Hiya Vitamins Review (2024) | The Picky Eater
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In this Hiya vitamins review I take an honest look at this re-imagined children’s multivitamin, answering all of your questions, providing you with the pros and cons, answering the most common questions, as well as sharing the benefits of using this vitamin for your children.
When choosing the right multivitamin for your kids, you have a lot of options. Unfortunately, most of the vitamins marketed for children can have processed and questionable ingredients that actually aren’t that great for your child.
If you are on your search for the best multivitamin for your child, you’ve likely come up with more questions than answers. Does my child need a multivitamin? Which multivitamin is best? What vitamins and nutrients should be included?
When you’re first diving into getting these answers it can feel overwhelming! How do you know which resources to trust, where do you get the best information, and can you even believe the marketing claims of the vitamin brands out there?
When Hiya started their company, they didn’t like the answers they were getting about the kids vitamins available on the market. The founders of Hiya started to look at the ingredients in their kids’ vitamins, they realized that most kids multivitamins were more or less candy in disguise, filled with sugar, artificial flavors, colors, and processed ingredients.
Wanting a better vitamin for kids everywhere, they set out to make their own, and that’s how Hiya was born! Below is my Hiya kids multivitamins review: all about the vitamins, why I love them and feed them to my children, and common questions and answers about the popular children’s multivitamins.
Related: Best Vitamins for Teens
But First, A Disclaimer
As a board-certified health coach and certified nutritionist, I support supplements that are rooted in science and that are evidence-based. The FDA does not review dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they go to market, so I prioritize products such as Hiya that are third-party tested and certified. This post has also been medically reviewed and fact checked by Linzy Ziegelbaum, MS, RD, CDN (see my about page for more info about Linzy).
Though I may receive a commission (at no extra expense to you) if you purchase through some of the affiliate links provided, I only recommend products I’ve researched, evaluated, consulted experts on, and would feel comfortable giving to my own two children. In fact, I give Hiya vitamins to my two young children every day.
As always, I only share products that are the highest quality and that can help you and your family the most. By purchasing any of these products from the links below, you help keep this blog running, so thanks for your support!
Large doses of vitamins can be harmful to children; your child may benefit from individual vitamin supplements instead of a multivitamin. Always speak with a healthcare professional or physician about your child’s supplementation needs before adding a vitamin or similar supplement to their diet.
The information shared in this post is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard or delay in seeking professional medical advice because of something you read here and always consult with your doctor to determine the proper administration and recommended dosage of vitamins for your child. All product prices are accurate at the time of this publication but are subject to change.
Do Children Need To Take A Multivitamin?
Deciding whether or not your child needs a multivitamin is really up to you and your child’s pediatrician! If your child is eating a well-balanced nutrient-rich diet, it may not be necessary to provide them with a daily vitamin (source).
Technically, all of your child’s nutrient needs can be met by eating fresh vegetables, real fruit, whole grains, and lean protein. However, the reality is that most kids, especially picky eaters, don’t eat a balanced diet and therefore aren’t getting the vitamins and minerals they need each day!
Young children are growing and developing at a rapid rate. Especially when they are toddlers, they are learning to walk, talk, and eat solid foods. They are expending lots of energy and need many nutrients to fuel this expansive development.
That’s where a single dose of Hiya vitamins can really make a difference in your child’s health! Many parents feel that helping their children fill in any nutrient gaps with a multivitamin they can trust is an excellent way to ensure their children’s little bodies are getting everything they need for optimal health, growth, and development.
What Are Hiya Vitamins?
Hiya Vitamins was founded by two fathers, Darren Litt, and Adam Gillman, who realized that all of the existing options for children’s vitamins had the same amount of sugar as an Oreo cookie! On top of that, many of the popular vitamins didn’t include the highly absorbable forms of vitamins that kids need.
Because of this, Litt and Gillman decided to get to work: they created their own chewable vitamins that would adequately address common nutritional gaps in most kids’ diets, without any artificial sweeteners or added cane sugar!
They started by gathering a group of top pediatricians, nutritionists, scientists, and parents to formulate the best chewable multivitamins for kids made with organic fruits and vegetables that were not only nutritious for kids but also tasted great.
