I just realized there’s aspartame in my kids’ multivitamins. How do I select a nontoxic chewable?

Unfortunately, many children’s multivitamins contain fillers like dyes, sugar, and artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose. An ideal chewable’s ingredient list should include foods, vitamins, minerals, and nothing else, says Debby Hamilton, MD, a holistic pediatrician and nutrition specialist in Boulder, Colorado.

Since few kids get all the micronutrients they need from food, choose a multivitamin and multimineral supplement that offers iron, zinc, selenium, iodine, and chromium. “The closer to 100 percent of the daily value for each vitamin and mineral, the better,” Hamilton says. Avoid products with D&C and FD&C dyes (made from coal tar), and choose ones with natural colors from fruits, vegetables, or spices like turmeric; look for words like annatto and carrot juice extract on labels. Vitamins sweetened with a sugar alcohol, like sorbitol or xylitol, won’t cause tooth decay.

Try:
Rainbow Light Gummy Power Sours Multivitamin & Multimineral $14, 30 packets; rainbowlight.com
Nordic Naturals Nordic Berries $22, 120 gummies; nordicnaturals.com
Childlife Multi Vitamin & Mineral Liquid $17, 8 oz; childlife.net
Nature’s Plus Animal Parade Chewables $22, 180 chewables; naturesplus.com
Rhino Gummy Bear Vitamins $25, 190 gummies; nutritionnow.com