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

The funky box arrived yesterday and was instantly a hit with DS (4.5) it was my birthday and he was sick of watching me with gifts so I told him it was his for being a good boy on my birthday!

Very impressed with the magnets, thanks for those.

Breakfast will begin shortly but it's a busy weekend (celebrations, yay!) so I shall be back with a full report in the week.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
Okay, they've now tried them in milk. Sort of. They like the regular flavour okay, but not overly thrilled. They do, however, like it as a nibbly snack dry. The cocoa/chocolate one - they won't touch this morning. Dry or in a bowl with milk. Of course, they're not huge fans of chocolate cereal. But while they nibbled them yesterday as a dry snack (I suspect due to the novelty), they won't touch them today.
I did try the cocoa cereal, as Ilike that kind, but to be honest, while it doesn't taste BAD, it's not great either. It kind of like crunchy cardboard with a hint of chocolate flavour. It's really not very chocolatey at all - it just tastes of nothing much. I wasn't impressed.
They did like the packaging.

Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?
They don't seem to be overly keen on them, so probably not. Definitely not the cocoa cereal.

Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Probably not. I might mention them in passing if we were talking about cereal, but as we didn't like the flavour of them, I'd most likely mention that too.

Hi there,
We tried these this morning, the verdict from my DS who is 7 was that the chocolate ones have him a funny taste at the back of his throat and he didn't like them, I kind of did though and ate a whole bowl myself. I liked the fact that they stayed crunchy and they weren't too sweet.
My son moved on to the non chocolatey ones which he said reminded him of honey loops and then he said they tasted like chicken curry which seemed alarming until we worked out that he meant there was a faintly coconutty taste. He liked them much better than the chocolate ones and says they would be good if he ran out of Rice Krispie shapes which is his usual favourite 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?

No not really, my older DS is happy to have a bowl of cereal or a toasted bagel, the small one has toast and yoghurt.

• 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 think that as long as it's part of a generally balanced diet life is too short to worry excessively about cereal.

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

As in post above. Liked the packaging, amused self spelling bum with letters.

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

I might although I'd be more likely to just buy his usual Rice Krispie shapes which are the same price.

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

I'll mention I tried them and they were quite nice, I'm not likely to be found recommending cereals to people as a general rule though.

We'll probably buy them from time to time.

2nd post now we have tried the cereal

what did DC think?
I have male dt aged 5

dt1 had a mixed bowl of both, he liked the letters and spelt his name. said they tasted like coco pops and wants more tomorrow

dt2 had an original bowl followed by a choc bowl, ate all of them and got quite excited about spotting letters. again he wants more tomorrow but they didn't seem to fill him up

packaging wise I left the boxes out but they weren't too interested other then calling it bear cereal

I tried both and thought it tasted of cardboard so not for me!

would I buy again?
they seem comparable to the other cereals I buy so if they asked for them then yes

would I recommend them?

yes I would_ I like the goodness factor of them

No Bears yet but package arrived yesterday so will go and collect today.

Received my box of goodies, super packaging and my family can't wait to try the healthy and fun cereal

– feel free to add any other thoughts you may have though, we’d love to hear them.

We The DDs love them, I have one non chocolate eater who often feels she is missing out when chocolate cereals are bought so same cereal different flavours if perfect for ensuring peace at breakfast.

• 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?

Yes, I have one child who is incredibly fussy and only eats things a 'certain' way - no fussiness, not too sweet, must be able to a raisins, must be able to be damp but not be soggy! And one who eats anything at all. Meeting both needs in the 1 hours before school can be challenging!

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

We have porridge, shreddies and occasionally rice crispies or corn flakes but I worry about the nutritional value and 'keeping tummies full all morning' ability of things like rice crisps and cornflakes.

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

We are 2 bowls of the plain ones down for Miss Fussy and 3 bowls down of cocoa ones for Miss Hungry. DD1 has read the box back to DD2 and they want to know more about all the other monsters and the animals featured on the box.

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

Yes without a doubt, especially as the cocoa ones are so much better/tasty than cocoa pops!

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

Yes, they are tasty and fun without having all the nutrition sucked out of them in the name of being child friendly!

• 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?

DD (3) eats well, likes Rice Krispies or toast, but DS (13) doesn't like eating 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?

I'm quite happy with what DD eats, when I was younger I'd have had Rice Krispies with spoonfuls of sugar piled on, but she has them plain.