The result was Hiya Health Vitamins, a daily chewable vitamin suitable for kids aged 2 through mid-teens. It has 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including Zinc, Vitamin D3, B12, and Manganese. As I will share in this hiya health review, these vitamins are made with pure natural ingredients, yet still taste great!
What Sets Hiya Vitamins For Kids Apart?
These vitamins include 15 essential nutrients and vitamins for children. They were formulated by pediatricians with the nutrients and vitamins commonly deficient in children to contain forms of the vitamins that were most easily absorbed by little bodies. In addition to the vitamin and mineral blend, these multis contain an organic fruit and vegetable blend, adding antioxidants, kid-friendly flavor, and nutrition to the vitamins.
Many other common kids multivites contain added sugar, call for multiple vitamins per day, or contain processed sugar, preservatives, colors, or even pork-based gelatin, whereas Hiya is a one-a-day, sugar-free, vegan, and colored with vegetable extracts.
Below I have compared Hiya to some of the most popular kids multivitamins brands. One note on the chart below: Smarty Pants has multiple kids vitamins, but I chose their kids multi & omegas for comparison because it is sugar-free, but some of their other kids’ vitamins are not sugar free. See how Hiya stacks up below, and then you can read more about the ingredients in Hiya and what makes them unique!
Fruits And Veggies
Containing an organic powdered fruit and vegetable blend, the antioxidants from this blend complement the vitamin and mineral profile to create a well-rounded vitamin that you’ll feel as good about giving to your child as they will enjoy eating it.
The nutrients in the fruit and veggie blend also help to support your child’s growth and development and the blend also provides the vitamins with vibrant colors (thanks to beetroot, spirulina, and turmeric).
If you have picky eaters or your kids are selective about the produce they eat, choosing a vitamin that includes organic produce is a great way to fill in nutritional gaps in their diet!
Sweetened With Monk Fruit
Did you know that a typical kid’s vitamin has as much as two teaspoons of sugar?! Not these! There is zero sugar in Hiya’s Vitamins, but they are still sweet. How did they do that? Each chewable is naturally sweetened with monk fruit!
Monk fruit is a tropical melon that is very sweet, thanks to the unique antioxidants it contains rather than sugar (source), making it an ideal sugar-free sweetener. The fruit is paired with mannitol, a natural sugar alcohol derived from fruits and vegetables, giving these vitamin supplements a flavor that kids love while being free of any unnecessary sugar.
Hiya Ingredients: NO JUNK
There aren’t many reasons not to love these multivites. Let’s take a look at their impressive profile:
- Natural
- No Dyes
- No Preservatives
- Naturally Sweetened with Monk Fruit
- Organic
- Non-GMO
- Eco Friendly
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Delicious Taste!
What Is In Hiya’s Kids Daily Multivitamin?
In addition to being both good for your child and the environment, one look at the Hiya nutrition label and you will see that these multivitamins contain 15 essential vitamins and minerals that kids need to thrive.
Here are the Hiya vitamin ingredients along with each of their health benefits:
- Vitamin A: Found in carrots, cheese, eggs, oily fish, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, and red peppers. Vitamin A has been shown to provide immunity support and promote eye and skin health (source). There are two different types of vitamin A, preformed vitamin A and provitamin A (source). Both are found in the Hiya formula.
- Vitamin C: Found in citrus, peppers, broccoli, and strawberries. This vitamin helps to support the body’s healing process and is a nutrient the body needs to form muscle, cartilage, and collagen (source).
- Vitamin D3: Found in mushrooms, eggs, cheese, and oily fish. Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that bolster immune health. It also helps in bone development and supports brain and muscle function (source). According to recent studies, more than 40% of kids are deficient in Vitamin D. Those most at risk include picky eaters, kids living with obesity, or kids in cold climates.
- Vitamin E: Found in avocado, spinach, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps protect cells from free radicals (source); it has also been shown to support eyesight, the heart, and the immune system (source).
- Thiamin (Vitamin B1): Common sources include whole grains, meat, fish, seaweed, legumes, and many breads and cereals are fortified with it. Thiamin is a B vitamin that strengthens the immune system and supports the body’s stress response (source). It also helps in concentration, general mood, and sleep (source).
