As a team of registered dietitians that is also a team of moms, we have strong opinions and preferences when it comes to any supplements that we take and the ones we give to our kids. We have vetted and tried the full line of Hiya vitamins with our kids for over a year and have been pleased with the nutrient quality. Our kids have also been pleased with the taste, which is essential if you want your kids to take vitamins.
We published our first Hiya vitamins review in October of 2023 and recently updated it again with another year’s worth of our experiences. As parents, we know you have a lot of decisions to make, so we added some quick facts, a list of pros and cons, and our thoughts on Hiya’s newest offerings: a kids daily iron supplement, a kids daily greens powder and kids daily immune support.
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Jessie’s three kids, one of Jess’ girls, and Ana’s four boys take the multivitamin every day or very often. Jessie’s and Ana’s kids also take the Hiya probiotic pretty consistently. Two of Jessie’s kids take sleep support a few times a week, and one of Jess’ teens takes the Iron+ daily. Jessie also recommended the probiotic and iron supplements for her sister’s two kids, and they now take those daily. And Molly’s kids love the daily greens powder.
Our Verdict
If you’re searching for mom-approved,
dietitian-approved, and kid-approved children’s vitamins, we recommend Hiya. We’ve been buying them for a year now, and our kids love to take them consistently. We’ve tested them out with our own kids and reviewed the ingredients and amounts in detail, and we believe in the dosage and quality of these products formulated just for kids.
Pros and Cons
OK, we know that you’re strapped for time, and you have a ton of decisions to make. We provide a lot of detail in this review post, but we also paired it down to this quick chart of pros and cons in case you just have time to skim through it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Our kids ask to take them because they taste good. Plus, they love that they each get their own colorful bottle | The cost can feel high ($1/day), especially if you have multiple kids that take them |
| The formulation is solid — our team of RDs approves of the ingredients and amounts in the multivitamin, probiotic, iron supplement, and sleep support tablets (an awesome melatonin-free option for kids) | The multivitamin contains just a little calcium and no iron, so if those are nutrients of concern for your kid, you may need to add a separate calcium supplement or add the Hiya Iron supplement to your order |
| As RDs, we know that the supplement market is flooded with gummy vitamins, especially for kids, so we love that these are not gummies and that they have zero sugars and nothing artificial | |
| We can’t stand that so many vitamins come packaged in plastic! Instead, you store Hiya vitamins in a refillable glass container, and refills arrive in small eco-friendly pouches. It’s a minimal-waste product! | |
| We trust the Hiya brand, knowing that every single batch is third-party tested for heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, and cadmium, ensuring safety and compliance with the most stringent regulations. | |
| The products ship right to our doors and can be put on subscription so we never run out |
Quick Facts
Who are Hiya vitamins for? Toddlers to teenagers can take Hiya kids vitamins. Hiya Health recommends one chewable vitamin per day for children 2 years and older.
Which flavors do they come in? Each pack contains 30 small chewable tablets that come in three natural colors (pale pink from beetroot, pale yellow from turmeric, and pale green from spirulina). Our kids don’t notice a big difference in taste among the three, and they like them all – it’s really only the color that varies.
What health benefits do they offer? The kids daily multivitamin provides nutrients connected to a wide range of health benefits for kids, from bone and muscle health to immunity, eyesight, and brain health.
Hiya also offers a probiotic supplement tailored to support gut health and immunity in kids. And they have a new Iron supplement to support kids growth, oxygen flow, muscles, and brain function.
They offer a bedtime essentials sleep supplement, too, that contains natural ingredients known to support relaxation and calm in kids (we love that it’s a melatonin-free formula). And they also have a kids daily greens powder, a good solution for picky eaters and kids who skip meals regularly or have low food variety.
Is Hiya FDA-approved? The FDA doesn’t approve supplements, so Hiya is not FDA approved. They are third-party tested, however, in a lab that checks for heavy metals, allergens, and pathogens, ensuring safety and compliance with the most stringent regulations.
