Natures Plus Animal Parade Source of Life Children's Liquid Multivitamin - Tropical Berry Flavor - 30 fl oz - Whole Food Supplement - Vegetarian, Gluten-Free - 60 Servings

My kid has asperger's, and the most severe issue that he deals with is averse eating. We're talking way way beyond any typical casual picky eating kids, we're talking about a kid who won't eat anything but one food (chicken nuggets and some sort of fried potatoe, maybe) , for breakfast, lunch, dinner, every single day since he was a baby and literally throws up at trying anything remotely new, still at age 8.We started this vitamin a few years ago, when he was about 5 or 6 years old, when he wouldn't eat gummies or new "candies" of the regular kid's vitamins, and had not learned to swallow pills yet. This was easy to slip into his juice drink undetected.In time, though, we realized that it tastes so good that my kid will drink it straight out of the cap. That is huge, considering his aversion to new flavors and foods. Also, it seemed like my kid, who is sort of on the small end of the scale compared to other kids his age, grew more and asked for more and more servings of his food while on this vitamin, which is another huge plus. However, it's kind of expensive, so we gave it sporatically over the last couple years. When it ran out, we weren't always able to get a new bottle right away.Recently, my kid's issues in school escalated to the point where his doctor suggested we started trying stimulants for the first time. At the time, he wasn't on any vitamin. The stimulant has been practically life-changing for him as far as school goes, during those two months. However, during those two months,, his appetite became so depleted from the stimulants that he had lost 5 pounds by his next doctor's visit. The doctor brushed it off and suggested we put him on a vitamin. I was not ready to tale him off of his stimulant either, as they had been so amazing for him in class. The problem with him is not so much the stimulant, as much as it is that the range of foods he will eat are so limited that its extremely difficult to impossible to sneak extra calories into his diet.So, I purchased the rainbow vitamin candies for kids for him, since they had plant enzymes and were good for kids his age, and a small bottle of this vitamin, Nature's Plus, for my younger kid, who is 5 years old. (He has no eating aversions whatsoever.) Well after a day or two of taking their new vitamins, my autistic kid vomited up the Rainbow vitamin candies, because he just couldn't take eating them so early in the morning, as his appetite tends to be at his lowest in the mornings.So, I switched their vitamins. I gave the Rainbow vitamins to my younger child, who loves them and thinks their candy, and I gave this liquid vitamin to my autistic child, since we had had success with it in the past. Since he had started losing weight on his medicine, I experimented with Ensure Plus, vanilla flavored and doctored it up into an orange smoothie using orange juice and orange sherbet. He has always been accepting to sherbet. He drank it well and started picking up a bit of weight.Then this vitamin, ran out, and he went without it for a couple days. I noticed a dramatic decrease in his appetite. He wouldn't drink as much as his smoothies as he had been, would not finish his food, and I noticed his appetite becoming the same way it had been when he first started his stimulants.That's when I realized how important it is that he stays on this vitamin while he's taking his stimulants. It keeps his appetite up even during the hours when his medication is in his system, and helps him crave more food, finish his plate and eat more. Last night, he asked for, and ate, another entire 2nd helping of nuggets, and a second entire glass of smoothie. The only thing different about his day, was that he restarted this vitamin. I notice that he gains the most weight when he's on this vitamin. Sometimes, if he is particularly ravenous, he will try a tiny dab of something new, which his huge.It's still a work in progress, and we were finally able to set him for an appointment with feeding therapy specialists for kids like him. Being that there is a 6 month long waiting list, we're going to make sure he keeps this vitamin around so that he can keep gaining.

Take this with a grain of salt.I've only had the product for 3 days.BUT BUT BUT... my 19 months old is picky, and that is an understatement. He will eat only a very few select solid foods, none of them sources of Iron, and wants MILK 24/7 and if you add anything to his milk he will put it/ throw it down, point to an empty bottle and tell you MILK. He knows in other words.If you put MILK in a cup, he will put it/throw it down and point to a bottle and say MILK or point to another cup and say juice. Each has it's acceptable place and container delivery method as far as he is concerned.We have tried to mix and match to get him to take everything from instant breakfast, oatmeal, rice, medicine and he always knows and always refuses.So here comes the bad parenting for the moment. I mixed a half capful of the vitamins....we got it specifically because he does not intake enough iron so we had to get him on something to add iron to his diet that he is not getting, or is receiving a deficiency from in regards to milk...so I mixed half a capful with caffeine free cherry 7 UP.Yes I know, who gives their child soda at that age. But I've tried 1,000,000 and 9 different ways of mixing things with different juices and liquids etc. and all to a dead end as far as he is concerned. If I force him to take something liquid, he will force himself to throw up by forcing coughs until he gags and it comes up....this kid is quick in the mental department, he does things none of my other 6 kids were capable or understanding at his age so I have to make different choices and decisions when it comes to him. And to continually force him to take something, which I've had to do with antibiotics becomes a nightmare in which even if he has to take the rare medicine that previously he would tolerate, after forcing him with one he didn't, he will fight tooth and nail and make himself throw up because of association. So I prefer not to force him and turn him off from ever doing something again as that mistake has been made.(take for example swim lessons, he loved the bathtub, then they made him put his head under water at swim lessons, he will now stand in the shower all day long, but will scream bloody murder if you put him in the bathtub or anywhere near water that he associates with that)But it works, half a capful with about 3-4 oz of the cherry 7UP around lunch time and in between his milk drinking so that his body not only gets a chance to absorb it, but he runs around and burns off the sugar intake which is probably equal to or less than the amount of sugar he gets from 8oz of whole milk.Anyway in the end, this is the first product (and I tried bribing with the 7up with other products and medicines as last resorts as well) that he looks at the cup, realizes something else is in it, but puts it back in his mouth and drinks it all versus throwing the cup on the ground and saying No or Don't then pointing at an empty cup or bottle and stating a desire for an unmixed liquid.So take it for what it's worth, I'm happy just to be able to get him to something to increase his iron intake.

Great taste for my little one !!

Great product, but the smell lol. I can't imagine how awful it tastes alone. I mix it into those thick organic juices to disguise it and that seems to work. But you have to figure out the right formula for your child to take this lol because the taste and smell will turn anyone off.I am grateful this product helps my boys get their vitamins. They're very picky eaters.

I have been purchasing this product for years but they changed the flavor and my son doesn't like that at all.Before he was having it without any complains but now he says it taste like Tylenol.I m very disappointed because this was the only vitamin with iron he likes.Can you go back to the original product .I will not purchase it again.

My son has been using this for about a year now and he has done really well on it. It was recommended by his nutritionist and I have to say I think it has been quite the game changer. He is the Gtube so I cannot attest to the taste but overall he digest it well And seems to tolerate it OK.

I loved this vitamin, my child’s doctor recommended this vitamin and she is more active and her iron levels are normal for a baby her age. I’ll buy it again.