The brand First Day has run many social media ads claiming their toddler vitamins can help with ADHD symptoms and behavioral problems.
I feel it’s important to cover this topic on my blog, as I’ve written several toddler vitamin reviews.
Here’s what you should know about these ads and claims.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional, and you should not take anything you see on my blog as medical advice.
Related: 8 Best Vitamins for Toddlers & Kids (2024 Guide)
First Day and a National Advertising Division Case
In 2021, the National Advertising Division (NAD) brought a case against First Day Life Inc. about unsubstantiated claims they made in ads. You can read the press release here.
These claims include ad copy like:
“Million of kids in the US are hyperactive. They’re distracted & impulsive. But there’s a secret cause that has just been discovered: Nutritional Deficiencies. […].”
Here’s another one:
“Hey Mom, give yourself a tantrum free day this Mother’s Day! Our vitamins help little one’s stay focused and improves behavioral issues.” (sic)
Author Name
Testimonials from other parents were also shared that included claims about helping with ADHD symptoms.
An Instagram post from May 21, 2019 features a testimonial image that reads:
“My boys have ADHD and we’ve noticed a huge difference in his temperament. Thanks for making this product it has been wonderful!” – Sarah D. (sic)
The NAD basically said these kinds of claims need to be backed up by scientific evidence.
First Day’s response was they “respectfully disagree” but would comply with the recommendations to stop using these ads.
That was in mid-2021.
Recent First Day Behavioral Claims
Since that whole fiasco with the NAD, the bold claims from First Day have seemed to calm down, but there are still subtle suggestions in the ads they’re running.
Here’s copy that was in an ad that ran in September 2022:
“Trouble sleeping…picky eating…fighting to get out the door for school and crying over breakfast…sound familiar? I can relate – that was my life….Every…Single…Day. Until I found this.”
That sounds like a normal toddler to me.
My kids have been taking vitamins for over a year now, and my 4-year-old still comes into our room at 3 am saying she needs water. Or a snack. Or help using the bathroom.
I find it hard to believe that taking vitamins would suddenly wipe out all of those concerns.
The description on the ad says:
“How I discovered a secret cause to my kid’s outbursts…”
The secret cause she’s referring to is a lack of vitamins, I presume.
But from my perspective, the “secret cause” is they’re a kid with a developing brain.
Outbursts and temper tantrums are completely normal for kids, and if there is a serious concern about behavior or ADHD symptoms, I’d suggest consulting with a physician.
Learning more about emotional regulation and giving your kids tools to get them through a tantrum is going to help you 100x more than relying on a daily multivitamin.
Sidenote: I really love these emotion peg dolls from Lovevery.
We use these to help with emotional literacy with our kids, from identifying their emotions to talking them through.
We even use them when reading books so we can identify the emotions of the characters in the story.
If you don’t want to purchase the play kit from Lovevery, these emotion eggs on Amazon are a great alternative.
Vitamins Are Awesome, But Not a Cure
I’m a huge proponent of vitamins, not only for my toddlers but for myself! Vitamin D and B12 supplements have made a huge difference in my mood and outlook on life.
My PCP orders new blood tests every quarter to check these vitamin levels for me, so I do know when I’m deficient and when I need to supplement.
The way I see it is vitamins can’t hurt, especially if they’re water-soluble.
If my kids have a week of super picky eating, that vitamin ensures they’re getting what they need to grow and function to their full potential.
But I have to say these bold claims about fixing toddler tantrums and helping your child get out the door in the morning seem like red flags to me.
That is my opinion – please make your own assessment after reading this article.
Toddler and kid vitamins aren’t a magic pill that will turn your kids into angels. And it feels like that’s what these ads are trying to get us to believe.
First Day Research
First Day vitamins are created as a result of investigating thousands of clinical studies about vitamins. But the actual First Day vitamins have not had any clinical studies.
So while they’re formulated based on good science, First Day cannot actually make any claims about how their vitamins impact ADHD or behavioral issues, because that hasn’t been studied.
I do think First Day vitamins are high-quality, but I wouldn’t put all your faith in these vitamins as a cure for ADHD or behavioral complaints.
Additionally, there are other toddler vitamins on the market that have more vitamins in the formula than First Day (more on that in a second).
Related: Hiya vs First Day Vitamins: Which One Is Better?
Do Vitamins Help With ADHD?
According to OSHU, children who were given a micronutrient-dense formula made of all known vitamins and essential minerals were three times more likely to have better concentration and improved moods.
WebMD also shares that some studies suggest Zinc, fish oil, and evening primrose oil can help with hyperactivity, inattentiveness, ability to think clearly, and overall behavior in children with ADHD.
These findings aren’t concrete, though, and the jury is still out.
The kid’s multivitamin from First Day does not include Zinc, fish oil, or primrose oil. It also does not include nearly as many vitamins as its competitor, Hiya.
So really, based on what information we do have about vitamins and ADHD, there’s little reason to believe First Day would have a substantial impact on behavior or ADHD symptoms.
Conclusion
I think vitamins are a wonderful thing for toddlers. I give my own toddlers vitamins and probiotics every morning!
But don’t get your hopes up that First Day vitamins will stop your child from having tantrums or help with an inability to focus.
As a reminder, the average attention span of a 2-year-old is 4-6 minutes. That’s normal.
If you have any serious concerns about your child, talk to your pediatrician or doctor.
Vitamins certainly can’t hurt, but they’re not a cure-all.
I’m commenting here more, since I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this blog for the couple of past weeks. I love how it’s written, very honest and reasonable opinions with a tad of humour! I couldn’t care less about some vitamins but enjoy the narrating, please continue with what you’re doing 🙂
Haha, yay!! So glad you are enjoying it!!
