Not All Supplements Are Created Equal: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Baby and Toddler vitamins
Read all about how to find a quality supplement and personal thoughts from Susanna, Holistic Wellness Coach and founder of Fed Well Baby, who has worked with hundreds of moms and babies who are dealing with symptoms from reflux to digestive issues and mineral depletion to successfully help them move past symptoms.
If your baby or toddler struggles with reflux, eczema, or digestive issues, like mine did, it can feel overwhelming and consuming. These symptoms are increasingly becoming common in infants—especially those who are breastfed—and often signal underlying nutrient deficiencies or digestive imbalances. That’s something I’ve become really passionate about as I’ve started to make the connection between mom and baby to figure out the “why” behind the symptoms.
But here's the catch: even if you're giving your child a probiotic or taking a prenatal/postnatal supplement yourself, it might not be helping. Why?
Because not all supplements are created equal—and some could be doing more harm than good. I have seen this time and time again in situations where moms are buying and using probiotics that aren’t getting results for their babies. I’ve seen so many supplement brands like Mary Ruth’s that are highly marketed for wellness, but sub-par when it comes to actual nutritional needs.
I’m going to share my best tips from personal experience and working with other families:
Why nutrient depletion is common in moms and babies
The risks of buying supplements from Amazon or big box stores
What to look for in high-quality baby and toddler supplements
My personal recommendations for the best prenatal or postnatal that actually support breastfeeding and recovery (Click here if you want to skip right to that!)
The Truth About Amazon Supplements: What You Need to Know
Are Amazon supplements safe for babies and toddlers?
Many parents buy infant and toddler supplements from Amazon because it’s convenient and affordable. But most people don’t realize that Amazon is a third-party marketplace, not a regulated pharmacy. This means:
Supplements can be counterfeit or expired
Product labels may be misleading or inaccurate
Storage conditions can degrade sensitive nutrients
Multiple investigations have revealed faked reviews, repackaged products, and low-potency formulas sold under reputable-sounding brand names.
When you're choosing a baby probiotic, toddler multivitamin, or prenatal for breastfeeding, it’s critical to source from verified, third-party tested brands—ideally recommended by a practitioner.
Why Moms and Babies Are So Often Nutrient-Depleted
Even with a healthy diet, nutrient depletion is common among:
Breastfeeding mothers
Pregnant and postpartum women
Infants with digestive issues like colic, gas, reflux, or eczema
Those on restricted allergy diets (which is often compounding existing deficiencies)
Top reasons for nutrient deficiencies:
Soil depletion has lowered the nutrient content of food
Pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding rapidly deplete key nutrients like iron, magnesium, B vitamins, and choline
Digestive issues (in both mom and baby) can block absorption
Over 50% of the most commonly prescribed medications are known to deplete one or more nutrients.
Stress (physical and emotional) increases nutrient demands
This is why high-quality supplementation is often necessary—even if you eat well.
How to Choose a Safe, Effective Supplement for You and Your Baby
Whether you’re looking for a prenatal vitamin, postnatal supplement, or a baby or toddler multivitamin, here’s what to look for:
1. Use Bioavailable Nutrient Forms
Choose supplements with nutrients that are easily absorbed:
Methylated B vitamins (e.g., methylfolate instead of folic acid)
Vitamin D3, not D2
Chelated minerals like magnesium glycinate (gentler on digestion)
Natural vitamin E (d-alpha, not dl-alpha)
Choline for brain and liver support (especially important in pregnancy and postpartum!)
Probiotics that have clinically studied strains and are actually designed to survive stomach acid
Susanna’s thoughts: My theory is that there is a strong liklihood that a good % of babies with these symptoms cannot absorb folate vs folic acid. I also see a LOT of mineral deficiencies and part of me wonders if it has to do with the lack of bioavailable supplements that moms use during pregnancy. I also never see any positive results with probiotics like Biogaia and truly feel that there are other better strains that i can recommend for people to get better results.
2. Avoid Common Additives and Fillers
Watch out for:
Artificial colors or dyes
Sugar alcohols in baby formulas
Titanium dioxide, polyethylene glycol, or synthetic binders
These are often found in store-bought children’s multivitamins, especially chewables and gummies.
