BEAR Alphabites Feedback Thread - £150 John Lewis voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the Mumsnetters who have been trying BEAR Alphabites.

Here’s what BEAR say: “Grrreetings, we’re BEAR and we like things as nature intended. We started out 5 years ago making pure fruit ‘yoyos’ for kids, with no added sugar, concentrates or any other nonsense. The more time we spent talking to parents over the years, the more we realised that breakfast was also a real challenge for families- the sugary, salty cereals on offer made us growl, so we set off foraging to find a much better alternative.

Made from just 6 ingredients- five multigrains and our super new ingredient coconut blossom nectar - our crunchy cereal letters contain no refined sugar, salt or any other nonsense. From the flowers of the coconut tree, coconut blossom nectar is a naturally sweet sap that makes our cereal letters delicious and crunchy, and also provides over half of your daily calcium needs (one bowl of Alphabites with 125ml of semi skimmed milk provides over half of an adult’s daily calcium needs, with half of this coming from the nectar alone). It also has a much lower GI than sugar (35 vs 70 for refined sugar), preventing the usual crazy sugar highs and grizzly crashes that come from too much refined sugar. ”

Below are a few questions for you to answer about eating BEAR Alphabites at breakfast time – feel free to add any other thoughts you may have though, we’d love to hear them.

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?
• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?
• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?
• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

If you have any photos of your DCs trying BEAR Alphabites, please add them to this thread. Thanks for taking part:

All testers who leave their feedback on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £150 John Lewis voucher and a hamper of delicious BEAR goodies.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Not really as they are both usually hungry first thing and keen to eat something.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

DS(6) has a huge bowl of cereal, DD(4) will either have fruit and natural yoghurt or a small bowl of cereal. I do worry about the refined sugar levels in cereals so try to stick to cornflakes/shreddies/rice crispies in the week but both DC love coco pops/Cheerios/multigrain shapes so they do have those as treats in the holidays or weekends.

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

The packaging is a hit in this house, they love all things 'bear' related so the magnets have been a great success thanks! DS loves to read about the monsters on the boxes too. They both loved the chocolatey ones and have asked me to buy more. Not entirely convinced by the plain ones, DS would happily eat them but DD would only eat them as a last resort. I tasted both and preferred the choc ones too. They are both sweeter than I expected but not in a bad way. The choc ones also don't make the milk as chocolatey as other cereal so less chance of choc milk stains on clothes first thing!

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

I would buy them but only when they are on offer.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend them as a healthier alternative to other sweetened cereal if anyone ever asked.

Well we have just finished the boxes so time for the full verdict.

1. Breakfast in our house isn't stressful as such. But trying to get ds to try something new is a uphill battle.

1. Usually for breakfast the dc will have toast with marmite, shreddies, Cheerios, porridge or weetabix. I steer clear of anything like cocoa pops, sugar puffs as the sugar content is way too high.

1. The dc loved the packaging, very child friendly without being twee. They immediately made the link between the cereal and the other products we buy. Ds loved the golden variety and dd the cocoa. I tried both and the cocoa is very nice. We all like how the cereal doesn't lose it's crunch after being in the milk for a while. Loved the magnets too.

1. I would definite buy them again for myself as well as the dc. But, I would live to see if they could be fortified with vitamins especially vitamin d as this is a big concern in our household.

1. I would def recommend to friends and family as a healthier alternative to sugary, salty cereals from a brand children love.

Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Breakfast is quite easy, the DC are involved in what they want to eat and it helps that they will eat pretty much anything!

What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

Cereals like Shreddies, Weetabix, Rice Krispies occasionally Coco Pops. Toast and spreads/jam and lots of fruit. I am concerned about the ingredients in most cereals as they use different names to get around how bad some of them ingredients are/what type of sugar they use.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)

My DC loved the packaging, DS1 enjoyed reading every word on the box and the novelty of making words up in the bowl. DS2 had impromptu phonics lessons as he wanted to know what the letters were.

What did they like or dislike about them?