Where are Hiya vitamins made? Hiya vitamins are manufactured in the USA in a cGMP-compliant facility.
Can kids open the bottles themselves? The bottles are child proof, and you need to press down and turn to open them, similar to other vitamin bottles. Toddlers and little kids cannot open the bottles without an adult.
Why We Continue Using Hiya For Our Children
Some of our kids are fairly picky eaters who enjoy only a small group of consistent foods, while others are more adventurous and willingly eat almost anything we put in front of them. And most of them fall somewhere in between! Some days, they have big hunger and happily eat what they’re served, and on others, they turn their noses up at almost everything and inspect each bite for any teensy green offenders.
Each of our kids has food and flavor preferences, and a few of them try to avoid certain food allergens. We know this probably sounds consistent with most families out there.
Even though we are RDs, we don’t find any shame in using a quality supplement to help give our kids some extra support in the nutrient department.
We gravitate towards a few things with the Hiya supplements, in particular: their clean ingredient list (no sugars!), the quality of the formulation, and the format as tablets instead of gummies. We’ve tried many brands of supplements with our kids, and our experience is that our kids actually want to take the Hiya vitamins, whereas it was always a struggle to work other ones into our routines.
A few main things we appreciate about Hiya:
- There are no added sugars or artificial ingredients, such as artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, in any of the Hiya products.
- The multivitamin has an organic fruit-and-vegetable blend plus 15 essential nutrients that support our kids’ wellness.
- Hiya’s products are formulated by a company that ONLY makes kids vitamins. Parents, pediatricians, registered dietitian nutritionists, and scientists were all consulted in the creation of these vitamins.
What Our Kids Think
They taste good! Our kids have one thing in mind when it comes to taking vitamins: Does it taste good?
We’ve been giving our kids, who fall in the age range of 2 to 16, the Hiya vitamins for a year now. And even though this hardly ever happens, all of our kids give them their approval for taste. In fact, they often want to take more than just one! Not only that, but we find that they are actually excited to take these vitamins and ask for them every day.
It doesn’t hurt that each kid gets their own bright yellow bottle of their own personal vitamins (kids love something that is their very own). They also loved using the stickers, which come in every first order, to add their names and decorations to the multivitamin bottles.
Among the 10 kids on our team who have tried Hiya vitamins, 8 of them take them every day or very often. Of the two who don’t take them when offered, one of them doesn’t like chewable vitamins and the other is a teenager who takes a different multivitamin.
Does Your Child Actually Need To Take A Multivitamin?
The short answer is no, not all kids need to take a multivitamin. A few of our kids readily eat a variety of foods from a variety of food groups a few times each day. If your kids are like that, then they most likely do not need to supplement their diet with a multivitamin.
But many of the kids of our team members are not big veggie lovers, and some of them are pretty picky, eating just a few foods consistently and not really getting a ton of variety. If your kids are more like that, then a multivitamin could be extra insurance that they’re getting all the nutrients kids need.
The types of kids that would benefit from taking a multivitamin include:
- Picky eaters who eat only a few foods and not very many fruits and vegetables
- Kids who don’t eat regular meals
- Kids who eat a lot of highly processed foods, which are low in vitamins and minerals, or get most of their calories from fast foods and sugary foods
- Children with chronic medical conditions that affect nutrient absorption, such as asthma or digestive problems,
- Kids with severe neurodivergent conditions, such as autism, ADHD, or dyslexia
- Kids who eat special diets, such as dairy free, vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten free
Additionally, kids who have big inconsistencies in their food intake could benefit from taking a multivitamin. While it is normal for kids to eat a lot at one meal and a little at the next, only you, as a parent, would have that wide-lens view at your child’s food intake over a week’s time.
Offering your kid a multivitamin can provide peace of mind that your child is getting all the essential vitamins and minerals that they need while also doing no harm. The human body is really good at excreting any excess water-soluble vitamins and minerals through urine and storing any excess fat-soluble vitamins in the liver for later use. In other words, feeding kids too much of an essential micronutrient is typically not an issue.
