For instance, ½ cup of black-eyed peas contains about 100 micrograms (mcg) of folate. ½ cup of boiled spinach contains about 133 mcg of folate. To incorporate broccoli into your child’s diet, try putting a cup into a green smoothie along with milk, ice, spinach, dates, and strawberries. You could also mix it into macaroni and cheese for a tasty, cheesy broccoli experience. Brussels sprouts are also a good candidate for smoothies or mac and cheese. Alternately you could dice them and put them in a light summer salad. Mix the sprouts with lettuce, dried cranberries, walnuts, blueberries, and a drizzle of strawberry balsamic dressing. Your child will love the fresh, crisp salad.

Kids love bagels or toast with jam. Look for whole grain waffles. Serve them to your child with fruit and maple syrup for a delicious breakfast.

You can’t go wrong with beans and rice. Mix some barbecue sauce into the beans to give them a bit of tangy sweetness. Bean or lentil soup is perfect for hungry kids on a chilly winter day. Beef liver, lamb liver, and chicken or turkey liver has high levels of folate, too (around 212 mcg). Be aware that liver meat tends to have high levels of vitamin A, which has been linked to bone disease. [2] X Research source In order to avoid potential negative health impacts, only give your child liver meat once a week or less. Stick to the vegetarian protein options.

Babies under six months old require 65 mcg of folate each day Babies seven to 12 months old require 80 mcg of folate each day Toddlers one to three years old require 150 mcg of folate each day Children four to eight years old require 200 mcg of folate each day Children nine – 13 years old require 300 mcg of folate each day Teens 14 – 18 years of age require 400 mcg of folate daily

If your child takes a multivitamin with folic acid or vitamin B9, avoid foods fortified with folic acid. Enriched bread and flour — compared to regular whole wheat bread and flour — contains over six times the normal amount of folate. [5] X Research source With this much folate in the product, you can easily feed your child too much. Talk to your child’s physician about the risks associated with consuming excessive folic acid, and work with them to come up with a diet that ensures your child won’t consume too much.

Salmon — A 3 oz serving of cooked salmon contains 4. 9 mcg Yogurt — An 8-ounce serving of plain low-fat yogurt contains about 1. 3 mcg Milk — One cup of cow’s bilk has about 1. 1 mcg Cheese — 1 ounce (about one slice) of cheddar cheese contains about 0. 2 mcg Beef — The amount of B12 in ground beef depends on how lean it is. For instance, a 3-ounce serving of 70% lean ground beef contains 2. 56 mcg, while the same amount of 90% lean ground beef contains 2. 3 mcg

Feed your child fortified or whole grain breakfast cereals and fortified milk substitutes. Check the label to ensure it includes B12. Give your child nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast (as opposed to the activated yeast you might use to make bread or beer) that has a wide variety of applications in cooking and baking. Obtain a nutritional yeast recipe book to find lots of ideas for tasty foods your child will love. Serve your child meat substitutes. Most vegan hot dogs, sausages, and deli meats are not only good sources of protein, but good sources of B12, too. Check the nutrition label on your substitute meats to find out if they contain B12.

Chewable tablets are best for younger children. Give teens a lozenge or a multivitamin to swallow with water.

Babies up to six months old need 0. 4 mcg daily Babies aged seven – 12 months need 0. 5 mcg daily Children one – three years old require 0. 9 mcg daily Children four – eight years old require 1. 2 mcg daily Children nine – 13 years old require 1. 8 mcg daily Teens 14 – 18 years of age require 2. 4 mcg daily

Add fish to your kid’s diet to help them get an adequate amount of vitamin B6. Even kid-friendly fish sticks contain enough to make a difference (about 0. 4 mg). Many kids enjoy scrambled eggs and toast with jam. Try giving this classic combo to your child to ensure they get enough vitamin B6. One egg contains around 0. 121 mg of B6. Like folate (vitamin B9), animal liver is a good source of B6 (3-oz of beef liver contains about 0. 5 mg), but should be fed to your child sparingly so as to avoid negative health impacts.

Nuts and sunflower seeds also contain high levels of B6. Peanuts contain about 0. 5 mg per cup, while sunflower seeds contain about 1. 9 mg per cup. Instead of chips and cheesy treats as an after-school snack, try giving your child nuts and granola with raisins. Kids love this crunchy mixture, and it will give them plenty of B6. Banana slices on toast with peanut butter makes a great breakfast or after-school snack. Instead of using cow’s milk in your child’s cereal or hot chocolate, you could try soy milk. This is a great source of B6 (about 0. 2 mg per cup) and also has lower levels of cholesterol.

A second option is to eat enriched grains which have B6 and other B vitamins added back into the mix; however, enriched grains have different proportions of the B vitamins than originally existed in the grain. Whole grain products are considered the best. Brown rice is another grain that you can give your child to help them meet their B6 needs (about 0. 3 mg per cup). Try making brown rice with sautéed vegetables in teriyaki sauce, or brown rice pasta in a rich alfredo sauce. Brown rice works well in tacos, too.

Be sure you get the children’s version of B6 so that your child doesn’t get the wrong amount. If you feed your child liquid B6, follow the directions to ensure he or she receives the correct dosage.

Babies up to six months old need 0. 1 mg daily Babies seven – 12 months old need 0. 3 mg daily Children one – three years old require 0. 5 mg daily Children four – eight years old require 0. 6 mg daily Children nine – 13 years old require 1 mg daily Teenage girls require 1. 2 mg daily, and teenage boys need 1. 3 mg daily It is almost impossible to get too much vitamin B6. As long as your child is not consuming more than their recommended daily caloric intake and not swallowing B6 supplements by the handful, they will not get too much vitamin B6.