It’s cold and flu season! A friend asked me for supplement advice for her kiddos. Here’s the email I wrote her.

ByTamara Posted:
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For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

February 24, 2025 — Monday

My friend “M.” asked me about Zinc, Vitamin C, Probiotics, and Vitamin D  for her kids — as she has been watching our food and supplement testing very closely! Below is a slightly edited copy of my email to her in response.

Hi M!

In response to your texted question…

  1. I just remembered that we did test a Zinc product. We have only tested the one — it was  a Zinc + Vitamin C product (for a family with a Lead-poisoned child looking for exposure sources) and it tested very high for Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic.
    • Given Zinc and Lead are molecularly compatible and often found together in the earth, I think it is unlikely we will find a clean Zinc product.
  2. With our laboratory testing initiative to date we have only tested one Vitamin C product that tested clean (non-detect for Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, and Mercury — with the limits of detection noted in the lab report).
    • This product is sourced from Scotland (which may have something to do with why it tested clean, as many other supplements include active ingredients sourced from China).
    • This product comes in a powder and in capsules and I expect can be easily dosed for children if you know the amount that your child is supposed to take (ask your doctor what they suggest).
    • This is also the brand we use in our home (my husband takes it).
    • Here’s the link for the capsules: https://amzn.to/4gT8QKy  .
    • Here’s the link for the powder: https://amzn.to/4iaNOb5 
    • Note: Other products from this brand have not tested clean.
  3. We tested only one Vitamin D product that tested clean so far and that is the Baby DDrops.
    • You could probably easily use that product for older children by dosing up based on weight/ size of child (another good question for your pediatrician)!
    • Here’s that link: https://amzn.to/4bekWws
  4. We tested only one probiotic that tested clean, and since that comes in capsules I expect you may be able to dose down for children if you know dosage based on size and weight?
    • Here’s that product: https://amzn.to/4gVudLh 
    • You could also probably contact the company about the potential dosage for children?
    • Perhaps they also make a product for children with a similar ingredient profile as this one?
    • This is the only product we have tested so far from this brand and I am not familiar with their product line.
  5. This product is sold as an immune support product for young children and it is the one product we have tested from this brand so far that has tested completely clean: https://amzn.to/43rT9ab — the Mary Ruth Organic Toddler Drops.
    • We are due to test it again since toxicant profiles can vary batch to batch — but also because the company has indicated they are making an effort to make their products as clean as possible. I have had several conversations about this with the owner of the company.
    • EMPHASIS: This is the only product from Mary Ruth’s that we have tested so far that tested clean (non-detect for all four metals we are looking at). Their other products we have tested to date (including Vitamin C gummies) have tested positive for toxicants.
  6. We also tested the WishGarden Immune Boost for Pregnancy (this product: https://amzn.to/434Yjsp) and it tested “safe by all standards, with very low traces of Arsenic.”
    • While we cannot know 100%, it is possible their other immune support products may test similarly clean, so it might be worth looking into their products to see if they have one with a similar ingredient profile and intended for use by children (or that can be appropriately dosed for children).
  7. Bonus (?): The only other supplement we tested that tested 100% clean (non-detect for all four toxicants) was this Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, in case that is something you are seeking for the kids: https://amzn.to/48q1j2V
    • Another key point is that other products from this brand have not tested clean — this fish oil is the only one (and we are also due for testing a new batch)!
Of course, as always, I am not a doctor so none of the above is meant as medical advice — but in my experience as a mom for the past (almost) 29 years, it is relatively easy to change the dosage on most supplements (or medications) to fit a child’s needs (if the supplement or medication is appropriate for a kiddo).

More Random Mom Advice: 

 
For my own children — for Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Probiotics — I always emphasize things like lemon or lime juice (in water almost every day, several times a day, especially when they are sick), orange juice, tea with honey (natural California honey from our farm — let me know if I can send you some more!), and getting outside as much as possible during cold and flu season even when they were sick (even if that meant just sitting in the yard reading a book, or sitting on the dock at the river by our house listening to an audio book). I also give them fermented foods and other foods with natural probiotics, including yogurt (coconut milk-based or dairy-based depending on the kid), and I have found this product helpful in the past (although we have not yet sent it to the lab for testing): https://amzn.to/4hGPCJb (it comes in dairy, dairy-free, and sugar-free — lots of options for different needs, so I would expect the dairy-based version is less likely to test positive for toxicants). 
 
Charlie (my 16-year-old, my youngest son) has reactive airway disease (as well as asthma) and had breathing problems/ got pneumonia eight years in a row (ages 0 to 8) during the winter. As a result of our experience, I learned (at some point along our journey) that caffeine might help him breathe. I ended up giving him black or green tea (instead of herbal tea) with lemon or honey and also started encouraging him to drink coffee when he got older. I talked to our doctor about that and they explained how it made sense that the caffeine would stimulate blood flow (including blood flow to the lungs, which would help him breathe). Also, of course, we avoid dairy products for him (especially if he is sick) because dairy can cause an increase in mucus production for him and make breathing (and healing) harder (the science on that is not settled, however here’s an article from 2007: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17698377/  and here’s an article from 2009 explaining more: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19932941/_ ).

Supporting Links:

 
  1.  Zinc product we tested (with bad results):
  2.  WishGarden Supplement Report:
  3. Mary Ruth Toddler Vitamin Report:
  4. Nordic Naturals Fish Oil Report:
  5. Probiotic Report:
  6. Baby DDrops Vitamin D Report:
  7. Food and supplement testing landing page with all of our lab reports listed (to review when you are bored!):
 
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2 Comments

  1. Can you tell us the cleanest toothpaste for kids- you have tested some but most test positive for toxins- which toothpaste would you recommend?

    Reply

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