What’s In Hiya Vitamins?
There are five different options in the Hiya vitamins lineup and we’ve tested all of them with our kids, with a high success rate of:
- Our kids actually taking them and reminding us when they need to
- Appropriate ingredient support for nearly all of our kids’ health needs
Hiya Kids Multivitamin
The Hiya kids multivitamin contains 15 essential vitamins and minerals and include the main nutrients that children ages 2 to 18 need. Here’s what kids get in each little chewable tablet:
| Vitamin A | 360 mcg from beta-carotene and retinol palmitate | Fat-soluble vitamin for immunity, eye health, and cell growth |
| Vitamin C | 40 mg from calcium ascorbate and acerola fruit | Fat-soluble vitamin for immune function, as well as healthy bones, muscles, and skin |
| Vitamin D | 25 mcg from vegan cholecalciferol | Fat-soluble vitamin for a strong immune system and bone health; this is more than the recommended daily dosage since vitamin D deficiency is the most common deficiency among kids, and especially among picky eaters |
| Vitamin E | 3.5 mg of the D-Alpha Tocopherol form | Fat-soluble vitamin for eye health, heart health, and immune function |
| Thiamin (Vitamin B1) | 0.5 mg from thiamin mononitrate and organic quinoa sprouts | Connected to kids’ brain health and better sleep |
| Riboflavin | 0.6 mg from organic quinoa sprouts | For eye health, energy and metabolism, and cell growth |
| Folate (Vitamin B9) | 200 mcg from organic quinoa sprouts and 5-methyltetrahydrofolic (5-MTHF) | For energy production and cell growth; the source is a more natural source of this vitamin than traditional folic acid |
| Vitamin B12 | 2 mcg from methylcobalamin and organic quinoa sprouts | Known to support sleep and is especially beneficial for kids on mostly plant-based diets; many children’s vitamins mistakenly leave out B12 |
| Biotin (Vitamin B7) | 25 mcg from organic quinoa sprouts | Essential B vitamin known to support cell growth and healthy skin |
| Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) | 2.5 mg from organic quinoa sprouts | For regulating kids’ mood, sleep, and focus; this B vitamin is often not included in children’s vitamins |
| Calcium | 20 mg from calcium carbonate | For kids’ bone health and growth; studies show many kids don’t get enough |
| Iodine | 50 mcg from potassium iodide | Essential mineral for thyroid function; often not in children’s vitamins |
| Zinc | 3 mg from zinc citrate | Beneficial for wound healing (of cuts and scrapes on kids’ skin) and avoiding infection |
| Selenium | 15 mcg from selenomethionine | Essential mineral for sleep, mood support, and regulating inflammation; most kids vitamins leave this essential mineral out |
| Manganese | 1.5 mg from manganese citrate | Mineral to support metabolism and regulating inflammation |
| Vitamin K | 8 mcg from menaquinone-7 | For blood and bone health |
| Fruit and vegetable blend | This is included so Hiya Vitamins taste sweet without having added sugars or artificial sweeteners. | It also helps give the chewables three natural kid-friendly colors (from beetroot, turmeric root, and spirulina) instead of from artificial coloring. |
| Sweetener blend | In addition to the flavor achieved from the added fruit and veggie blend, Hiya vitamins do contain a natural sweetener blend made from mannitol and monk fruit extract. | Monk fruit is a tropical melon that is 100 times sweeter than sugar, so only a teensy amount is used. Mannitol is a sugar alcohol, also used in a teensy amount, and it’s found naturally in strawberries and pumpkins. |
Hiya Kids Probiotic
The kids probiotic contains 10 billion CFU of a prebiotic and probiotic blend, and our kids love it the most. The safe and effective blend of probiotics and prebiotics evolves based on seasonality and the latest science, but it’s typically a mix of plant-based fiber and Lactobacillus and Bacillus strains, such as:
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Lactobacillus paracasei
- Bacillus lactis
- Larch Tree Fiber
Other ingredients that contribute to the natural color and flavor of the probiotic are xylitol, beet root, lemon juice powder, organic rice hull and rice bran extract, organic sunflower oil, and monk fruit extract.