DS1 Enjoyed the cocoa Alphabites as theyre like Coco Pops. DS2 loved the ordinary ones but they would eat either one really. The cocoa ones were very sweet and I found they left a strange taste in my mouth. The DC didn't say anything though.

Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

I would buy them again but not at the RRP as I think they're quite expensive for us.

Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend them as they're a good alternative to the sugar, rubbish filled cereals.

Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Occasionally: I have 3 DSs and they all like different things. I'm very conscious about breakfast as when they're at school it's a long time until lunch so I like them to have a big, well balanced breakfast.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

It varies: sometimes I cook something like dippy eggs, scrambled eggs etc. Sometimes tinned mackerel on toast, ready brek etc. YES, I definitely think about sugar and salt. I can't believe you can buy things like Krave and Lion Bar cereals! You might as well give them a Mars bar! (Disclaimer - I'm not an obsessive whole earth type of mum, my lot had MacDs yesterday but I do think these sweets masquerading as breakfast cereal is appalling.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

They all like the "plain" one but they weren't as keen on the coco one. They really liked mixing them though! I think the chocolate was a bit strong for them, it was quite an "adult" taste IMO. The packaging was lovely, simple and understated. Looked nice in the cupboard . I thought they were still rather sweet though.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available

in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

Yes, definitely. Although they wouldn't have them everyday as they're still quite expensive and sweet. I also put them in DS1's packed lunch which (dry) which he loved

Would you recommend Bear
Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I'd totally recommend as a healthier alternative to a lot of the overly sugary "children's" cereals. I think they'll do well as they appeal to both parents and children.

Thanks loads for letting me my children try them! We also loved the magnets

If you have any photos of your DCs trying BEAR Alphabites, please add them to this thread. Thanks for taking part:

We were very excited to try out the new cereals, I am always on the lookout for healthier options to the standard cereals out there and was very excited to try out Alphabites.
Breakfast is never normally a challenge and both myself and my 14 month old are usually ravenous by breakfast time! Normally we would have shreddies, weetabix, porridge, shredded wheat, and occasionally something like Cheerios as well as fruit. I definitely look for cereals that contain less refined sugars and are high in fibre.
I thought the concept was fantastic and although my daughter is too young to appreciate can see young children enjoying reading the box and playing with the cereal.
As for the taste, we all really enjoyed them. I would definitely buy again, they are a great middle ground between the "cardboard" and the super sweet cereals. My daughter was noticeably excited when i got the box out (or maybe she was just fed up with the weetabix we;d had previously!) I also gave them to her dry as an afternoon snack and they went down just as well!
I would happily recommend to anyone and will be buying again for ourselves.

1. Breakfast tends to be pretty rushed on school days. I end up standing over both my DDs to get them to eat up so we can leave on time!

1. They usually eat cereal of various kinds, but sometimes porridge, fruit, toast, yogurt or scrambled eggs if we're not in a rush. Cereal-wise we stick to the less sugary end of the spectrum: Weetabix, Rice Krispies or cornflakes mostly.

1. Both DDs liked the packaging of the Alphabites and being able to find 'their' letters in the cereal. DD1 (5) tried both varieties but declined to eat them again - she found them a bit too sweet, I think. DD2 (2) really likes the cocoa one, but is less keen on the other version.

1. I'd definitely buy the cocoa version again for DD2 as she really likes them. The price seems ok, although perhaps a bit more than I'd generally spend on cereal.

1. I would recommend them to friends and family, as they are a bit different from the norm, and strike a good balance between appealing to kids and being reasonably healthy.

Thanks very much for the opportunity to test the product. Both my DDs enjoyed opening the box of goodies and playing with the magnets as well as trying the cereal.

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Breakfast isn't too much of a challenge. It has always been DS1's favourite meal, and DS2 is just fond of food in general.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

DS1 mainly eats weetabix. DS2 likes a mixture of weetabix and oatibix flakes. They sometimes have toast as well, and when it's colder they might have porridge instead. We've tried to mainly give them cereals which don't have much added salt or sugar.

