Tums for Toddlers

Are their stomachs upset or why do they need a tum? Sometimes what they eat upsets their system, and I wasjust wondering why they needed at tum at all if this isn't the case.

My daughter's doctor said it was fine. She was 4 when started giving her Tums-we gave her a whole one. She is now 11--we had no side effects what so ever!

Hi S.,
It's best to go natural with little ones if you can. I'm a nutritional consultant and have worked with many people, including children. Most folks don't get enough phytonutrients to keep their digestive and immune systems in good shape--and the two are intimately connected. The best children's (and adult's for that matter) vitamin/mineral chewables are Mannatech's GlycoBears--and their MannaBears are absolutely crucial for digestive and immune health. After much research I joined Mannatech as an associate 3 years ago and have seen many, many wonderful results in the people I work with. Feel free to go to my site www.mannapages.com/susanfre and look around. MannaBears and GlycoBears should solve your problems. You won't be needing the Tums any longer. Blessings on you and your family!

If you need to consult with me, here is my cell number.
###-###-####. I live in Grapevine. My two children are grown up now and live in Austin.

Why do you need to give them Tums? Is the Dr. telling you to do this? I would be more concerned at this age as to what is making them need the Tums in the first place!

May I ask why you're giving an antacid to your children?? You dont mention and symptoms.

I'm not sure if Tums would be the best to give to your toddler. But something that is safe and natural is Papaya enzyme. You can find them in the vitamin/supplement section at Wal Mart or other drug stores. Papaya enzyme works to help digest food and whenever anyone in our family has a stomach ache or indigestion from something they ate, we give them a few of these and the results are quick relief. Plus, they taste great! They taste like candy and my kids love them. Hope this helps.

D.

We were actually told to give our children(3 1/2 year olds B/G Tiwns) 2 whole Tums EX(with calcium)every day at their last well check/3 year check up. They get tons of calcium in their regular diet, but go through grow spurts OFTEN (still!!) and are fairly thin (always in the 95% for height but the 25% for weight). My pedi recommended it for bone strengthening. We have never seen a side effect.
I'd call your pediatrician and see what they recommend for what ever it is you are using the tums for...
tummy or another reason like us. For tummy issues we still use Mylicon Gas Drops like we did when theywere babies, and it still works like a charm!

Good luck!!

What is causing their need for the Tums? Does a little milk not help? Is this for heartburn/Indigestion? I've really never heard of kids having need for this unless there is a medical condition and in that case the pedi. should offer you some suggestions. How is their diet? Eliminate anything acidic and anything with too much spices. I know that health and nutrition stores offer alternatives to things like Tums. My youngest son had trouble with reflux and gas, etc. but he was younger and we found out is was that he couldn't break down powder formula. My youngest daughter has had trouble since birth with constipation and upset stomach, and I tried the Fletchers and little tummy's over the counter med's-none helped, so I took her to the gastro. Dr. who put her on a powder I add to a drink once a day. I know personally, Tums never helped me with my indigestion and nausea, ever-I had to use Mylanta.

Tums is not good to be taken on a regular basis by adults or kids for that matter. They change the pH of your stomach which can let some bacteria thrive in the stomach causing illnesses. The pH of your stomach is acidic for a reason, it not only helps with digestion but is an immune defense mechanism.

I've given my 3 1/2 year old half a tums tablet before, and have had no issues whatsoever. He gets a little car sick sometimes, and it helps him out a lot. The main ingredient is calcium, which everyone could use more of, so I don't see any good reason not to, either. If it works for your kiddos, I say go for it.

My pediatrician told me to give it to my 2 1/2 year old daily as a calcium supplement. She doesn't drink a lot of milk etc. We've had no problems and she loves them, one a day - cherry flavored. Our doctor is very cautious as well, so I trust her.

Hi S.. You sound like a great mom and so I'm wondering what do you think is causing your children to need something like Tums? The reason I ask is because I have a grand child that was having tummy trouble and was finally taken to the doctor where they discovered she was hiding a fear of what was going to happen to someone in her family. There were medical problems and her parents simply did not realize how deeply it was affecting her psychic. I'm not saying that your children are stressed but in our very fast passed world maybe you should give some thought to their world and how a childs mind might perseive things that are happening.
My grand daughter was helped by talking to her and giving her reassurances about things she did not understand. Those talks are still necessary as the medical problems continue, but at least now she no longer has those tummy aches on a regular basis, but they do occur occassionally and that is when it is time for another reassurance from those around her. God bless you for being a great mom and I hope things issues can be resolved. In the mean time papaya (not sure spelling is correct) is a great tasting natural acid reducer that will not harm the galbladder over time.

I found this article, hopefully it will help you.

We then reach for the antacids, such as Tums, Zantac, Tagamet, etc. They may relieve the symptoms, but do not address the underlying cause. Antacids, by definition, interfere with normal digestion, because they neutralize any stomach acid. They further can cause stomach, gallbladder, and pancreas malfunction, and can lead to malnutrition. Osteoporosis is another possible side effect. Calcium is not easily utilized by the body in an alkaline environment which is created by Tums, and other antacids.

Possible side-effects associated with the use of Zantac and Tagamet, as described in the 1997 edition of the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) include:

severe headaches
confusion
depression
blurred vision
constipation
diarrhea
nausea
vomiting
pancreatitis
hepatitis
rashes
hair loss
The clinical experience of many holistic practitioners and myself has clearly shown that heartburn, indigestion, and a myriad of other symptoms can be remedied by the supplementation with HCL and digestive enzymes.

(link found on http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:FkGriuIRYFAJ:www.drz... )

I'm giving my 7 year old tums for a calcuim supplement. Make sure it doesn't have any aluminum in it. Aluminum is attributed to Alzheimer's. We do the fruit smoothies.

I give my almost 4 yr old daughter one whole tum. It has never seemed to have an affect on her. I probably wouldn't if she was allergic to ANY type of medication or ever had any reaction to medication. But she has always done very well with other types so I figured one tum wouldn't hurt her. But it may not be right for everyone. Her pedi also told me I could give her regular maalox (not a full dose)--so I didn't think too much about the tums. Hope this helps!! :)

My pediatrician actually recently recommended giving 1-2 tums (with calcium) to my 2 yr. old daughter daily. She said it's a good way to be sure she's getting enough calcium and it's just a mild bi-carbonate so there should be no ill effects. We only started it this week and so far my daughter loves it. She gets tums with her breakfast in the morning and vitamins at night (the iron in the vitamins inhibits the absorption of calcium, that's why we seperate the two). It doesn't seem like there would be anything wrong with the amounts your kids are getting.

I give tums or Mylanta for an upset tummy... have not had problems with that.

A.

Susan -

Hi - I would suggest doing a little research on the active ingredient in Tums - talc. There is some controversy related to it's effects as well as other ingredients in Tums such as mineral oil and artificial flavors. If your child is having problems related to digestion or stomach upset you might look at a daily supplement of probotics. My daughter (3) takes Nature's Way Primadophilus kids... which I buy at Healthy Choice in Southlake. Best of Luck.
T. M

Susan,

I work with quite a few children, as well as adults, with digestive problems. When children get acidic stomachs it is usually due to them eating foods that are harder to digest or breakdown. A better approach than Tums is to give the children digestive enzymes in a little applesauce at the beginning of the meal. Enzymes will aid them in breaking down the foods they are consuming so the stomach will produce less acid. The same works for colic when milk proteins are not being broke down correctly.

J. S.
Hurst, TX