Kids Bedtime Essentials
Hiya also has a bedtime essentials supplement to support calm, relaxation, and stress relief in kids. We love that this product does not contain melatonin, which can have unwanted side effects and be very habit-forming for kids. Instead, it’s a more natural mix of nutrients and ingredients that are safe and can support better sleep, including:
- Vitamin B6
- Choline
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- L-theanine
- GABA
- Chamomile flower extract
Our only complaint about this all-natural kids’ sleep supplement is that the yellow color of the tablet (from turmeric root) tends to stain their toothbrushes yellow.
We find that our kids have loved incorporating these Hiya nighttime chewables into their bedtime routine. In fact, among washing faces, brushing teeth, and using the potty, taking their Hiya Bedtime chewable is their favorite part of bedtime!
Hiya Kids Daily Iron+
A recent addition to Hiya’s offerings is their new chewable iron tablet for kids. We’re so excited about it because, as registered dietitians, we know that iron is the most common nutrient deficiency among kids. Low iron has been linked to issues with childhood growth, fatigue, fussiness, and limited diets, such as restricted food groups or vegetarian eating.
The main ingredients in the daily iron supplement are:
- Iron — the building block for hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen all around the body. This is essential for kids’ muscles and tissues to get the oxygen they need to grow. A 1-tablet serving contains 7 mg of iron, which is 100% of the recommended amount for kids 2-3 years old, and 39% of the recommended amount for kids 4 and older. Older kids and menstruating tweens and teens may want to consider taking 2 tablets a day.
- Vitamin C — this antioxidant vitamin helps kids’ bodies absorb iron more efficiently while simultaneously boosting their immune systems.
We love that the Hiya iron contains the carbonyl iron format of iron, making it gentle on kids’ stomachs. Other ingredients in the iron tablets are a mannitol and monk fruit sweetener blend, plant cellulose, coconut oil powder, beet root (for color), vegetable magnesium stearate, and citric acid.
Like all of the Hiya vitamins, the Iron+ is gluten-free, non-GMO, 100% plant-based (vegan), and sugar-free.
Hiya Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods
And yet another new addition from Hiya to their quality kids supplements lineup is the Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods powder. Before testing this product, we actually hadn’t seen a greens powder designed just for kids, but what a great idea! Like Hiya’s other products, the powder comes in a pouch and gets stored in a refillable canister that you get with your first order. It’s designed to be added to milk (or plant-based milk, if you’d rather). It shakes up like chocolate milk and actually tastes terrific. Nearly all of our kids love it and ask to take it. Only my 6-year-old son didn’t love it at first, but now he asks for it whenever he sees my 4-year-old and 2-year-old happily sipping their “chocolate milk.”
The main ingredients in the Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods powder are:
- essential nutrients: Vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium
- four proprietary blends:
- kid’s essential greens blend: includes barley grass powder, kale powder, alfalfa grass powder, and more for antioxidant and mineral benefits
- kid’s digestion blend: made from organic millet, amaranth, apple pomace, buckwheat, quinoa, and more for fiber and digestive benefits
- kid’s superfood blend: made from organic acai, banana, cranberry, mango, pineapple and more for vitamin and antioxidant benefits
- kid’s core development: aquamarine algae and vitamin D2 mushrooms for essential vitamin and mineral benefits
- other ingredients: cocoa powder, organic Madagascar vanilla, coconut oil powder, oat creamer powder, xanthan gum, stevia leaf extract, and sea salt for flavor and solubility
We think the greens powder is an awesome solution for picky eaters and kids who skip meals regularly or have low food variety. If your kids are already milk drinkers, adding a scoop of the greens powder is a great way to increase kids’ intake of some very key nutrients for their development, especially vitamin D, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Kids Daily Immune Support
The newest addition to Hiya is a kids daily immune support chewable that’s designed to bolster a healthy systemic response in kids. It may be helpful for when kids enter a new environment (like when traveling), new seasons, or are generally run down and need to maintain a strong immune system.