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): Found in yogurt, dairy products, eggs, pork, salmon, and chicken breast. This B vitamin helps the body produce energy and also functions as an antioxidant (source).
- Folate (Vitamin B9): Found in whole foods such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas, chickpeas, and kidney beans, and leafy green vegetables. Folate is a B vitamin that plays a crucial role in red blood cell formation and supports cellular growth (source). Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 and folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin typically found in breakfast cereals and most traditional vitamins. Folic acid needs to be converted to it’s active form (5-MTHF) in the body to be usable (source). So while folic acid is absorbed into the body for most people (source), any additional un-metabolized folic acid can be problematic in the body, and the process of metabolization can be inefficient (source). Some supplements use the methylated forms of B vitamins (5-MTHF), which are already converted into their active form, and are actually the most absorbable in the body. For example, methylfolate (5-MTHF) is better absorbed than regular folic acid (source). Hiya contains methylfolate in its vitamins.
- Vitamin B12: Found in chicken, red meat, eggs, dairy, oily fish, and more. B12 increases energy, improves memory, improves brain function, and even can help fight off depression (source) Note: cyanocobalamin is more commonly found in most vitamins but that form is also synthetic and contains a cyanide group attached to the molecule (source). Though the National Institute of Health deems it safe for children (source), some people are concerned about it being in kids vitamins. That’s why Hiya made the switch to methylcobalamin — the naturally occurring form, which may be more bioavailable (source).
- Biotin: Found in mushrooms, legumes, nuts, seeds, and avocado. Supports cellular growth, metabolic function, hair and nail growth, and healthy skin (source).
- Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): Found in mushrooms, broccoli, sunflower seeds, nuts, mushrooms, and eggs. Pantothenic acid supports cellular growth, helps turn food into energy, improves sleep and focus, and supports skin hair, and eye health (source).
- Calcium: Found in broccoli, sardines, dairy, almonds, tofu, and figs. Not only does calcium help to build and maintain strong bones, but the mineral is also needed for muscles and nerves to function properly (source).
- Iodine: Found in seaweed, eggs, dairy, cod, eggs, and iodized salt. This mineral supports normal growth, brain development, and also is critical for thyroid function (source).
- Zinc: Found in oysters, beef, chickpeas, oats, beans, and cashews. Zinc is an important mineral to consume because it supports the immune system, helps heal infections and cuts, and also supports body metabolism (source).
- Selenium: Found in eggs, mushrooms, brown rice, chicken, sunflower seeds, and tuna. This less well-known mineral is a powerful antioxidant, preventing cell damage from free radicals. Selenium also is important for thyroid health, mental function, and bolstering the immune system (source).
- Manganese: Found in whole grains, clams, soybeans, tea, and leafy vegetables. Another not-so-well-known mineral, manganese plays a role in developing and maintaining strong bones and connective tissue, metabolizing carbohydrates and fat, blood sugar regulation, and more (source).
What Nutrients Do Hiya Vitamins Lack?
Though Hiya kids vitamins are overall a very well-rounded option for many kids, they are lacking or low in the following nutrients. If your pediatrician has recommended that your child focus on getting enough of any of the following, speak with them about supplementing Hiya with a single nutrient supplement.
- Iron: The body uses iron for growth and development and for making hemoglobin and myoglobin, proteins that transport and provide oxygen to different parts of the body (source). Not all children need to supplement their iron intake, as many receive adequate iron from their diet (source), but if your child is vegetarian, vegan, a picky eater, or you are otherwise concerned about their iron intake, speak with your pediatrician to determine if an additional iron supplement is a good idea.
- Calcium: Though Hiya contains calcium, 1 tablet contains only 20mg of the mineral. That is only 3% of the needed amount for children aged 2-3 and less than 2% for kids ages 4 and up! Since calcium is so important in bone development, you will want to talk with your doctor about supplementing with calcium if your child does not drink a lot of milk or other dairy products.
- Omega 3’s: These essential fatty acids are crucial for brain and eye development and may also help support sleep, mood, cognition, and mental health (source). Hiya does not contain any omega-3s, so if your child does not eat many foods that are rich in these fatty acids – such as fish, hemp seeds, walnuts, chia seeds, and sardines – you may want to consider a kid-friendly omega-3 supplement.