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

DS1 thought the magnets were great, and enjoyed arranging them all on the fridge immediately. They both seemed excited about the cereal (and DS1 is quite a fussy eater, so to be honest I expected him to be more resistant to it), and both wanted to eat it the next morning. DS1 enjoyed spotting all the different letters in his bowl. DS2 (nearly 2yo) wanted to join in, so just said the same letter over and over again. I'd only given them small portions to start with, but they both wanted more. They each had more the next day (DS2 in combination with other cereals), but over the course of a week the novelty value does seem to have worn off a bit. DS1 has gone back to just wanting weetabix. DS2 still wanted some in with his other cereals this morning, but wasn't really eating them now. I will see what happens - maybe they just want some variety in their breakfasts now.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

If they go back to eating them, I might think about it. However, even though it's coconut blossom nectar rather than refined sugar, they are still very sugary, a lot more so than the other cereals they have. I would probably just keep them as an occasional treat.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not? I can imagine situations where I would mention them, although it would depend if it came up in conversation, and what the parents were looking for.

I would very much agree with the comments above. My daughter adores Yo Bears and was keen to try the breakfast cereal. She liked the cocoa version but found the non-cocoa Alphabites too sweet (rest of family concur!). So, yes, please do carry on making cereal and fruit snacks that are not full of nasties but don't assume that everyone craves tooth-curlingly sugar (sorry, nectar....) levels!!

I'm not an official tester but I have just finished feeding my 17month old his alphabet breakfast! He loves it and I just wanted to say thank you for a great product - a big gap in the market.

DS is nearly one, so eating breakfast can be a slow business so done at nursery.

Usually we have porridge with some sort of fruit in it, and toast.

What an amazing parcel! Possibly the best I have ever received in decorative terms in fact. The packaging is very modern and tasteful. DS growled at the bear. Too young to appreciate the rest. He ate them both happily both wet and dry but preferred the plain one. I agree with other posters that the chocolate one is quite adult tasting. Great concept.

I would buy again, but too sweet to have every day.

Would also recommend

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Generally, no. We always just gave them cereal as they didn't eat anything else.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

It didn't for ages, as I said above, we always just have cereal without thinking about it. However about a month ago we agreed to ditch the cereal! Mostly because of the sugar. So this is an oddly timed product test - I applied without thinking really

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

They really liked them! The boxes are great, really engaging. They like the taste. I have a feeling though, that as they aren't as sweet tasting and the chocolate taste is slightly bitter compared to the uber sweet stuff like coco pops they were eating, they probably wouldn't have liked them so much if they hadn't had a break from the sugary cereals beforehand, if that makes sense?

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

Although I'm impressed by the lower sugar and the fact there's far less ingredients, I won't be buying them regularly purely because we decided to basically avoid cereal from now on (we are trying to focus on protein - eg scrambled eggs). However they are lovely - and I'm really impressed by the price, I imagined it would be much more expensive - so we might get them from time to time as a treat like in the holidays. I would love to see a smaller packet available as we might get them to sprinkle a few on yoghurt or porridge etc.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would as they are decent quality and tasty for a good price. :)

Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

No we let DD (4) choose what to eat and don't mind if she doesn't eat much.

What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

Often has porridge (oats/milk only), toast, yoghurt, fruit. Don't usually buy cereal although have had phases of weetabix and shreddies. DH sometimes gets Tesco cornflakes or Tesco version of rice krispies and DD likes these.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

When DD saw the packets she said "that's what I wanted" and was excited. She tried one of the multigrain and said yum. We thought they tasted very sweet. Cocoa flavour tasted less sweet. Over the next week she had the multigrain twice with no milk, and once with milk (didn't like them with milk). She had the cocoa ones with no milk and said she preferred them. She enjoyed looking for different letters in the bowl.

She didn't really ask for them and only had them when they were suggested. Seems to have forgotten about them and hasn't had any for a few days, even though they are visible on the work surface. I like them to snack on though!

Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

If DD asks for cereal I would buy these in preference to cornflakes, krispies etc, but otherwise will stick to non-cereals for breakfast.

Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, in preference to other cereals as they taste nice, no salt and sugar is from a healthier source.

We were delighted to be chosen to try these new cereals! Big cereal loving family here.

1.Breakfast isn't our most challenging time of day. Everyone is hungry and the kids have a good appetite. We enjoy sitting to eat together and at the weekends try to have a bit more variety in what we eat, such as pancakes/french toast with bacon etc. During the week we are all going to work, school and nursery and so it is not so leisurely, but we still enjoy the time together.

2.We normally eat cereal or toast during the week. Cereals are varied from cheerios to cornflakes to weetabix to muesli. We try to avoid having a choice which is dominated by high levels of refined sugar. We save coco-pops etc for an occasional holiday treat as part of a variety pack. Toast with butter/jam/marmalade. As I said, at the weekend it's eggs/pancakes or some such, just for a change and because we have more time! We have fruit on the table every morning too.

3.Now onto bear alphabites:
DD1 (4.5yrs): I love that you won them mummy. They are delicious. I prefer the not chocolately ones. (Loved the magnets too!) she liked the letters - just started Primary 1 so loving picking out all the letters that she is learning at school!

DD2 (3yrs) loves them too. Used to be a bit of a fussy eater and now has discovered a love of breakfast! She loves both cereals! Says they are crunchy and nice! She has been having a bowl of each for a few days and prefers to have the plain before the chocolate rather than the other way around!

DH and I:
We rather like them too! We both like the fact that they don't go soggy in the milk. And also that the chocolate ones retained their flavour really well and didn't turn all the milk chocolately. We know that's one of the selling points of coco-pops but we prefer the flavour being retained in the actual cereal! Also, the plain ones really reminded us of the cereal Start, but we remember it as being alot less sweet when we were younger than it is now so that was a good association for the adults! A good flavour.

4.Yes, I think I can confidently say we will buy the alphabites in the future. The price is comparable to other cereals we buy and we like to have a variety at home so I can see us buying one or other of these. We frequently buy the fruit yo-yos and the most recent box we bought had. 50p voucher off - this kind of linked offer is something we would definitely take advantage of.

5.Yes, we would recommend them to a friend. To be honest, we rarely have conversations with people where we discuss and recommend cereals! But we do often have people to stay who also have kids and I can imagine alphabites being a topic of conversation when we are all having breakfast at the table!

We really loved having the chance to try these! Thanks so much! And the packaging was great fun too. The magnets were an added bonus and are now populating our fridge door.

Thank you!

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

I have 2 DCs - DS aged 7 and DD aged 4. DS is no problem at breakfast and happily eats a big bowl of the same one or two things every day. DD gets bored and likes to try new things and isn't really a fan of eating cereal with milk on. She also has much more of a sweet tooth. It can be a challenge to get much into her in the morning.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

DS happily eats either Weetabix, porridge or bran flakes, all with no sugar sprinkled on. DD likes own brand equivalent of Cheerios with no milk, toast and peanut butter or a bit of porridge with some sugar sprinkled on.

I am worried about the amount of sugar and salt that a lot of cereals contain and we always go for those that are lower in these things. However we have found that this is much harder with DD as she will go without breakfast altogether rather than eat things like Weetabix.

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

Both initially liked the box they arrived in and were very excited to try them. The fact that they were shaped like letters was a big hit. DS enjoyed them the first day but then said that the plain ones were too sweet and the cocoa ones were too chocolatey. DD is still choosing them as her breakfast most days, especially the chocolatey ones and eats them without milk on. She likes them about the same as the own-brand Cheerios that she would normally eat, but she's still not a big fan of cereal in general and rarely finishes even a small bowl. DH and I both tried them but found them much too sweet.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

Not often. Even though they don't have refined sugar in, I still think they are too sweet and I don't want my DCs getting accustomed to starting the day with something sweet as I think it creates a habit that will make them more likely to eat other sugary things at breakfast and there are plenty of other times during the day when they will have to make a choice between something sweet or not already.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, because they are too sweet.

