For most adults, multivitamins are an insurance plan, filling the nutritional gaps that even a balanced diet might miss. When it comes to our kids though, it’s important to consider overall diet, medical conditions, and nutrient deficiencies.

We enlisted the help of Rachel Rothman (MS, RD, CLEC), a pediatric nutrition expert and registered dietitian, to help us understand when children should take multivitamins, and the factors that actually matter when choosing one. After all, more than 90% of children don’t eat the recommended levels of fruits and vegetables, both major sources of vitamins and minerals in our diet.¹

Combining Rothman’s expertise with hands-on reviews by TCD parents on staff, we’ve evaluated the three leading children's multivitamin brands – Hiya, First Day, and Smarty Pants. We’ll help you make an informed multivitamin choice for your kids’ health and wellbeing.

One clear winner stood out in terms of nutrient balance, quality, and safety. Read on to find out which.

Should My Child Take a Multivitamin?

We asked Rothman if parents should consider supplementing their kid’s diet with a multivitamin. In short, probably.

“Many children ages 2+ do not meet their nutrient needs from their food and beverage intake - a multivitamin is an important supplement that provides parents with confidence that their child is meeting their nutritional needs,” explained Rothman. “Whether it’s picky eating, food allergies, food intolerances or autoimmune disorders like Celiac, supplementing with multivitamins helps us be confident our children are getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.”

Additionally, it’s important to look at the age statement for vitamins. While children as young as 2 can benefit from vitamins, only one brand, Hiya, is listed as recommended for that age. More on that below.

Choosing the Right Multivitamin

Let’s start with the basics - what should you look for when choosing a children’s multivitamin? For Rothman, it’s a combination of ingredients, dosage form, and taste that will help your child form a healthy multivitamin habit:

• On what a multivitamin should contain: “I prefer products with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals; these ensure young children are getting all the nutrients they need.”
• On additives: “I want to ensure that the multivitamins I am recommending include safe additives and ingredients, as these products will be consumed by our children.”
• On added sugar: “Multivitamins with added sugar can get stuck in teeth and potentially lead to cavities.”
• On taste: “For children to actually consume the vitamin regularly, the taste and form should be appealing and enjoyable.”

How do Hiya, First Day, and Smarty Pants compare on ingredients, taste, dosage form (and more)? Let’s find out.

Multivitamins Compared:

The Ingredients:

Hiya’s Multivitamin with Zero Added Sugar Wins

Multivitamin ingredient statements are intimidating lists of hard-to-pronounce vitamin forms and minerals. But there’s one ingredient we always recommend avoiding: sugar. Many brands add sugar to their multivitamins—which sometimes resemble candy. According to pediatric dentists, added sugars in gummies lead to cavities and can encourage unhealthy sweet preferences at an early age.²

‍Hiya stands out as the one multivitamin with zero added sugar. Hiya’s chewable tablets use monk fruit as a sweetener, and have zero grams of added sugar. First Day (2g added sugar) and Smarty Pants (5g added sugar) have different levels. Both of their “other ingredients” lists start with organic cane sugar and organic tapioca syrup - both sweeteners to be cautious of for toddlers and young children.

Hiya also packs its benefits into a single daily chewable tablet. First Day’s serving size is two gummies per day and Smarty Pants is four. But despite its single tablet serving, Hiya delivers a higher number of vitamins and minerals (15+) than both First Day (9) and Smarty Pants (14).

For us, the trade-off is simple. Hiya delivers 15+ essential vitamins and minerals in a single, chewable tablet with 0g added sugar. First Day and Smarty Pants multivitamins add sugar and require multiple-gummy serving sizes.

Rothman adds, “Hiya's well-rounded vitamin and mineral profile makes their multivitamin an excellent choice for parents concerned about their child's nutritional needs. Sugary multivitamins can get stuck in teeth and provide a child with added sugar.”

Form Factor: Chewable Tablets vs. Gummies

Hiya’s Tablet Form Wins

In addition to taste, it’s important to consider the dosage form of your child’s multivitamin. Hiya multivitamins are chewable tablets that are easy to consume.

First Day and Smarty Pants are both gummies, which may contribute to cavities in kids.³ Some nutrients (like vitamin D and iron) are not stable in gummy form. Moreover, lab testing has shown that gummies often have far above the listed amounts of various nutrients.⁴ Children can be particularly sensitive to these quantities.⁵

Rothman explains, “I much prefer chewable tablets like Hiya to gummies. I don’t love that gummies can get stuck in childrens’ teeth and can lead to increased cavities when not brushed right away. Moreover, gummies can be considered a choking hazard in children under the age of 4.”^6,7

Promoting Healthy Habits

Hiya and First Day Win

Beyond the stats and science, we also wanted to evaluate materials, “fun factor” (important when it comes to adhering to a regular schedule), and impact on the environment. In short, which brand is your child going to enjoy taking every day? Which one can you feel good about buying regularly?

Smarty Pants is a drugstore brand: high sugar vitamins delivered in a plastic bottle. First Day and Hiya have less or no sugar, and reusable containers that drastically reduce landfill waste.

Hiya gets bonus points for their premium glass container and the stickers they send with every first order. We love the letter stickers that encourage kids to personalize their bottles.

As mentioned, one thing we love about Hiya is that their multivitamins can be taken by children ages 2+ (Smarty Pants and First Day are both for children 4+ only). According to Rothman, having a multivitamin available for children 2+ is a great benefit.

She says, “Many kids go through a natural “picky eating” phase around 2 years of age. For a parent with concerns that their child is not meeting their nutrition needs, having a multivitamin available provides parents with a sense of comfort. Reducing mealtime stress also allows families to re-focus on connection and togetherness, helping children develop a healthy relationship with food.”

The Overall Winner: Hiya

Which multivitamin is best for your child? After our thorough testing and analysis, we recommend the multivitamin that’s zero-sugar-added, is a chewable tablet that can be consumed by children as young as 2, and comes with fun, planet-friendly packaging. And that’s Hiya.

Rothman, our pediatric nutrition expert, agrees. “I absolutely love that Hiya has no added sugar, contains a blend of fruits and vegetables, has a taste kids love, AND has packaging that’s good for the environment. Hiya is my go-to recommendation when it comes to kids’ vitamin and mineral supplements.”

Ready to try Hiya? With TCD, save 50% on your first order plus get free shipping. Hiya also offers discounts for families with more than one child.

‍

^{1. Penn State: Recommended Levels of Fruits and Vegetables}

^{2. Dentists on Gummy Vitamins: Are Gummy Vitamins Safe?‍}‍

^{3. Alpine Dental Health: Gummy Vitamins and Your Teeth}

^{4. Consumer Lab: Concern With Gummy Vitamins}

^{5. University Health News: Gummy Vitamins vs Pills}

^{6. CDC.gov: Choking Hazards}

^{7. Dr. Julie Wei: Choking Hazards for Children}