Sambucol feedback thread - non-testers: What do you do to support your DCs immunity? £100 hamper prize draw! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the 100 Mumsnetters who tested out Sambucol Kids Teddies to leave their feedback.

Here's what Sambucol say, "Sambucol is a great tasting food supplement packed with thousands of Black Elderberries. Black elderberries contain naturally occurring flavonoids. Sambucol also contains Vitamin C, which is well known for its ability to support the immune system. Sambucol is made from Black Elderberries which have twice the natural antioxidant capacity of blueberries and more than 50% the overall antioxidant capability of cranberries. Antioxidants strengthen the immune system by helping neutralise the harmful effect of free radicals."

Non-testers: How many episodes of colds and sniffles do you have to deal with in an average year with each of your children? What do you do to help support your DCs immunity?

All non testers who add a comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 hamper of Skin Doctor cosmetics.

Testers: Below are some questions we'd like you to answer but feel free to add any other thoughts you have.

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?
Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?
Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Q5. Any other comments?

All testers who add their feedback to the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a hamper of Skin Doctor cosmetics worth £250.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Non-tester.

"Non-testers: How many episodes of colds and sniffles do you have to deal with in an average year with each of your children? What do you do to help support your DCs immunity?"

I can't think we've had very many colds to deal with and neither child has ever had antibiotics so they seem to be pretty healthy. I don't do anything in particular. Make sure they get plenty sleep and a good balanced diet. They both have Abidec as I think Vitamin D is really important in terms of bones. I suppose the only other thing I do is not stress about a bit of dirt. At toddler groups, toys aren't always the cleanest but I figure it doesn't do them a lot of harm!

Non Tester

DS is 11 yo and DD is 9yo. They usually have one or two colds a year .... which I thought was normal. They always recover well and are quite healthy children.
I do not give them anything to boost their immune system unless sleep and a healthy diet count .

Non tester here

My DCs are older now but, as children rarely got colds anyway which I think is because they always had a varied diet of fresh and homecooked food, regular exercise and sleep. My son was a generally snotty child though so I did give them a children's multivitamin (no brand preference though, we've had jellies, chewtabs, and tablets) if they ever got a cold or if he had persistent snot.

As they got older and could have adult preparations (probably 12+) we moved on to Redoxon Dual Action if they were healthy but needed an immunity boost. If they caught a cold I would give them Berocca effervescent to help them fight it off and give a bit of energy.

Not a tester but to help boost my children's immunity, I make sure they eat a lot of fruit and veg. I encourage them to wash their hands throughout the day and they carry around hand gels in their bags although my son constantly forgets. My son gets 2 or 3 colds a year but my daughters seem to catch something every month maybe because they are very sociable and often outdoors regardless of the weather

I'm a non tester.

I BF to boost immunity. I also feed my DC a healthy diet.

And let them chew pretty much whatever they like, and roll in the dirt

Non-tester. DS and I are both suffering from colds at the moment. :( We're generally pretty healthy though, probably 2-3 colds a year. I treat colds with lots of fluids (especially camomile tea and hot lemon and honey) and extra fruit.

We're vegetarian so eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. I also give DS a multi-vitamin every day. It's the Tesco own kids one which I choose because it's cheap but also because it's one of the few children's multi-vitamin that contains iron.

Boost their immunity? Let them get mucky occasionally and not live in a sterile environment.

non tester here. to boost her immunity i give dd abc vitamin syrup with added fish oils every day. she is a very fussy eater and won't eat fruit or veg or porridge, so i sneak ground oatmeal and flaxseeds into her yoghurt every morning. I also give her antifungals such as coconut milk and sometimes probiotics, but only after she has been on antibiotics. since i started doing these things (about 6 months now) she hasn't had any real cold/flu symptoms, although she has had a very bad cough. she is 2.5 now...when she was younger she was getting colds, flu, infections all the time so i really think it has helped. i also limit sugar.

TESTER:

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?

Aged 4.5. Yes, she liked the taste.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?

Our overall impression is that we liked it. My DD really liked the shape and the fact that they do look like teddies. I would prefer if it was a multi-vitamin rather than just vitamin c. (I think - from what I read on the packaging).

Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, I would recommend them - my DD liked eating them - I wasn't sure if she would to be honest with them being chalky and her being used to jelly-type ones.

Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I think that is very expensive! I probably wouldn't buy them at that price and would look for a cheaper alternative.

Q5. Any other comments?

No.