Like all of the Hiya vitamins, our kids love this one, too. The citrus and raspberry flavors are free from total sugars, added sugars, and synthetic dyes, and we think the active vitamins, minerals, and immune fruit blend in this formulation is a great way to boost kids’ defenses year round, including during cold and flu season.
The main active ingredients in the Daily Immune support are:
- Vitamin C: each tablet includes 25 mg of vitamin C, which is 167% of the Daily Value for kids ages 2-3 and 28% of the Daily Value for kids over 4 years old
- Vitamin E: 4.5 mg as the d-alpha tocopherol form of Vitamin D from sunflower
- Zinc: included as zinc gluconate at the amount of 1.9 grams per tablet
- Selenium: included as 3 mcg selenium yeast per tablet
- Beta glucans: derived from algae, these soluble dietary fibers help activate and strengthen immune cells
- Dried yeast fermentate: derived from brewer’s yeast and may help prevent and reduce inflammation
- Immunity fruit blend: 120 mg of an immune-boosting whole-food blend that includes organic sweet potato, apple, camu camu powder, and organic elderberry juice extract
As parents and dietitians, we love these no-sugar-added, non-gummy immune-supporting vitamins, especially in the years when kids are building up their natural immune defenses and their growing immune systems are sensitive to changing seasons and environments.
Here’s What’s Missing
We think Hiya’s multivitamin is a very well-rounded vitamin that contains nearly all of the micronutrients (the vitamins and minerals) kids need to stay healthy and thrive. The following are some exceptions to consider if your child has been told by a pediatrician that they need more of a certain nutrient. In that case, you could consider giving your child the Hiya Multivitamin, plus one of these additional single nutrients.
- Low in calcium content: It should be noted that if calcium is a nutrient of concern for your child (for example, if they never drink milk or rarely eat other dairy foods), the Hiya multivitamin contains a lower amount of calcium. It contains only 20 mg of calcium, which is just 3% of the Daily Value for children 2-3 years old and <2% of the Daily Value for kids 4 and older. If your child doesn’t drink milk or regularly eat other calcium-rich foods, you may need to consider another calcium vitamin.
- The multivitamin doesn’t contain iron: Iron supplementation can be advantageous and even critically necessary for some children. In fact, iron is the #1 mineral deficiency in kids, and its common during puberty and in kids with plant-based or other restricted diets. The Hiya multivitamin doesn’t contain iron, but Hiya has a really good Kid’s Daily Iron option that iron-deficient kids can take in tandem with the multivitamin.
- Doesn’t contain omega-3s: The focus on omega-3 fatty acid intake for overall well-being has been mostly centered around benefits for adults. However, children need omega-3s, too, for healthy growth, development, and brain function. Foods naturally rich in omega-3s are fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines), flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and pasture-raised eggs. There is currently no recommended Daily Value (DV) for omega-3s, but there might be someday as more research displays the importance of this type of fat. Some evidence suggests that omega-3s may be beneficial for mitigating ADHD, avoiding allergies, and improving kids’ sleep and school performance.
Pricing + How The Subscription Model Works
Hiya kids multivitamins, iron tablets, and probiotics each cost $30/month or $1/day, if your kids take them daily. The Hiya sleep supplement costs just a bit more at $35/month or $1.17/day. Here’s how that compares to other leading brands:
| Brand | Daily Dose | Refillable? | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiya Kids | 1 chewable tablet | Yes | $0.50/dose for the 1st month, then $1/dose |
| Olly Kids | 2 gummies | No | $0.45/dose |
| Smartypants Kids | 4 gummies | No | $0.90/dose |
| First Day Kids | 2 gummies | No | $1.20/dose |
The vitamins get shipped right to your door. When you create an account at Hiyahealth.com, you can select if you would like to get a monthly shipment of the multivitamin, probiotic, iron supplement, sleep support, daily greens, or all five. You also select how many kids are in your household (from 1 to 5) who would each need their own monthly refill.
