I get a lot of questions about how I get my kids to take vitamins and while mine will just take their cod liver oil, probiotics, and magnesium without a problem … it got me thinking.
I combined one of their favorite natural snacks (jello/homemade gummy bears) with vitamins to make a healthy, gut-boosting, and really kid-friendly multivitamin.
DIY Chewable Vitamins
I can think of endless uses for these, but these are the ones I’ve tried so far:
- Adding vitamin C Powder and using lemon juice to make chewable sour gummies
- Adding probiotics with a fresh juice base to make GAPS friendly chewy vitamins (add Probiotics after heating!)
- Using homemade elderberry syrup as a base to make flu-busting chewy vitamins
- Adding Natural Calm for chewable magnesium vitamins
- Just making regular flavors and putting them in cute molds to make gummy snacks that are nut-free and approved for school activities
- I’d love to hear other ideas that you guys think about!
One caution: If your kids aren’t regularly drinking bone broth (they should be!) then start slow and only give them a few of these at a time as their gut adjusts or they might have a little loose stool since gelatin has a soothing effect on the digestive system. The advantage to these is that they use gelatin powder as a base so they sooth the gut and give some of the same benefits as bone broth.
If you are short on time or unable to make chewable vitamins, Hiya would be my next best option.
Homemade Chewable Vitamins Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 tsp gelatin powder
- 1 cup juice — not pineapple!
- 2 TBSP honey optional
- vitamins of choice such as vitamin C probiotics, magnesium
Instructions
- Combine the juice, gelatin, and honey if using in a small sauce pan and whisk to incorporate.
- Heat slightly over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. It will be thick and somewhat syrup-like.
- Remove from heat and whisk in vitamins and probiotics if using.
- Very quickly pour into molds or a small glass dish lightly oiled with coconut oil and put in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden.
- Remove and pop out of molds. Cut into squares if needed.
- Serve and enjoy! Tell the kids that they are gummy bears and they won’t even know that are getting vitamins!
Notes
Nutrition
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Ever made your own vitamins or supplements? What combinations would you add? Let me know below!
This is an answer to prayer!!! I have been trying to find vitamins that all three of my kids would take. I love that I can add whatever I feel they need. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I have a silly question… how much of each vitamin/probiotic/maagnesium do you add per batch? I’m very new to making this kind of stuff at home… LOVE you site, by the way!
That would have been helpful info… I’ll add it! 🙂 I added 2 teaspoons per batch if using single vitamins (vitamin C) and 1 teaspoon each if using multiple ones…
Are you using 2 teaspoons of liquid or powder vitamins? Also I am not sure how to properly assess how much of each vitamin is in each gummy. Any suggestions?
I would love to know this as well. 🙂
You need to work out the total amount of vitamin you use. Then work out the number of gummies you have made. Divide the amount by the number. A simple example: 1000mg of vitamin c used and 20 gummies made… 1000/20=50 (1000 divided by 20 is 50). So 50mg of vitamin C in each gummy.
Can I do this with cod liver oil?
Wondering the same!
One more question….just tried making a batch with Natural Calm. I added a tablespoon of Natural calm to one cup juice and 16 teaspoons gelatin. The Natural Calm really fizzed up. Will it jell OK?
Mine jelled with some bubbles in it, which the kids loved.
Thanks for the great ideas! I just discovered your website and love it! The chia energy bars and sports drink have been hits with my picky family. I’d love to try these gummy treats, even just to get the gelatin into my kids. Could an herbal supplement (one of the ones from Gaia) be mixed into this also?
Yep… I”ve been working on an herbal vitamin tincture for little ones and something like that could be added also…
Just to clarify before I make them- do you mix the different vitamins listed above into the same batch or do they need to be in seperate ones? And does the elderberry syrup replace the fruit juice when using? Thanks!!
Should have clarified that- elderberry replaces the juice and you can mix any except magnesium and Vitamin C (they won’t be absorbed well)
Question about mixing magnesium and Vit C. I can not find information that agrees with you that they should not be mixed together. Can you tell me your source? I have found many place that say it’s ok the take Vit C and magnesium together. Thanks!
Chris
Buffered Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) includes magnesium and I thought that was for the purpose of it being absorbed better. However it does have to be “buffered.”
I was looking all over pinterest and random blogs for a good gummy vitamin recipe this week. Of course you’d provide right away! Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m going to make it (for myself) right away!
What are your thoughts on using agar agar to get the ‘jello’-like texture?
I haven’t tried it personally, but it would probably work.
agar agar doesn’t have a good mouth feel. I’ve tried to make jelly cubes with it in the passed and wasn’t impressed.
Cool. I so wish I could find reliably kosher gelatin (the GL brand isnt truly kosher for me). I have seen a fish gelatin but its from farm raised tilapia which I am leary of.
Hmmm. I’d be leary of the tilapia one too. What is it about the GL brand that isn’t Kosher enough. I’ll see if I can find another source that would fit your needs…
I believe GL is porcine based. Bernard Jensen has a brand that is kosher, maybe that would work,
Great lakes also has a Kosher one that is beef based…
Thanks all. I know the GL has a kosher one but it isnt truly kosher enough for my standards. And I am wondering about using agar agar.thoughts?
I understand. I haven’t tried agar agar, but it seems like it should work. Please let us know if you try it!
Hi dear, i found the gelatin that you recommended (Kosher) but mine one is Porcine Gelatin and not BEEF. Can i use that?
