Convincing children to take vitamins regularly can be quite a challenge for parents. Early versions of daily vitamins suitable for children were often over-sized pills that were difficult to swallow. The advent of chewable vitamins made things a little easier, but the chemical aftertaste of the tablets were still problematic. One modern approach to making vitamins more appealing to children is a vitamin gumball marketed as a Vitaball®.

A Vitaball® is a multi-vitamin supplement which uses a flavored bubblegum base and hard candy shell to help disguise the presence of 11 essential vitamins and other nutrients. Children simply chew the Vitaball® for 5-10 minutes to release all of the water soluble and fat soluble vitamins it contains. The Vitaball® then becomes a viable piece of bubblegum suitable for bubble blowing or chewing pleasure.

The vitamins in a Vitaball® are mostly synthetic forms, and do not include minerals like iron or zinc. Minerals would not do well in a soft and chewable candy gum based. Instead, a Vitaball® contains Vitamins A, C, several B-complex vitamins and biotin. The water soluble vitamins are mixed into the soft gum base, while the fat soluble vitamins are mixed into the hard outer shell. By chewing the Vitaball® for a sufficient amount of time, all of the water soluble vitamins are carried into the body through the saliva and the fat soluble vitamins soon follow.

In order to overcome some of the bitterness associated with synthetic vitamins, the manufacturers of Vitaball® use a small amount of artificial and natural sweeteners. These sweeteners do not add significant amounts of calories to the gumballs, but they do help to mask the sometimes disagreeable aftertaste of chewable vitamins.

There have been some concerns raised over the use of Vitaballs® on a regular basis. Because a Vitaball® resembles a standard bubblegum ball, children might be tempted to consume more than the recommended daily dosage of one Vitaball®. Some vitamins can become toxic to the body if taken in large quantities, especially fat soluble vitamins such as A, D and E. The manufacturers of Vitaball® suggest that parents carefully monitor the administration of the vitamin gumballs and advise older children not to take more than one a day.

The effects of swallowing a Vitaball® is also a concern for some parents. The manufacturers say that a swallowed Vitaball® should not be cause for alarm, since the body should digest the gum naturally. The vitamins may not be fully delivered if the gum is swallowed early, but a dangerous level of vitamin toxicity would require repeated overdoses for months at a time.

A Vitaball® may be the ideal solution for parents who seek an appealing way for their children to take essential vitamins and other essential nutrients, although other vitamin supplements may still be necessary to insure a proper intake of minerals and other nutritional elements.