This post is sponsored by Olly
As a parent I can tell you two things for sure:
- Sharing tips and tricks with other parents is often so helpful
- Getting a three-year-old out the door on time is H.A.R.D.
Mazen always wants to do the opposite of what I ask – even when I use reverse psychology or if we change course midway through.
“I want to brush my teeth myself!”
“No you brush them!”
“No water! Just toothpaste!”
“I need more toothpaste!”
“I want to start over with my other toothbrush!”
There’s also breakfast, shoes, hair brushing (which never happens), potty, jacket, mittens, etc.
(We learned a long time ago that getting dressed always happens before breakfast even if it means a little oatmeal dribble down the shirt!)
I figured his preschool teachers would be the experts on his age and asked them at his parent conference what they do to encourage kids to willingly do their daily hygiene tasks. His teacher said she gives her kids the choice of “the easy way or the hard way.” And once kids realize what the hard way entails (usually a little more [gentle] force!) they choose the easy, cooperative way. Since we tried this method with tooth brushing, tooth brushing has gotten SO much easier. Mazen still resists at first, but when presented with “the easy way or the hard way” question he always chooses the easy way.
After tooth brushing, our next step in the morning routine is getting out the door. This process has been SO much easier with OLLY gummy vitamins!! Since I worked with OLLY last year, Mazen has loved their gummies and he gets his as we head out the door every day. It’s a little classical conditioning reward to get him moving! I let him choose his own gummy –
And then coat and shoes go on. The gummy often gets tucked into his pocket for safe keeping until he’s in his car seat or stroller and allowed to eat it.
He thinks he’s getting candy, but he’s really getting essential vitamins and minerals plus a dose of superfoods! The new Superfoods kids multivitamins are packed with the antioxidants of 10 of the most heroic foods on the planet – everything from pomegranate and acai to watercress, wheatgrass and tamarind. OLLY touts that they’re the equivalent of a whole antioxidant equivalent serving of fruits and veggies, which is great if your child isn’t crazy about watercress (although if they are, that’s even better!). FYI, these are also gluten-free and 100% vegetarian.
I take the Women’s Superfood Multi too – much more delicious than swallowing a horse pill : )
OLLY makes a whole line of supplements, from pre-natal and kids vitamins to wellness boosts for sleep, omega-3, immunity and more. All of the ones I have tried have been really tasty!
You can find the new Superfoods line at Target, which is where we buy them, and at OLLY.com where you can buy a la carte or subscribe to have your monthly stock delivered to your home. And you guys can get 20% off your first subscription of any OLLY products with the code SUPER20. Expires 3/30/16.
Thanks to OLLY for sponsoring this post and making our mornings a little easier!
Mandy Pierce says
Hey Kath — my 3 year old LOVED his Olly vitamin too, but then his pediatrician pointed out that the kid’s vitamin they make doesn’t contain iron or calcium, two nutrients that we really struggle to get into his diet (due to sensory issues, food allergies, etc…), so we had to switch to good ol’ Flintstones. But the Superfoods one must be new… I haven’t seen that one before! Any idea if it contains iron and/or Ca? Thanks!
KathEats says
Great point, these don’t contain either.
c says
Be careful with vitamins with iron esp. with yummy tasting vitamins. If kids do for somereason get a hold of the bottle an overdose of iron can be really dangerous.
OLLY Nutrition says
Hi Mandy!
Thanks for your interest in OLLY Kid’s Super Foods! We do not currently offer any iron-containing products. While iron is an important nutrient for health, particularly in women of childbearing age, consumption of excess iron is problematic. In low doses over extended periods of time, it may promote oxidative damage, and in high doses acutely, it can cause serious harm, particularly in children. Hence, supplementation with iron should be reserved for individuals with a known iron deficiency or at high risk for one. Moreover, iron has a very strong taste which can be difficult to mask in a gummy. Given these safety concerns and challenges, we have formulated our gummies without iron.
If you have more questions about our OLLY products, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] !
