I have to be honest.  I had a favorite prenatal.  And it’s a good one.  But for some reason it just wasn’t making my tummy happy this time ’round.  So I was more than willing to try out Prenatal Oxylent when offered the opportunity.  Oxylent is different than other multivitamins, because it’s not a pill (or pills), or tablets, or gummies, or anything else along those lines.  It’s an effervescent drink mix.

Although we’re focusing on the prenatal here because we’re talking babies, Oxylent isn’t limited to prenatal use!  It’s available in several varieties, including one for children.

• It’s independently tested, so you can be sure you’re getting what the package says you’re getting.
• It includes chelated forms of minerals, which are more readily absorbed by the body than other forms.
• It contains no sugar, as it’s stevia-sweetened.  (That means no artificial sweeteners, either!)

It dissolved very easily in water for me, without even any need to stir.  And there was no chalkiness.  I have to confess I wasn’t crazy about it, but that’s probably because I tried the cranberry-raspberry flavor and I don’t like cranberry or raspberry.  I need to buy myself a box of the mandarin orange variety, and try that!  (I think there might have been a little of the typical stevia aftertaste, too, but that’s probably a minor factor when you like the flavor.)  If you really don’t like it, you could probably add the powder to a smoothie to disguise it.

My favorite “feature” of this product is the packaging.  I’ve always found vitamins hard to transport.  If I’m going to be out for the day or something, I have to figure out what in the world I’m going to do with a vitamin tablet or three.  If you put them in a pocket they get covered with lint.  You can put them into a container, but then the container can be bulky, inconvenient to get into, etc.  These come in flat pouches of individual servings, so they’re super-easy to toss into a purse or diaper bag, briefcase or pocket.  They’re labeled, so there’s no concern about what kind of substance you’re carrying around (unlike when you take a few pills out of their original bottle).  And all you need to take these is water, so you can add a packet to a remainder of a water bottle, or a glass of water at a restaurant.  In my opinion, this makes these useful to have on hand for portability even if you choose to stick with something else for everyday.

And I can buy them here at Vitacost* when I get the rest of my vitamins and personal care products.

I gave each of my girls a little taste.  (I didn’t want to give them too much, as it’s the adult-dose vitamins I have here.  But I wanted to gauge their response to the general idea before I went and bought a box of the children’s vitamins.)  The two older girls both said, “It’s a little strong, but it’s okay.”  (I suspect that, like their mama, they’d prefer a different flavor.)  But the toddler LOVED it and begged for more!  So I could spike her water with this (the children’s version) instead of the juice we’ve been using to give it some flavor, and she’d be getting  a vitamin boost.

Disclosure: I was provided by the manufacturer with a box of Oxylent to facilitate this review, as well as boxes to facilitate the Baby Shower for Jesus giveaway and donation.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

*If you are new to Vitacost, clicking my link will get you $10 off.  Full disclosure: It will also net me $10 off my next order.