Tester here, my comments are:

Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

I do find breakfast to be a challenge on some days. I have 3 dc, ages 8, 6 and 1 next week and am in the process of returning to work. To complicate matters dc3 is on a dairy free diet as he appears to have an intolerance.

Dc3 refuses to eat frequently. The others ask for scrambled eggs or pancakes on week days, so breakfast time can be stressful.

The ideal would be healthy options that mean I don't feel guilty on rushed days to be giving them cereal. I don't like to give toast as the big ones usually have sandwiches in their packed lunch.

What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

I do worry about the 'healthiness' of cereal. DH was brought up adding sugar to his and thinks I am mad.I have always offered boring plain cereal like weetabix, shredded wheat and the supermarket value rice crispies as they dont have much sugar at all.

When I have time I make porridge but on work days the big kids generally make their own cereal.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

The big kids liked them, they had either bowls of mixed or made lion faces with a cornflakes mane. DC3 ate them in juice (he isn't liking the dairy free milks we have tried).

DS1 (age 6) really liked the packaging and read all about the monsters. DD wasn't engaged by it but didn't complain or say it was babyish.

DD found it amusing to spell out words.

Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

I would definitely buy them for the older children though probably when they were on special offer as it is quite expensive. For the baby I would probably want a cereal with added vitamins as he can't have milk.

Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I did recommend these to a friend and was surprised that her kids said they weren't sweet enough.

Tester here - sorry for the delay in providing feedback but I wasn't around for breakfast with the dcs during the week last week so wanted to experience the Bear Alphabites with them before sharing their comments :)

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Breakfast is probably the easiest meal of the day in our house: all the dcs love it and we have a good weekday routine that means everyone (except me) sits down together and eats quickly with a minimum of fuss. It's often the only time the dcs see dh during the week, so it's quite structured and they make the most of it.

Breakfast at weekends is a slower and more relaxed affair, but not especially different (except I'm there :) )

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

The dcs always have cereal followed by bread or toast.

Weekdays: plain cereal (cheerios, weetabix, bran flakes, fruit&fibre etc) followed by selection of spreads such as houmous, butter, cream cheese, peanut butter etc.

Weekends: chocolatey/sugary cereal (coco pops, cinammon squares, chocolate minis....) followed by honey, chocolate spread, jam and so on.

Water to drink.

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

They all loved the packaging and thought it was creative and great fun. DS9 has enjoyed reading the boxes and they all loved the magnets that came in the box.

All 3 DCs love spelling out their names with the cereal letters.

Cocoa Bites: DS (9) and DD2 (4) love the cocoa bites and have chosen them in preference to other options both weekends since we received them for the trial. DS has commented that they taste healthier than his coco pops, but was actually quite impressed that they didn't contain tons of crap extra ingredients. DD1 (6) has a very sweet tooth and wasn't impressed enough to have them twice.

Natural Bites: DD2 (4) loves these and has been asking for them every morning during the week, even when there isn't time to spell out her name. The other 2 DCs aren't so keen. DS(9) has commented that they don't really taste of anything, so even though he would like to choose them as the 'healthy' option he's going to stick to fruit&fibre for now. DD1 just didn't really like them much...

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

I will definitely buy the cocoa flavour again, and probably the natural ones if DD2 promises to keep eating them.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Definitely, and especially for friends and family with younger dcs. If these had been available when my dcs were younger, then this would have been a breakfast staple. I've already told various friends and family about them and have been encouraging my cousins (who have a selection of 1.5-3 year olds) to get these in for their dcs.

Thanks again for including us in the trial.

Finally managed to pick our box up and get dd to try them!

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Breakfast can be a battle as ds doesn't feel hungry in the morning and dd can never decide what she likes!!

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

If ds does have breakfast it's normally a bacon roll or shreddies for dd the chocolatier the better!

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

DD didn't like the taste, possibly because she is used to the unhealthier style Krave etc.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP 2.69)?

Probably wouldn't buy them in the future due to price and the fact it is the type of cereal dd would eat a couple of bowls of then leave it to go stale in the cupboard

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recomend them as I think they are a good idea but they weren't for us!