Vitamin Friends says
Hi Mandy,
Based on your above sentiments, we would like to extend an opportunity to try a vegan iron kids gummy that is great tasting and flavorful.
Please email [email protected] and we will personally make sure you find something you are looking for.
Thank you,
– Vitamin Friends
Tess says
These prenatals have been a life saver- they taste like grapefruit and that little bit of tartness helps with my nonstop morning sicness (at 17 weeks… Lucky me). I’ve tried every prenatal out there, trust me! Ha no this is not a sponsored comment. 🙂 Kath, the bathtub in that previous post looks like a fancy spa omg! Is that your home?! We new englanders don’t have nice new houses like you all in the south- so jealous!!!
Gretchen @Gretchen Leigh Wellness says
Thanks for sharing! I have been looking for a good superfood supplement. It’s great to think ahead for my 4 month old. I hadn’t seen these before. Have to try them! I’ll have to keep the brushing tips in mind too!
Sarah says
Hey Kath! I started taking Olly vitamins after the last time you worked with them. I love them! In the vein of parents sharing tips, it’s good to make sure Mazen knows his vitamin is not candy. If kids think their vitamin is candy they may try to eat the whole bottle and that can be really dangerous!
KathEats says
Yes of course. I tell him it’s medicine and he can’t have more then one. It’s also stored way up high out of his reach!
Sarah says
Ah, I see. I guess I just assumed since you said he thinks he Is getting. Candy! Oops! Thanks for your response : )
KathEats says
Well he still thinks it’s as good as candy is what I mean. I tell him he can only have one a day because it’s medicine.
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
Such a great idea, I’m gonna need to start a notebook now for all these tips for when we do have kids! Such a great idea to have him hold it in his pocket till he is allowed to eat it. I love gummy vitamins and that would totally motivate me to get out the door. Maybe my hubby should try it with me when we are late somewhere?
Ash diamond says
I used to take gummy version of vitamins and have some how reverted back to horse pills. I need to order these online as they sound great and pretty healthy. Also, he is so adorable at this age – those eyes and that hair!
Jane says
I’m laughing about one kid being hard! One kid sounds like a dream to me 🙂 I have 3, and it’s non-stop wrangling out of the house! Enticing them with yummy vitamins sounds like a great idea!
[email protected] says
What a great idea to offer the two choices! I love gummy vitamins! It feels so much more fun than regular vitamins.
Denise says
The thing that worked best for my kids was “house rules”. House rules were not under my control. I would shrug and say “house rules”, giving it up to some great, unidentifiable source. It took a lot of the push-pull out of our relationships and put us on the same side.
KathEats says
That’s a great suggestion!
Tonya says
Hilarious! Both the “house rules” and “oh that’s not allowed!”
Matt says
Ooh that is a good one. Something similar we occasionally use that only occasionally works is “oh that’s not allowed.” Not really attributing it to any authority like you say, and this more commonly works in public when I guess there’s a fear of policeman/lifeguard/teacher/figure. But I love the house rules idea.
Martha says
Kids shouldn’t be taught to have a fear of police officers, lifeguards, teachers, etc. They need to know that these people are “helpers” and will be there if a child needs to feel safe or needs help.
Jen says
Hi Kath! How do you think the superfoods multi for kids compares to the kids multi + probiotic? my guy is almost three and not interested in veggies at all so I’ve def been looking for a good vitamin for him. Thanks for the post.
KathEats says
I think either are good, but I like the probiotics dose too!
Jen says
The vitamins contain gelatin (at least according to the ingredients list I consulted on Olly’s website), so are not vegetarian. I had looked at them previously for my kiddo and was disappointed when I saw that.
KathEats says
My jar for the kiddos says pectin from fruit – not gelatin. Perhaps they haven’t updated the site?
Jen says
Hmm maybe not. I’m actually going to Target this afternoon so I will check when I’m there. It’d be nice if they have removed the gelatin.
OLLY Nutrition says
Hi Jen!