Breastfed both DC, fed fruit and veg a lot, let them play out and get dirty, always had pets and a not overly clean house. They have both been pretty healthy, never needed antibiotics, few colds, only thing they have both had was chickenpox. Occasionally gave vitamins when their diet was poorer.

im a non tester, but read all the reviews etc, colds and sniffles are likely about four times a year, i try not to fuss, the main thing is to use fresh hankies and flannels and wash hands etc, there is a difference if there is infection but most of the time these can be sorted at home with some tlc, fresh air is vital as well so air the house, im not a big lover of kids vitamins as im not sure of the real benefits, and they r expensive, i prefer to give them yoghurts or make a homemade jelly with some fruit in it, if they r very chest i place a kettle in the bathroom on boil without the lid to fill the room full of steam then place them on your knee to inhale the moist air, this is brill for stuffy noses and chesty coughs, and can help them settle before bed,

Non-tester

I have 3 dc, they have maybe one cold a year each, with perhaps a day or two off school at most. We all have very good immune systems.

I like to think it's the prevalence of house dust and proximity to dirt that work to strengthen their immune systems, that's a pleasing excuse not to do housework anyway.

We do eat a lot of fruit and veg and have a very outdoors active lifestyle.
In reality I think we're mostly lucky, no family history of allergies or asthma.

None tester...

How many colds a years

Despite having other health issues, DD rarely gets colds, probably 2/3 year or less

What do you do to support your DCs immune system

DD is thankfully not a fussy eater & eats an exceptionally healthy pescetarian diet, which I supplement with Spirulina & various nutritious seeds & nuts

Non Tester here:

How many colds a year - lose count really as they drag on so long or merge into eachother. But I'd say we have about 4 serious ones a year each (family of 4, DS 4 DD6)

To boost their immunity?
We eat healthy home made food mostly and exercise outside quite a lot. I'm not super fussy with keeping them clean when playing as I think some of muck / germs early boosts their immune system.

Also, I would like to add another comment:

DS (8) can open the bottle... childproof no more!

Non tester

Each DC has maybe 2 to 3 colds a year although they do not seem to get them all at the same time.
To boost their immunity we do the normal healthy balanced diet and encourage them to have as much fresh air as possible. Whether this is being outside walking, playing or exercising or airing the house and bedrooms through as much as you can throughout the year.

Just reporting back to say my tablets are finished.. Both of my daughters have been having them, but even then, there should be some left. I guess they like the flavour and have been helping themselves to extras! I should have put myself in charge of handing them out, rather than telling them to have one each morning before cleaning teeth.

No side of any cold or flu to report though.

Non tester

The older 3 DCs have maybe 2 or 3 mild colds a year, the youngest boy (born 12 weeks prem) has around 5 or 6, all of which go to his chest and have developed into a chest infection or pneumonia many times. We spend a lot of time outdoors because of the horses so I suspect that is why the girls only get mild symptoms and recover quickly. The youngest has multi vitamins to support his poor appetite but otherwise we try to eat a healthy diet with lots of exercise. I am hoping the youngest will be better over the next year following heart surgery for a problem which I think contributed to his chestiness.

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?
DS is 6, he liked the teddies (especially as his little sister is too young to have them) he liked the taste

Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?
Overall impression was good, they look appealing and I had no issues in getting him to eat them

Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
yes if someone mentioned that they thought their child needed an immunity boost.

Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Im not sure - my children are rarely ill so it's not something, I've really considered that they need and they are a bit expensive for everyday - however if i thought they were getting run down and poorly I might consider it.

Q5. Any other comments?
no

Tester-update.

My ds who is 4 has asthma (usually only bad in winter weather) and his nose runs likes the clappers. This time last year he was just out of his 2nd stint in hospital on nebulisers etc as his stats were v bad.

Anyway this year he hasn't had many colds but recently got quite dosed. I upped his teddy tablets to 2 a day & I can't say for sure but think it may have prevented a worse cold/flu. 6 month dd & dh have been very ill & miserable with cold/flu, (though I've been ok so far but am rarely ill!)