Susanna’s thoughts: it’s tempting to choose gummies for kids, but watch the sugar content because this can add up! I see a LOT of blood sugar issues from labs, and we want to avoid contributing to that. Some vitamins that are lower quality can contribute to gut issues, especially with certain forms of iron that are hard on the stomach.
3. Look for Therapeutic Dosages
Many over-the-counter multis include token doses—nowhere near what's needed for repletion. Especially important:
Choline (for brain development in babies and postpartum recovery in moms)
Minerals (to help the cells have enough energy for the immune system and organs to function properly)
Omega 3 Fatty acids (for brain development in babies, lower inflammation, helps support nervous system)
Susanna’s thoughts: You need about 450mg choline during pregnancy and 550 postpartum and this is SO often overlooked! This is absolutely crucial, especially if you are not able to eat eggs. Infants need about 150mg daily and toddlers need about 200mg daily. Both Choline and Omega-3’s MUST be considered for brain health. Minerals are also so crucial. I test minerals in my Fed Well Foundations program to see what is truly going on in the cells - blood work is not a good indicator for mineral status. I often find that when we fix mineral imbalances, many toddler and infant symptoms start to clear up.
4. Ensure Third-Party Testing
Only choose supplements that are third-party tested for:
Purity
Potency
Heavy metals (especially important for baby and toddler formulas)
The Best Supplements for Breastfeeding, Infant Reflux, and Toddler Digestion
Parents dealing with baby reflux, eczema, or colic often look for:
Infant probiotics (look for clinically studied strains like L. reuteri, bifidobacterium, or l. rhamnosus)
Toddler multivitamins with methylated B vitamins and minerals
Postnatal vitamins to replenish mom’s stores
Susanna’s thoughts: But it’s not just about what’s in the supplement—it’s about whether your child’s body can actually absorb and use it. If you have already done probiotics before, it’s best to test the gut microbiome and see what is currently lacking and what may still be needed. You may want to consider doing a Tiny Health test (use code FEDWELL20). I have also frequently found that the generic prenatal/postnatal and toddler multi vitamins just don’t fit everyone with their own bioindividual needs. I now work with a company that is able to create a custom multi-blend (free from allergens!) from the mineral lab that we run. You can find out more about that in the Fed Well Foundations program.
Where to Get the RIGHT Supplements You Can Trust
I have put together a curated selection of third-party tested supplements for babies, toddlers, and breastfeeding moms. These include:
Prenatal and postnatal formulas with clinical-grade nutrients
Infant probiotics tailored to digestive symptoms
Toddler multi-vitamins without junk or sugar
Check out my Fullscript dispensary for quality supplements (and my personal recs!)
There are categories for various types of supplements that I recommend for things like digestive support, probiotics, etc). This is a very reputable place to order through an endless catalogue. I have even put together categories of supplements that I suggest for various situations like “prenatals”
You get 10% off of anything you search in the catalogue - you just need to create an account! For supplements you’re already routinely taking, if you set up a subscription, it is 20% off your order.
If you are interested in having a custom created multivitamin blend that is allergy-friendly without fillers or corn, soy, dairy, rice, etc. consider jumping into our next Fed Well Foundations program (get on the waitlist!). We base these off of functional hair tissue labs.
Final Thoughts and Steps to Take Right Now
Your baby’s gut health, skin health, and development start with the nutrients they absorb—and it all begins with what you choose to give them.
Don’t rely on generic, mass-market brands or Amazon listings. As we unfortunately live in a world that is more depleted, and for anyone who is in the midst of a strict diet, this becomes increasingly crucial to consider.
Check out Fullscript and get on a quality multi, consider if probiotics are needed (Maybe time for a Tiny Health test?)
Get on the waitlist for the next Fed Well Foundations Program to get a better insight about you/your child’s mineral status, and many other insights such as heavy metal status, stress levels, blood sugar, thyroid etc. and how this may be impacting current symptoms. We can create a custom multi-vitamin that isn’t that much more expensive than purchasing a regular prenatal per month!