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Not really, luckily my 18mo DD has always been a good eater.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

If I get up with DD she usually has toast or cereal, with some fruit. If DH gets up he might cook some bacon and eggs (I'm vegetarian so I don't bother with bacon). If she has cereal it is usually shredded wheat or weetabix. DD was BLW and is just getting the hang of cutlery so one of our main considerations so far has been food that is easy for her to pick up and feed herself - so bite size shredded wheat are her usual cereal.

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

I really liked them. I'm a sucker for that sort of packaging which I know some other people would find twee or annoying. I really liked it though and though the 'monster' theme was great. It's refreshing to have things marketed at kids which is not gendered. I loved the taste of the chocolatey ones because they were sweet enough to appeal to DD, but reassuringly sort of cocoa-ey rather than sugary. DH (a head chef) proclaimed them to be 'good fun' and would eat them too if they were in the house.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

I probably would buy them and I'd eat them myself too. The only thing is that we mainly shop in Aldi so we'd only be able to get them on our rarer trips to Asda or Tesco.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I probably would as cereal is just so easy in the morning and I thought they were a much healthier option than any alternative sweet cereals.

Loved the box they arrived in! Magnet alphabet was a great hit. Went straight onto the fridge.

Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

No dont really find it a challenge. However I often find after I have bought a new cereal a few times, they want a change, so I try to alternate.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

DC alternates between Tracker cereal bars, Dorset Cereals muesli, Crunchy Nut cornflakes, Porridge and Cocoa Pops.
I am health conscious and do look out for the more healthy option, although some claims can be misleading.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

Liked them with and without milk. Preferred the cocoa ones and said the plain ones were very sweet. He spent rather a long time trying to find the letters of his name which was fine at the weekend but I had to nag to hurry him up for school!

Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?
Yes I will buy them again.

Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Have already recommended. DS enjoyed them and they are a more healthy option than some.

Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

Not a huge challenge - DD (22mo) has happily eaten porridge and fruit since fairly early on in weaning. I would definitely like some more low sugar options for her though, for variety - she's not really big enough yet to chomp her way through say toast with nut butter, or a bagel. She really likes eggs but I prefer to save those for lunch or tea.

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

She usually eats porridge made with water and milk and frozen fruit (generally berries) added. I do worry about the sugar and salt content of breakfast cereals. Having read the backs of many packets the ones I would happily buy are Weetabix and Shredded Wheat, but DD isn't interested in either. I think partly because they both look so unappetising!

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

So DD didn't try them. Because they are 18% sugar, and that is way, way higher than I would be happy with. This 'naturally occurring' idea needs a lot more explanation for me. I know that fruit is hugely sugary, of course. But I know that it has other nutritional value, and DD only eats whole fruit, so she is getting the fibre as well. She also eats fairly tart fruits. I am wary not only of her sugar consumption, but also of her palate being educated towards sweeter tastes. I have an incredibly sweet tooth myself and from her reaction to biscuits and cakes I know she has it too. I'm happy for her to have treats - but for every day food, I don't want her to fall into the trap of looking for sweetness in everything.

A shame because there's a huge gap in the market. I love the concept, the funny little shapes. They just don't need to be this sweet.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

No. Too sweet.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, sorry, for reasons given above.

Do you find breakfast with your DC to be a challenge in the mornings?
-yes one of my children is do fussy when it comes to breakfast she not really a morning eater
And its really hard to get her to eat breakfast But my other two children are not to fussy and will
try most things

What do your children usually eat for breaskfast?
-cornflakes
Coco Pope
Weatabix
Rice crispies
Toast
Yoghurts
Fruit
No I'm not to worried about sugar and salt in breakfast cearls as the eat healthier throughout the day

What did your children think of the bear alphabites?
-they couldn't wait to try them for breakfast they loved the box they came in and also the box of cearel they loved
The coco ones best

Would you buy alpha bites in the further?
yes I would buy them again especially the coco ones as they loved them

Would you recommend bear alphabites?
yes I would recommend these as they seem a good more heathlier cearl for childen

• Do you find breakfast with DC to be a challenge?

