Children: Supplements, Gummies and Herbs - Poisoning and Dosing Risks

If a child may have swallowed a supplement, herb, gummy or any medicine, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US) right away, even if you are not sure. Call 911 for collapse, a seizure, trouble breathing, or swelling of the face or throat. Do not make the child vomit. Keep the container so you can read the label to the poison specialist. CDC's campaign page says to call Poison Help "right away if you think your child might have gotten into a medicine." [1]

Children are not small adults, and many supplements look and taste like candy. This page covers poisoning, storage, labels and the limits of testing. It is information only; a pediatrician or pharmacist decides what is right for a child.

Why swallowing is the main danger

CDC's Up and Away campaign page says approximately 100 young children go to the emergency room each day after getting into medicines. [1] It advises keeping medicines "in a safe location that is too high for young children to reach or see", and it says never to tell children medicine is candy. [1] If a bottle has a locking cap, CDC says to twist it until you hear the click. [1]

NCCIH says "child-resistant packaging isn't required for dietary supplements." [2] So a supplement bottle may not have the safety cap a parent expects.

Gummies and chewables

A 2022 CDC report in the MMWR found 260,435 pediatric melatonin ingestions reported to US poison centers from 2012 to 2021, and the yearly number rose 530%. [3] The authors tied much of the growth to children aged 5 or younger, noted that melatonin comes as "tablet, capsule, liquid, and gummy formulations", and said child-resistant packaging "should be considered." [3] NCCIH (May 2024) says over-the-counter melatonin may put children and teens at risk of accidental or intentional overdose. [4]

For more on gummy vitamins see gummy vitamins: label accuracy and child safety.

Iron is a special case

MedlinePlus says "iron overdose is particularly dangerous for children." [5] It also says symptoms "may go away in a few hours, then return again after 1 day or later", and gives the Poison Help number. [5] So a child who looks well should still be checked by poison help. See iron overdose and child safety and vitamin overdose in children.

Dosing and label risks

This page gives no amounts, because the right amount for a child is a decision for a clinician. What the sources do document is why labels cannot be trusted by themselves:

Herbs, essential oils and other natural products

NCCIH says a dietary or herbal supplement "may contain many compounds and its active ingredients may not be known." [6] NCCIH names St. John's wort as interacting "with many medications, including antidepressants". [2] Large, high-quality studies of natural products in children are lacking. [8]

Essential oils and camphor-type products are a separate poisoning risk; see camphor oil dangers and peppermint oil safety for children. For melatonin research, see melatonin for sleep.

Melatonin in children: what is documented

NCCIH says melatonin supplements "at normal doses appear to be safe for most children for short-term use", and that there is little information on long-term effects in children. [4] That is a statement about short-term use in studies; it does not say a given bottle is accurate, or that it is right for your child.

What a parent can do

• Store every vitamin, supplement and medicine up high and out of sight, every time. [1]
• Ask a pediatrician or pharmacist before starting anything, including "natural" products. NCCIH advises talking with your child's provider about effectiveness and possible risks. [2]
• Keep Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) saved in your phone.
• Read about children and teens: why they are different and what to do if a child swallowed a supplement.