Thanks for your interest in OLLY! All of our Multis formulas deliver a complete vitamin and mineral profile. In addition to vitamins and minerals, the Super Food Multis contain a Phytonutrient Rich Super Food blend which provides the equivalent antioxidant activity to an average serving of fruits and vegetables. So, in addition to helping address vitamin and mineral gaps, Super Food Multis helps address phytonutrient gaps that exist as a result of eating a less than perfect diet.
In regards to gelatin vs. pectin, all of our Super Food Multi’s are made with pectin so are vegetarian, our Kids Multi+Probiotic does have gelatin so is not vegetarian. Hope this helps! If you have more questions about our OLLY products please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] !
Jen says
My kid LOVES these vitamins. We’ve been giving them to her since you first posted about them. We do call them her “candy” but we strictly enforce she gets “one candy a day” and when she asks for more, we say that it’s medicine and she can only have one or she’d get sick. She adores them. She gets the kids probiotic one.
Megan B. says
I wish all of their vitamins were vegetarian! I’d love a gummy prenatal. Such a shame that they use pectin in the kids vitamin, but gelatin in pretty much all the rest. Seems like if you can do it for one formulation, you could do it for them all! 🙁
Diane says
I’d love to start the family on these – but our dentist cautioned us against gummy vitamins Since they are so high in sugar and are so sticky, they can contribute in a major way to tooth decay.
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life says
We’re HUGE fans of Olly vitamins in our house! Lucas asks for his every morning! 🙂
Amanda says
I love the house rules idea!
Jennifer says
I also take the Olly vitamins, and love them!! 🙂
Emily says
I may be 22, but I think that gummy vitamins are still my favorite way to have vitamins. I’m with Mazen on this one!
Ella says
Kath I gotta give you props for making your sponsored posts both interesting AND natural-sounding. It means that you’re both a great writer and that you actually choose sponsored items that are meaningful to you!
KathEats says
Thanks so much
Katie says
Any concerns about folic acid instead of folate? Those of us with MTHFR are supposed to avoid folic acid and isn’t folate better for everyone. Just wondering your opinion. There are plenty of wonderful vitamins, products and supplements that I would like to try, but many contain folic acid.
c says
Not to be paranoid, however be careful about having your kids name on his backpack. One of the recommendations for safety is to avoid having kids wear something in public with their name on it as it could make a kid think that someone is more well known to them then they are.
http://www.dare.org/school-safety-tips-younger-kids/
Don’t Put Your Name On Your Backpack
Many children like to wear clothing or carry bags or backpacks with their names on them, however this can be a very easy way for a stranger to appear more familiar to a child, since it’s so easy for strangers to learn your child’s name. Keep anything with names at home, and never wear them to school. It’s a small, but easy way to help prevent any confusion in the future
Carla says
Kath, as a dietician, do you think vitamins truly give us the nutrients in a way our body can absorb them? I’ve been on the fence about taking them because I’ve heard/read that the nutrients that are found in vitamins aren’t as easily absorbed by our bodies. I also had a situation a couple years ago where while I was taking a daily multi-vitamin and had some bloodwork done. Turns out my blood was on a vitamin “high” but certain stores (namely iron) were actually low. They had to re-do the test 3 days after I stopped taking it, and actual levels in my blood were low, so, essentially, my body wasn’t even absorbing the vitamins’ benefits. So, I was just wondering if you had any insight on that?
KathEats says
I think it’s important to get most of our nutrients from food – that’s how nature intended it. I would never say to have a nutrient-void diet and just take a multi to get the essentials. However, there are certain nutrients (like iron, vitamin D and calcium!) that can be tough to get from food alone unless you are totally diligent about the foods you’re eating, so I think a multi is a good “cover your bases” solution to that.
Emily says
I found myself saying this to my toddler last night! He’s been playing a chase game every night before bed, which makes brushing teeth and putting PJs on challenging! So, I said- we can either do this the easy way or the hard way– and I thought of you! Thanks for the tip 🙂