Allow me to introduce you to one of the world’s pickiest eaters, Jack. This boy loves chicken nuggets and a good hot dog every now and again. He will eat fruit, but only when accompanied with peanut butter, thus much less fruit than I would wish. And you can forget about vegetables, unless it comes in the form of a sweet potato fry or is hidden in a smoothie. I have tried and tried and tried. As a baby, I gave him everything to expand his picky little pallet, but to no avail. Mothers of picky eaters, I feel your pain!!
Since Jack is missing out on many of the good vitamins and minerals that are in the whole foods he chooses not to eat, we have supplemented with different vitamins over the past few years. The ones that won, as you can imagine, are the sugar-coated gummies. That is why I was over-the-moon excited to hear about AlternaVites for Kids! They come in little packets that look like the individual crystal light flavors. So if you are traveling, you don’t have to take an entire bottle, just put a few packs in your purse and you’ll be armed and ready. You get thirty of those packets in a box. I want to tell you some of the words on the box… “melts in your mouth”…”awesome taste”…”0 grams of sugar”…”gluten free”…”no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners”. I’ll be honest, when I read that, I was thinking, ok, so they are good for them, but chances are my son will spit them out…awesome taste, yeah right.
Well, my friends, I am happy to say I was wrong. When I first put them on Jack’s tongue, he said “wow! That’s sour!!”. 
I tried it and it did have a sour taste, but after the sour passed, he said “Mommy, that was so yummy!” It is basically a big, healthy pixie stick. You pour the crystals directly on their tongues and allow them to dissolve. I am a fan of this method because I know that it is immediately getting into their system. Some of the pills always leave me wondering if I am absorbing all of the goodness that I am making an effort to choke down. I really cannot say enough good things about how my child, Mr. Picky, has reacted and enjoyed taking a vitamin.
Another option is to mix the crystals into yogurts, puddings, or a smoothie.
I made the Chocolate Banana Smoothie from the recipe AlternaVites has listed on their website. So if your kiddo is even pickier than mine, I have a feeling a chocolate banana smoothie might do the trick!
I can tell you one thing…this smoothie is Jack approved.
Is this something you’d like your kid(s) to try out? If so, enter below to win a box of the Strawberry Bubblegum flavor! And if you don’t win this time, don’t fret. We have a $2 coupon to the right if you’d like to try them out!
My son is so picky! We need to try these!
My little one doesn’t mind vitamins, but it’s hard to find a vitamin for kids that’s not loaded with sugar. Can’t wait to try these!
I hope you’re as pleased as I was! The amount of Sugar is such a bummer in most vitamins!
I haven’t tried to give them to my kids yet, but have considered it and this would be a great way to start. Thanks!
These sound yummy!
These sound yummy! We haven’t ever really tried vitamins…. yes, mom fail!
I am going to have to try these. My 5-year old does not like vegetables or meat. He seriously only eats things like corn dogs, pasta and cereal. I call him a “carbatarian”.
These sound great. I want to try them too!
If I may, macronutrients are important enough that children should be required to eat them even if they would rather not.
You absolutely may. I agree with you that the importance of a balanced diet should not be disregarded due to your child’s tastes. That is why I choose to find creative ways to integrate them into their diet and my hope is, when my son gets older he will grow out of his picky eating habits and start to choose the good variety of fruits and vegetables I prepare for him 🙂
Thanks for the kind reply. I’m glad you intend to feed a good variety of food as he ages. I would suggest though, that your son is more than old enough to follow your directions for his diet, and that by fighting this battle now, you will benefit him physically and have a more efficient and peaceful household in the long run.
That is, of course, a general rule, and you as his mom would know him much better than I.
As he is old enough and we do suffer though tears and the pains of finishing a plate or trying at least a bite, I do choose my battles. And you are right each child is different. I might not have believed someone who said their kid was a picky eater, until I had one. I have two others who are not and they do remarkable at eating everything I give them and trying new tastes. It is truly based on a child by child method. And there are many ways you can break a child, I do not want to begin the battle of food (that many in our society suffer with, myself included) under the age of five. So again, I agree with you that as the parent I am helping him make healthy decisions that he doesn’t know how to make for himself, but each child is different and you, as the parent of your own child, must see what will benefit him in the long run.
Alrighty 🙂
Just one more thing: You mentioned finishing a plate. I didn’t mean a child should be forced to eat more than he or she is hungry for, just that that he should eat from what is offered.
Thanks again for the nicely written post. I hope I wasn’t discouraging.