The original shipment contains your starter kit, which includes the first month’s worth of vitamins (30 chewables) and a refillable glass container. You also get two pages of stickers so each child can personalize their vitamin container (we love this cute feature, and our kids do, too!). The auto shipment of 30 refill vitamins arrives in a small non-plastic pouch once per month.
Shipping is always free, and the terms are great! You can pause or cancel any time.
- 1st order: Refillable glass container with stickers and 1 month’s supply (30 chewable vitamins)
- Monthly subscription thereafter: 1 month’s refill pouch of kids multivitamins (30 chewable vitamins)
We Love Hiya’s Inspiring Founder Story
We think it’s so cool that Hiya was created in 2020 by two dads, Darren Litt and Adam Gillman. They were concerned with all the sugar in common children’s vitamins — in some cases, as much as an Oreo cookie!
As both dietitians and moms, we appreciate that they were thoughtful and thorough when creating these kid-specific products, spending three years consulting parents and top pediatricians, dietitian nutritionists, and scientists before Hiya came to life.
Comparing Hiya To The Competition
Multivitamin options that are tailored just for kids have come a long way since the Flinstone’s vitamins of our own youth. Still, so many of them contain ingredients that could be better or just don’t need to be there in the first place. Here’s an at-a-glance look at how Hiya’s kids vitamins differ from most popular children’s vitamins today.
| Most Kids Vitamins | Hiya Vitamins |
| 1-5 grams added sugars | 0 g added sugars |
| Gummies and sugary powders | Chewables |
| Contain 10-15 essential nutrients | Contain 15 essential nutrients |
| Artificial dyes | Natural vegetable dyes |
| Multiple servings/day | 1 daily vitamin |
| Fillers and preservatives added | 12 organic fruit-and-vegetable blend |
| Flavoring added | Natural fruit flavors |
| Packaged in plastic | Packaged in reusable glass bottles |
| $0.45 to $1.20 per dose | $1.00 per dose |
Is Hiya Worth It?
Short answer: Yes. Not only are they worth it, but we often recommend them to friends and family. The Hiya vitamins cost $30 per month, which comes out to $1 for each daily vitamin, and we think that’s a fair price to pay for a great product and quality nutrients, as well as peace of mind that your kids are filling any nutritional gaps to help them grow properly.
While this price isn’t the cheapest kids’ vitamin out there, it’s not the most expensive, either. We find that the price is on par with any other high-quality children’s vitamin. Plus, when you factor in that you get a free refillable bottle, shipping is always free, and the product is shipped directly to your door, then the value you get only increases more. We love the convenience of having our Hiya vitamins on subscription, so we don’t run out and don’t need to worry about getting more (one less thing on our massive lists of to-dos!)
All of our RDs agree that Hiya vitamins are a high-quality, well-rounded option for a kids’ multivitamin, probiotic, iron, greens powder, and sleep supplement that we personally choose to support our own children’s health.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this review. I will try them out for my children.
Do you have a recommendation for a women’s vitamin? Thank you!
Great Nichole!
Our team likes Puori vitamins here is a link, our discount code is PUORIxRFD
https://collabs.shop/w4hqat
I would really like to know what multi-vitamin you have chosen for the teen.
It’s New Chapter Tiny Tabs Multivitamin!
Would it not be suggested for 17 month old then?
Hiya vitamins are recommended for 2 years or older.
Any further research on the heavy metal accusations?
Yes, Hiya has assured us of their stringent third party testing and we trust their quality and standards. You can read more here: https://hiyahealth.com/pages/quality-and-third-party-testing-heavy-metals-testing-lead
We connected with our pediatrician and they were so impressed by hiya’s testing regimen…they said it’s a great option and suggested it for both our kids.
We are so happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing this feedback with us Jenna!