Could Your Little One be Deficient in B12?
Jun 25, 2024
B12 deficiency is common in kids today. The signs and symptoms are often misdiagnosed or completely overlooked. If your child is showing signs of discomfort, don’t stop until you find the root cause. It will change their life (and yours) profoundly! Could your little one be deficient in B12?
Signs of B12 Deficiency in children
There are many signs that can point to a B12 deficiency in children. They are different depending on the age of the child. Here are some of the signs of B12 deficiency in babies and toddlers:
- Poor interaction
- Drowsiness or lethargy
- Irritability / Colic
- Acid Reflux / GERD
- Reject solid foods
- Poor suckling/appetite
- Poor weight gain
- Failure to thrive
The B12 deficiency signs for school-aged children and teens are different and can include:
- Poor school performance
- Anger, rage or violence
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anemia
- Fatigue
- Clumsiness and poor balance
- Tingling, burning, “pins and needles,” or painful sensations in the arms, legs and/or trunk.
Definitely listen to your teens and tweens for signs in their words. They will tend to say things like, “I’m so tired…” or “School is so hard, I can’t do it!” and “My body feels weird.”
B12 deficiency is common in kids today but what causes it?
Common causes are the inability to absorb B12, a diet deficient in B12 (vegan/vegetarian), poor gut health, H. pylori infection, MTHFR gene mutation and exposure to nitrous oxide.
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can inactivate B12! Nitrous Oxide is often used in emergency cesarean sections, putting infants at risk for severe B12 deficiency during their most crucial developmental period. PLUS, it’s common for dental procedures or other surgeries. Signs of deficiency may not show up for months later.
B12 Deficiency is a great masquerader
It’s important to know that ALL symptoms are COMMUNICATION. B12 deficiency is often misdiagnosed or completely overlooked. If your child is showing signs of discomfort, find the root cause. It will change their life.
Learn more about B12 Deficiency:
I highly recommend the book, Could it Be B12? By Sally M. Pacholok, RN and Jeffrey J. Stuart. DO. The film version can be found here.
If you suspect your child has a B12 deficiency, there are steps you can take to help them. I can’t make a general supplement recommendation on a blog post, but a custom protocol is something that we do regularly inside of Fiercely Empowered Mama (FEM). You can get on the waitlist here. Many people do well on a methylated B12 but it really depends on the individual and their health story. From a dietary standpoint, beef and milk are both excellent food sources of B12.
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