Non-tester
We have four children and in an average year, I'd say they have about 3 colds each, one usually around christmas, one before the summer hols and one on returning to school, the Christmas one is generally the worst, I have noticed that since we moved from a very modern, insulated house into a very old, very un-insulated house, that they haven't been nearly as ill, in our last house, with the central heating on, and a log burner in they living room, the house was always toasty, if not tropical, but we've been here 2 years in this much older place and in the last couple of years, the children have gone from being ill once or twice every two or three months to just about 3 times a year, we have open fires and the heat goes right up the chimney and the centr heating hardly makes a dent, we have simply adapted by wearing a lot more, and I think our bodies have adapted to being colder, and I think that's helped in terms of immunity to bugs, also their diet is fruit and veg rich, they have at least one piece of fruit daily, I use fresh or frozen veggies in most meals, if there's something the children don't like I blitz it in the food blender and add it that way. My youngest daughter doesn't like onion so I make a sort of purée and add the onion to spag Bol or shepherds pie that way and she doesn't notice. Same with mushrooms, or carrots, I bought a huge orange net sack of onions for about £2 from morrisons so now I put onion in nearly every meal, and I really think there's something in that that's helped, also garlic, they love garlic, so that gets chucked in too!

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?

Both my sons (6 and 3; so the youngest is not really old enough) have tried them as the youngest didn't want to be left out. They both love them - the taste, the colour, the shape, the packaging - everything! The 6 yo will remind me in the morning if I haven't offered him Teddies.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?

In common with many other children, both the boys loved the packaging and will be fighting over who gets it when the Teddies are gone. As others have pointed out the bottle is much larger than it needs to be, although this also means that more Teddies could be put in the bottle...

I tried one of the Teddies too - the flavour was fairly pleasant but did seem to linger for quite a while after I'd eaten it!

Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Probably not because the RRP is so high for a months supply of vitamin C and black elderberry!

Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I might consider paying £12.99 a month for a product that was multivitamin and mineral plus black elderberry, if it definitely did reduce the number/severity of colds my son suffers. I would have to cut back on something else to be able to afford to though!

A quick Google search did find sites selling them for less than the RRP and one site that had them at £6.49, however even at that price I'd need to be convinced that the Teddies are significantly better than the other (cheaper) multi vitamin supplements available for children

Q5. Any other comments?

Produce a multivitamin supplement with black elderberry and provide a month's supply for less than a fiver and I'll definitely but it! It would be even better if you could stick two month's worth in the bottle (or make a bigger bottle for 3 month's worth!) as, although the packaging is very cute, it's also very wasteful. Plus I'd rather bulk buy.

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?

I tried them with my 4yo, 6yo & 7yo DDs. They loved them and my 4yo kept reminding me to give her her vitamins. They also liked the colour change when they licked them (yes my DC are a bit gross!).

Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?

Very positive. I tried one and they were very pleasant, not chalky or gritty like some children's vitamins. The packaging was a hit too with us all. I've been requested to not recycle the bottle but wash it out so they can keep it for 'treasures'.

Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would definitely recommend but I think the price may put them out of most parents I know price bracket which is unfortunate.

Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I'd love to buy them again but at £20 for a months supply for my DC is way too much. If they had been £6.99 I would have seriously considered it.

Q5. Any other comments?

Tester

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?

My Kids are 7 ,4 and 4
They love the taste and ask for them as soon as they get up on a morning! My daughter loves the jar too.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?

I thought the product was good, well packaged and a great taste for kids and a good way to get them to have their vitamins.

Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

As a product yes I would but I think they are very pricey for what they are.

Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I don't think I would because having 3 kids I would need to buy a new jar every 10 days which is nearly £40 a month!

Q5. Any other comments?

These would be great if the price was lower

Q1. How old was the child who tried the Teddies? What did they think overall of Sambucol Teddies? Did they like the taste or not?

It is for DD1 who is 8 years old. The first thing she was impressed with, is the shape - Both the bottle and tablets. even If I forget, she doesn't - also because she wants to empty the bottle soon and use it for her own !!! :)

Taste - It is definitely a mild, good taste, I have a habit of trying myself anything first to have feel of it before giving it to the children, And yes, it was perfect on the taste buds. And DD1 loves them, She is a great Taste tester, If anything is coming to me with loads of affection, then that means it tastes absolutely ridiculous.In this case, After the first one I tried, I am not allowed to take anymore!

Q2. What was your overall impression of the product? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?

Overall, A good product. Good impressive shape attraction for the kids, Tastes nice and hope it works better as well.

Q3. Would you recommend Sambucol Teddies to friends/family if it came up in conversation or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, Ofcourse.

Q4. Sambucol Teddies' RRP is £12.99 for 60 teddies, do you think you'd be likely to buy it again or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Bit Expensive really. The supermarket tablets and other brands are slightly cheaper. So, Honestly I would buy it when there are deals going on.

Q5. Any other comments?

Honestly, I feel the price might be a check point for these lovely teddies though they look nice and feels nice. I feel Mum's might go for other alternatives and would try to convince the kids for less expensive ones! So, It should be something that should be revised if at all possible!