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

They liked the look of the box and the cereal, they were keen to try them. Unfortunately, didn't like the taste, neither the plain nor the chocolate flavour. DS tried eating a few spoonfuls but said they were yuck, DD spat out the first spoonful.

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

No, sorry.

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

I'd recommend trying them. I will pass the boxes to my sister, let my niece and nephew have a try.

• 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 massive challenge, although can be a little fickle with what he will eat. Regularly swap cereals and sometimes have to encourage him to have each mouthful.

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

Usually froot loops, Rice Krispies or multigrain. In between, when he is off of those, maybe some slices of fruit bread, yogurt or fruit. At our best we had porridge. DO worry about sugar and all round nutritional value but also balanced with making sure he has eaten of a morning full stop.

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

DS liked taste. Tucked right in. Have tried the multigrain today. Will update after trying cocoa tomorrow. His thoughts on product were that he wasn't sure of its name as the alpha bites wording doesn't stand our as much as another cereal box we had (froot loops). He thought it would look better if the name was in the shape of the cereal pieces. He liked the info on back of pack.

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

Yes as he tucked right in. Subject to them being in where we shop, Waitrose and Ocado.

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

Yes, good fun packaging and obviously taste good. Bonus if healthy so sister with new baby will love that.

Thanks for picking us

Hi there.

Super excited to get the package. And the magnets were great.

• 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?

Ds is a wide ranging eclectic eater but super slow. So we do end up harrangjng a bit sadly.

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

Yes I like him to have a wholesome filling breakfast as he is whippet thin. I refuse to buy sugary cereals as I think he will crash and burn in school.

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

He loves the packing. Wants to try out some activities and loved reading them. Really enjoyed both cereals dry (though I thought the multigrain when dry was a bit odd and proffered the cocoa). He loves both wet and wants a bowl tomorrow. We all liked them with milk actually. Very tasty and not too sweet which I hate ina. Cereal.

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

Absolutely. And I keep getting 50p off vouchers in the yoyo packs. So even better!

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

I asked ds of he would recommend to his best friend. He said yes as he thought best friend would really like them.

Thanks!

Thank you! The beautiful package arrived a couple of days ago and the whole family has tried 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?

It is some days. My baby is 8 months old and sometimes she wants to eat and sometimes not.

My niece is 4 years old and she's been eating breakfast with us and she's much easier!

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

We usually serve porridge or yoghurt with fruit or toast. I'm very concerned with the amount of sugar and salt in cereal (and food in general) and avoid products containing refined sugar and salt for the kids.

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

My 4-yearold niece loved them! She loved the bear on the box and the magnets and she absolutely loved the taste of both the chocolate ones and the plain ones. We allowed her to play with the letters and she wrote her name in Alphabites!

My baby girl loves Alphabites too. She's a good eater on most days and has enjoyed food since she was about 5 months old. We let hers soak in milk before she eats them off a spoon or with her hands.

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

Yes, definitely. The product is great and that's not a bad price for such a high quality cereal.

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

I will recommend Bear Alphabites to friends and family and all other parents that I meet. Many of us are looking for healthy cereal for ourselves and our kids but there aren't many available that are healthy AND taste nice. But now there is!

The whole family enjoyed these! I'm so happy to just have one box of cereal for the whole family to share. It's nice to all eat the same thing together.

Bear Alphabites - great stuff! :)

• 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?

Dd1 eats anything but dd2 tends to be more fussy. I prefer them not to have sugary breakfasts but it hard when dd2 won't eat things like porridge.

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

Yes I always check packaging for sugar levels, dd1 loves porridge and will eat most things. As she's older, she's starting to ask for more crappy things to eat (which her friends at school have all of the time apparently...)
They eat a range on things for breakfast eg. Porridge, malties, lidls hoops which are like Cheerios) rice crispies, shredded wheat with the fruit purée inside, raisin toast and on the weekends they can have coco pops.

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

Both loved them, they liked the packaging although dd1 asked me if the bear was a good bear or a naughty one... Both wolfed them down and liked them both equally.

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

Yes I would but being a tight arse being on a budget and having recently changed jobs to one that is quite a lot less money I wouldn't be able to buy them every week. Plus as I shop at lidl they wouldn't stock them and an extra trip to Sainsburys would likely cost me £20 in rubbish I don't need... But yes I'd prefer to buy these than coco pops.

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

Yes absolutely!

We received our bears Thursday morning and have tried both plain and chocolate version. Here's our feedback -

• 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 time challenging as dd will only eat 2 different breakfasts. I'm trying to encourage cereals and other breakfasts for variety.