Yes, you can use it too
Hello, about 2 years later!
I’ve used agar-agar, it doesn’t melt at room temperature like gelatin does, and sets up firmer so you use less. Depending upon the form, it comes in flakes, sheets, and powder, you’ll just have to search for how to use the form you have, likely it will be on the package. Agar-agar is also vegan and therefore vegetarian for anyone who needs that.
Agar is used in Asian countries for ‘jello’ maybe because it’s easier to get (it’s from seaweed) and maybe because it melts at a higher temperature making it better for hotter climates.
Anyway, it would work great. If you don’t like the mouth feel, you may have used too much. I’ve overdone it with gelatin and it sets up very stiff, too, so that could be it.
This is such a great idea, I love it! Make your own vitamin gels! Why couldn’t we just open up a couple of capsules of choice and mix them in? It might be gritty, but still, it isn’t a capsule to swallow.
This is late in the thread, but Great Lakes makes a kosher variety now. You can find it in amazon. It’s in a green container:)
Serena I’m also searching for Kosher Gelatin but only the tilapia seems the option. If u found any better sources plz leme knw TY!
Hi there! How long can they last? Or must they be consumed same day? Do they stay in the fridge?
I’d like to know too!! how long do these last and how do we store them?
Thanks for this vitamin recipe. I am trying to find a good way for my children to take their vitamins. I have a question for you. I’ve been reading into the GAPS diet for my children and I. I have a gluten sensitivity which has spilled over into basically all grains and lactose intolerance as well. Both my children have exzema, one has asthma and both have severe egg and nut allergy. My son who is one yr old, experienced anaphylaxis last week to eggs. You mentioned (and I’ve read about this other places) that the mother’s gut bacteria can be passed on to the baby. I guess my question is…could my poor gut bacteria lead my children to have severe/true food allergies to egg and nut? And my other question is…would the GAPS diet help with true food allergies? Or is it just for food sensitives? I’m sure the book will explain this as well so I will probably buy it. My last question (so so many)..how hard is it to keep your kids on this diet? Does your whole family do the diet?
As sad as it is, mom’s gut bacteria can cause these issues in children. I wish so much that I had known this before I agreed to antibiotics during one labor. Especially for our son who was born via emergency c-section, the GAPS diet has been hugely helpful. He had several true allergies as well and I have no doubt that this was due to the steroids and antibiotics he got and the fact that he never benefitted from any of my gut bacteria. The GAPS diet can definitely help with this though. It is a long process and a hard one, but I can say that it has absolutely been worth it for us after seeing how much better our son feels and how much calmer our other children were (they weren’t bad before, but they just seem to have more self control and don’t have tantrums as much). It isn’t really that hard to stick to it once you get in the routine. I do have to bring food when we go places and we don’t eat out really at all, but I just remind myself that it isn’t forever and this will be so beneficial for them in the future that it is worth it now. Good luck if you decide to go forward and feel free to comment with any questions as you make the switch!
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for replying so quickly! I too wish I would have know all of this before having my two children. They are a complete mess with allergies, asthma and exzema. I am definitely going to get the GAPS diet. How long have you been on the diet? How long to you plan to be on the diet? I understand that everyone one is different, just trying to get some sort of idea. Is your husband on board with this? I’m not sure I could ever get him to agree to put the kids on this diet let alone try to get him to do it!
I meant I am definitely going to the GAPS diet book, that is!
Why do you say no pineapple juice? Just wondering as this is my juice of choice when making smoothies. Is
there something inherently bad about it or is it just not good for the gummies?
We’ve been on it for several months and will continue until at least a year, or when symptoms don’t come back when we stop. He is on board with the kids, but doesn’t always stick to it 100% himself when he is at business dinners, etc.
So I’m getting ready to make these vitamins for myself and my kids but I’m wondering…..can u use the vitamin C, magnesium and probiotics all in one batch/mixture?
This is my question too!
This is my question also….did it get answered? Does it work to make a “multi-purpose” vitamin? Thanks!
Umm..did your question get answered bc I’m trying to figure out the same thing:)
How would you keep them stored? Do they need to be refrigerated?
Brilliant!
This is a fabulous way to supplement my 5, plus hubby and I, for less! Can your liquid multivitamin recipe be converted into gummy form? Thanks 🙂
Heating probiotics and many vitamins is NOT a good idea – they will loose their potency and have zero effect. Also, please do not give fermented CLO to children without first obtaining documentation on oxidation and purity form the vendor.
If you look into the data you will find each vitamin is unique in how it holds up to heat. A study done testing vitamin C in vegetables concluded 5 minutes of cooking reduced the content from 9-16 percent, where as 30 minutes of cooking reduced the vitamin C by almost 65 percent. How long the vitamins are exposed to heat is a critical factor. In making these gummies there is minimal exposure, and based on the data there will be a significant vitamin content in the finished product. Probiotics? Questionable. Definitely a green light for minerals as they hold up to heat very well.
She also mentions adding vitamins and probiotics after heating. So the gelatin is already cooling off as you put them in. You could probably do them up in a similar way to Jello, by keeping some of the juice out mix the vitamins, etc into the cold juice and add that mixture to the warm and put them in the molds or pan for the freezer. The vitamins, etc would them be added into a cooler liquid and would not be in much heat for long.
When she says “whisk in the vitamins” Just how much?
Where do up buy this at