fill nutrient gaps.

FAQ:

What about Mary Ruth?

Mary Ruth’s multis are synthetic, and include HCL forms of some of the b vitamins, which are not absorbed as well. For synthetic options we opted to select multis with more bio-available forms of vitamins (for example B6 as P5P or whole food form instead of pyridoxine HCL). We also looked at potency of some key nutrients.

In general, MR offers some wonderful standalone products like their Vitamin C, D, elderberry, etc. that contain minimal and certified organic ingredients. But for the sake of this post we wanted to consolidate options, and MR would not be our top choice.

What about Hiya?

Hiya is a combo of synthetic, natural, and whole foods. If you're looking for bioavailability because a child has a deficiency, it's not going to be the best option. Outside of that, it is not my top choice, but a decent general option.

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This information was collaborated with  madison regev, an amazingly kind and knowledgable nutrition consultant and research & product developer in the nutraceutical world (@goodseedwellnessllc). Truly, this guide would not have happened without her. I will direct most questions to her, as this is still a subject matter that goes over my head at times. She is extremely passionate about debunking misinformation for women, especially during pregnancy and post-partum.