- Probiotics: Not necessarily a nutrient, but certainly beneficial to little ones, probiotics help your child develop a healthy gut microbiome, boosting their immunity, improving digestion, supporting their mood, and more (source). Hiya multivitamins do not contain probiotics, but the brand also makes a fantastic individual daily Hiya probiotic (see below for more information).
Why Parents Love Hiya Children’s Vitamins
As parents, we always want to make sure that our children are healthy, happy, and thriving. I personally give my two kids Hiya vitamins. I’ve spoken with other parents who also give them to their children and here’s what we love about them:
- No “gummy junk:” Instead of being a gummy vitamin that can get stuck in kids’ teeth, causing cavities, these come in a chewable tablet.
- Real fruits and vegetables: Made with a blend of 12 organic fruits and vegetables! Particularly great for picky eaters.
- One-a-day formula: Thankfully these vitamins taste great, but there are still some days when giving kids their vitamins is more difficult. But the good news is little ones only need to take 1 Hiya vitamin per day, which is a lot easier to get them to eat than 2-4 tablets (that some other kids vitamins require!)
- Sugar-free: Sweet thanks to monk fruit, a natural sweetener, these are 100% sugar-free vitamins.
- Vegetarian and vegan-friendly: No fish oil or animal-derived vitamin D3.
- No artificial anything: No added preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors.
- Convenient subscription service: Delivered fresh to your door with free shipping!
- Eco-friendly packaging: Comes in a reusable glass bottle.
- Manufactured in the USA: So you know exactly where your kids’ vitamins are being made.
- Third-party tested: Free of heavy metals, allergens, and pathogens.
Why Kids Love Hiya Vitamins
My children have been enthusiastically taking Hiya vitamins for years now and, of course, I couldn’t give this brand a positive review if they didn’t love them, too. Here’s what they have to say about the multivitamins:
- Great flavor: They love the fruity flavor and great texture. It’s never a fight to give them their vitamins so they take them every day.
- Easy to chew: These vitamins are easy for the kids to chew, don’t have a chalky finish, and don’t get stuck in my kids’ teeth, making them go down easy and without any sour faces.
- Individualized bottle: Each of my kids has their own refillable glass bottle that they decorated with the stickers that came in their first order, making it something that they love to use as their own.
How Does The Hiya Vitamin Service Work?
Hiya’s chewable children’s vitamin service is a monthly delivery service that’s basically a “set and forget” approach to vitamins. In your first delivery, you’ll receive enough vitamins for the first month, a child-proof glass bottle to store your child’s vitamins, and a bunch of stickers for your child to decorate their bottle with!
All you have to do is sign up, choose which of their vitamins you want (either just their multivitamin, or add on their kids probiotics and bedtime vitamin), choose how many kids are in your household (which will determine how many refills you receive each month), pick your delivery date, and you’re all set! Fresh vitamins will come to your house every month until or if you ever decide to cancel the service.
Other Things To Consider
- Required monthly subscription plan: this means that your vitamins will be delivered to your home each month. Hiya vitamins are not available for sale in pharmacies or stores; only through their subscription plan. This may be a pro or con depending on how you feel about them. However, it is easy to cancel your subscription at any time. Your first order comes with a reusable bottle, and the following vitamins are delivered in a small recyclable refill pouch for you to refill your bottle.
- Price: The regular price of a 30-day supply of fresh Hiya Vitamins is $30. That can be a bit pricey at $1 per vitamin. However, they have a first-month special for 50% off which brings the price down to $15 for a 30-day supply! If you have more than one child, you can also purchase additional vitamins at a discount, as they drop the price of additional vitamins for every additional child. For example, a supply of vitamins for a family with 5 children costs only $11.50 per bottle per child for a 30-day supply.
- Iron and Calcium: As noted above, if your child needs iron or calcium in their supplement, Hiya may not be the best choice as they are low or negligent in these minerals. However, you can also easily fill these gaps with additional single supplement iron and calcium supplements.
Are Hiya Vitamins Right For My Child?