Midweek, yes sometimes. Firstly I am not really a morning person, and mornings are a horrid rush. DD (8) is a good eater, but faffs a lot. DS (5) not such such a good eater at all and always wants sweet things or more sugar. Then they set each other off and squabble.

• What do DCs usually eat for breakfast and am I worried about salt and sugar?

Midweek they usually eat weetabix, porridge with fruit, or toast, plus a yoghurt. I do worry about sugar and salt in cereals, and in bread and toppings as well. At their age, I probably worry more about salt as other than breakfast, they don't eat that much sugar. And it's really only breakfast where they demand sugar -DS being much worse in this regard than DD, and I rue the day that he had breakfast at his friend's house of honey nut somethings WITH EXTRA SUGAR SPRINKLED ON TOP as this is all he now wants. My failure to provide this makes me a bad mummy, it seems. Weekends are easier as not so time pressured, and we eat together and eat eggs, cooked breakfasts, pancakes etc more.

-What did DC think of Alphabites?
Well, they loved them. Firstly they loved the box which we opened together (and DS kept), loved the magnets. Loved the monster theme. Loved that the characters from the magnets appeared on the packet. DD loved the text on the box and read it out to me, laughing.
And they loved the cereals,, although the chocolate one was preferred. I love the taste too. Like others, I am a bit nervous of how sweet they are and would hate this to lead to a sweeter pallette. DS has just gone into Y1 and is very enthusiastic about all things spelling-related, so really loves making words and sounds out of the letters.

-Would I buy them again? Definitely. We'll definitely have them in our cupboard although I don't want them to become an every day thing. I like that there is an easy 'special' food that is low in salt. Hey are quite pricey so I will probably keep an eye out to see if they go on price promo.

-Would I recommend them? Yes. Have done already for the salt reason. Also I have mentioned the MN test that I am doing at the schoolgate, and talked about how DS's love to spell at all times, now stretches to his cereal also.

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

No, breakfast is enjoyed

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

They eat cereal, yogurt and fruit. The cereal does tend to be chocolate and the pillow ones are popular. I'm concerned with the amount of hidden sugar/salt

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)?

It took a few bowls to get used to them, the packaging is great, to read and talk about the info. Even the ingredient list is good

What did they like or dislike about them?
I liked them, preferred the multi grain, but also like the chocolate ones and drink the milk. Great for a quick snack too without milk

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)? Yes
• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends?

Yes

Apologies for the delay in feedback, my lo has been very poorly with a virus.

• Do you find breakfast with your DCs to be a challenge, or not? If you do, could you tell us a bit more about why?

I do find breakfast a challenge, it's hard finding healthy, appealing breakfast ideas that are also quick and convenient to prepare, with a good shelf life, let alone something that ticks all those boxes and is so thing she wants to eat!

• What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?

Some examples are toast, porridge with toppings, crumpets, scrambled eggs, fruit and yogurt. I'm always concerned about the high level of sugar in cereals, she rarely has cereal because of this.

• What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?

My daughter absolutely loved the Alphabites. From the second she recognised the bear on the box (from your fruit rolls) she was excited, and as she is currently 3.5yrs she enjoyed recognising all the different letters. She actually ate them without milk the first time she tried them, as they arrived too late to make breakfast. She loved them as a really quick snack/activity. She laid a big handful out and pointed out all the letters before eating them. They went down brilliantly at breakfast the next morning, even my husband eat a huge bowl and loved them. I was surprised myself how sweet they taste, though I prefer my cereal a lot blander.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?

I would definitely buy again.

• Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend to friends because it's very difficult to find a healthy breakfast cereal alongside weetabix and ready brek, and while I don't think are as healthy as those, they aren't as bad as regular cereals and make a nice treat.

Sorry I meant to add it's not a big thing but I think the ratio of vowels to constants needs to be much higher as my dd found it hard to spell out words due to not enough vowels.