Thank you so much for this very informative review. In this culture we find ourselves in, there is, thankfully, a more keen awareness of mental illness. But there is, sadly, an attitude of quick fix. Which excludes the need for patience, discernment, teaching, counseling, etc. I am a grandma of 15. In that bunch we have a cornucopia of mental illness and behavioral issues. High functioning Autism 4 year old. 10 year old, anxiety. 15 year old ADD. 13 year old emotional outbursts. And so it goes. Prayer is our first weapon and hope. Then comes love and investigation. That’s how I found you. I was close to ordering that very expensive vitamin. But, because of prayer, which led to discernment, which led to investigation, which led to you, I will not order. Thanks again. For such a level headed, very intelligent review.
Feeling so blessed by this comment! Thanks for reading. Sending prayers up for your grandkids.
I noticed you posted a review on the gummies several months before this article… you stated that the only con was that your kids thought they were candy amd loved them so much. I’m researching reviews on these vitamins because I’m thinking about purchasing them form my kids. That’s how I stumbled upon your blog. I’m wondering, are you still giving them to you kids? Do you believe they’re helping? And if not, why? Thank you!
Hey, Debbie! Thanks for reading and commenting! I do love the First Day gummies, I just got so frustrated about their advertising, which is why I wrote this article to shed some light and truth on the matter. But the advertising claims aside, I think they’re great vitamins and they’re my top recommendation if you want a gummy. Our family prefers Hiya vitamins because they’re chewable (similar in texture to tums), so there’s just no concern at all about choking or bits sticking in their teeth. We’ve tried literally all of the toddler/kids vitamins for my blog at this point, and Hiya is still my fav. I hope this helps!!
How would you compare Hiya to Llama Naturals? Have you tried those?
Yes, I actually have a comparison post on my blog here! The gist is both brands have great ingredient lists and you really can’t go wrong with either! We didn’t like the texture of Llama so Hiya is what we prefer!
I bought these vitamins for my son and he has ADHD and is also on the spectrum and they made his ADHD three times worse in his hyperactivity I was giving them to him and I noticed that he was a lot more hyperactive than he usually is and then we ran out and I didn’t know it was the vitamins so he didn’t have them for a week or two and he went back to his normal self. Still hyper but not how he is when he takes them and then when they came in the mail, I gave him to in the morning he went to school and his teacher was asking what is going on he was acting 10 times more hyper than he usually does and I told her about these vitamins and she said they’re probably having an adverse effect on him so I am going to stop giving them to him. I stopped giving them to my three-year-old daughter because she was having diarrhea from it and when I contacted first day, they refused to give me a refund for the open bottle that I took two vitamins out of and they said that they would give me a refund for the non-open bottle they sent me a return label, but told me that they were taking the money for shipping out of my refund and I think that’s absolutely ridiculous because I spent so much money on these two bottles of vitamins that one made my daughter have diarrhea in two made my son 100 times more hyper than he usually is to the point where his teacher noticed it as well
Return policies like that are so frustrating. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Heidi,
I also think giving these to my son has made his behavior worse.
Any other vitamins you have tried that has made behavior better?
Thank you for your help!
Curious as to your thoughts on Juice Plus chewables.
I’ve never heard of that one. Looks interesting, I’ll have to check it out. Big upfront cost though!
Glad to hear you love hiya. That’s our vitamin and we love it.
Hey, just wanted to send an update that I’ve ordered the Juice Plus chewables and am working on comparing them to Hiya right now. The comparison post will probably be up in the next few weeks.
Loving hiya – great product for our girls.
I’m looking into these vitamins for my kids because I have an MTHFR deficiency with 2 mutated copies of the C677T gene. I’m definitely no expert and my own deficiencies are hard to understand or explain but I do know that my body cannot synthesize or metabolize (not quite sure how to describe it) synthetic forms of vitamins, i.e. folic acid that a “normal” persons body turns into folate. So I have to take the methylated, or organic, forms of a lot of vitamins. So not only am I not getting the nutrients I need, the one I can’t use are building up in my body and cannot be filtered. I said all that to say, since I have 2 mutations, my children have at least 1 so they suffer the same deficiencies. The First Day vitamins contain MOST of the same vitamins I take in the same form I take them…methylated/organic/natural or whatever you want to call it. Being diagnosed with an MTHFR deficiency is a long process and there is still a lot of research being done. Only one hospital in Louisiana is doing this type of research and there is a 2 year wait list. My kids will get in sooner but until then I know a lot of their emotional problems and my sons ADHD can be HELPED by First Day. They may be making the claims and they may be true but even the researchers are still researching so maybe they don’t have all the science yet or the gold standard FDA stamp. Just thought I’d offer my point of view because I don’t see MTHFR talked about very much and the sad part is that it is way more common than you would think. I’m no conspiracy theorist but the FDA and food companies have been pushing “enriched” foods so much for so long when all that word means is synthetically enriched with vitamins a large portion of the population cannot even metabolize…like pregnant women taking folic acid with is essential for neural development in a fetus. METHYLFOLATE is what I needed, not the synthetic version folic acid. That’s just one example but it’s the most familiar. Long story to say I think First Day is on the right track but may be ruffling a few feathers along the way. Just my two cents.
Toni, I hear what you’re saying and appreciate your comment. I, too, have the MTHFR gene! The main issue with First Day is you just can’t make claims that aren’t backed up by scientific data. In terms of the bioavailability of the actual vitamins, I think Hiya has a big leg up here, especially with the format of the vitamin being a chewable instead of a gummy. But if this is working for your kids, that is fantastic. Thanks again for joining the discussion!