Ridgely Ingersol has tried many different vitamins, but she hasn't found one that six year old John will willingly take. "They taste like rocks," he said.
Vitaball is different from a regular vitamin. It's a vitamin gumball. "To me, it's better to have one that he'll actually take then one that just sits in the bottle ... doesn't do much good," Ingersol said.
When John found out it was a gumball, he was happy to give vitaball a try. It comes in four flavors and cherry is John's favorite.
Even though it's a gumball and can only be given to children five years and older, it needs to be taken with care. "A parent needs to regulate it and put it up in a safe place just like they would any medication," said Mary Jo Haney, a registered dietician with Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters.
As far as sugar content goes, each Vitaball has four grams of fat. That's about the same as other vitamins. But Vitaball only contains vitamins. There are no minerals which many children still need. So it's not a complete vitamin.
But as far as John's concerned, Vitaball tastes great and he'll take it. So, as far as his mom is concerned, Vitaball does work.