If your child’s pediatrician has recommended that you start your child on a multivitamin, Hiya vitamins can be a great pick for any child who needs a quality multivitamin supplement that parents can trust. They are also particularly great for kids with picky taste buds, children who follow a vegetarian and vegan diet, little ones who don’t like taking more than 1 vitamin a day, and children who don’t like or can’t take gummy vitamins.
Hiya Vitamins FAQs
These vitamins are designed for children ages 2-15. It is not recommended to give these vitamins to your child before two years of age as they are chewable and could be a choking hazard for young children.
Yes! Both boys and girls have a similar nutrient profile as children. These vitamins provide both boys and girls the nutrients they need.
The only way to purchase them is through their monthly subscription service; these multivites are not currently available for sale at stores or pharmacies.
At the time of this publication, Hiya is a privately owned company that was started by two fathers, Darren Litt and Adam Gillman.
Hiya manufactures in the USA in a GMP-compliant facility or a facility that ensures the products are consistently made to quality standards (source). Additionally, the vitamins are tested in a third-party lab for purity and safety.
Yes! This is unique because not all children’s vitamins are tested by a third party, as it can be pretty expensive to do so. According to the company website, Hiya vitamins are third-party tested by an independent lab for pathogens, common allergens, and heavy metals.
The main ingredients in Hiya are 15 vitamins and minerals plus an organic powdered fruit and vegetable blend, containing vegetables such as apple, beet, broccoli, carrot, and green cabbage.
Hiya comes in one natural fruit flavor. The flavor comes from the fruit and vegetable blend in the vitamins along with the monk fruit and mannitol sweeteners. They do come in 3 different colors though, and my kids swear that the different colors taste different from each other (they call them “lemon”, “apple” and “strawberry”) – so your child might feel the same way!
Given that Hiya multivitamins contain 15 vitamins and minerals and an organic fruit and vegetable blend, they have many different health benefits, ranging from immune support and promoting bone development to supporting mood, sleep, and energy.
Hiya recommends that your child take their multivitamin with a meal, either breakfast or dinner. However, if you forget and give it to them without a meal, it is perfectly safe to do so.
You can cancel your subscription at any time. Simply contact support at support@hiyahealth.com OR go into your account to change your subscription settings.
You can’t just order one bottle without signing up for a Hiya health subscription. That’s because the subscription is a monthly experience intended to give you peace of mind that your child will always have the vitamins they need on hand (you’ll never run out!) They deliver a pouch of fresh vitamins to your door each month. But, you can always sign up for a subscription and cancel if it doesn’t work out – Hiya has super easy cancellation and free shipping too!
Additional Vitamins That Hiya Offers
In addition to their daily multivitamin, Hiya also has a kids probiotic supplement that they created specifically to support gut health in kids. They also have a bedtime essentials vitamin that contains a blend of vitamins and natural ingredients to help kids wind down, relax, and feel calm before falling asleep (without any melatonin!) My kids regularly use both of these supplements too. Here are a few more details on both of these vitamins:
Hiya Probiotic
Most probiotics are formulated for adults, which makes them not as ideal for kids. But Hiya’s probiotic includes three of the most clinically-researched probiotic strains that have been shown to be beneficial to children, for a total of 10 billion live active cultures. Their probiotics, like their multivitamins, also have zero added sugar, are chewable tablets (no gummies), and taste great.
Learn More: Hiya Probiotic Review
Hiya Bedtime Essentials
My favorite thing about Hiya’s bedtime vitamin is that it is completely melatonin-free! This makes it non-habit-forming, which means it’s great for either everyday use or occasional use. I like giving it to my kids when they’ve had an especially overstimulating day, as I’ve found it helps them wind down and relax more easily before bed. Additionally, this sugar-free bedtime vitamin is meant to complement their probiotic and multivitamin, so there’s no risk of double dosing if you’re using all 3 together.
Learn More: Best Sleep Aid For Kids
Final Thoughts
I hope I have thoroughly answered all of your questions in this Hiya Vitamin review! Overall I love Hiya Vitamins and would absolutely recommend this brand if you’re looking for a clean multivitamin for your kid(s). But ultimately you have to make the decision on what vitamin will be the best fit for your child! If you have any further questions, please leave a comment below – I personally respond to every question I get!
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