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

Dd will eat Rice Krispies multi grain shapes or toast and egg. I am not too concerned about sugars and salt but do opt for low salt and sugars if it's there.

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

She loved the packaging. She said they tasted similar to the rice Krispies shapes but prefers to eat these dry. She didn't like the chocolate version.

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

Even though she doesn't like to eat these for breakfast, she will happily eat these as a snack. So, yes, I would.

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

Yes, I would. Alot of my friends like the yo bear range and I know they would like the cereals for their children.

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?
DC (5 and 10) are usually very hungry at breakfast so there is not much of a challenge. It is the routine in our household, get up, breakfast, get ready for school, although doesn’t always work!
What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?
We would have one of the following;
-Toast and jam
-Egg (bolied, scrambled or poached)
-Cereal (Cheerios, corn flakes, usually what has been on offer)
-Full English on weekends if we are going on long bike ride/walk.
-Porridge with fresh fruit such as grapes, bananas and nectarines. During the summer holiday in Wales, the DCs especially enjoyed picking blackberries and having them on top of the porridge.
I’m not too worried about the sugar and salt as we usually have “bland” breakfast and also we don’t add salt to our meals. The main concern is nuts as DC 10 has a nut allergy.
What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
DC liked the Bear Alphabites. YoYo bears are one of their favourite snacks, so they both recognised the bear. Comments on the packaging;
“ooh good design..LOOK at the back..isn’t it funny!”. They enjoyed reading the back of the box and highlighting things out to each other.
We all then tried the multigrain - ok, similar to cheerios and can see that they can be taken out and about as little snacks. Initial taste was sweet, but this soon faded when milk was added (?). The cocoa looked a little “washed out” when you first pour them out. It was good to read the “no refined sugar”. There was no clear winner as DC enjoyed both the multigrain and cocoa.
The novelty of letters made breakfast time interesting. We were given a running commentary of each letter they were eating, which soon turned into a (fierce) competition and older brother teasing the youngest. eg
DC 5 - “I’ve got a G”
DC10 – “But I’ve got a Q..this is better..na na na na”
DC 5 – “mum..That’s not fair, I don’t have a Q..Found a Q”
DC10 – “I’ve got a P..this is better than the Q!” and so on....
Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)
Yes, I would consider buying this for DCs in the future, although may be once a month. I found that DC10 was eating 2 bowlfuls and the 375g box will not last a week!
Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Sure, I would recommend this as the selling point is the natural healthy aspect of it.

Thanks MN and Bear for the cereal. The DSs and the cat were delighted with the box. DSs loved the magnets, the cat less so.

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. My sons eat well at breakfast. It's the easiest meal of the day, despite the rush.

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 usually have toast, with either peanut butter or cream cheese. I'm not exactly worried about the sugar or salt, but avoid it where possible, so they have the Whole Earth peanut butter rather than the Sunpat (though IMO Sunpat is much nicer)! Actually, my main concern is to get fat into them, as I think it keeps them fuller for longer, and with the protein in peanut butter or cheese, is a better breakfast than just carbs. Occasionally they have cheerios, weetabix, raisin wheats, or porridge.

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

They both enjoyed them. DS1 (4) said the plain ones are the same as Cheerios. More about that later.

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

No. It's not the price that bothers me, they are barely more expensive than Cheerios (£2.50 at Sainsbury's)

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

No, well no more so than I'd recommend Cheerios.

See, in my eyes, sugar is sugar. Wherever it comes from. Honey, Agave nectar, coconut blossom nectar. It's just not necessary in the diet, and rots your teeth (I'm a dentist). Don't get me wrong. I don't think sugar is poison. It has it's place. Just not regularly at breakfast, however you market it.

I did a comparison with Cheerios regarding the nutritional values, per 100g:

                         Alpha bites        Cheerios

Calories 373 378
protein 8.7g 8.5g
sugar 18g 20.9g
fat 1.5g 3.5g
fibre 6.5 7.3g
calcium 727 mg 484mg

So the Cheerios are really very similar, the big difference being the calcium (lower in Cheerios), the fat and the sugar and fibre ( higher to varying degrees in Cheerios). Cheerios are more fortified with extra vits / minerals, but made by Nestle, which I know bothers some people.

So while on balance there is nothing really to choose between them, I don't think I'd pick them over Cheerios. IMO they're a very similar product, marketed at a slightly different group of parents

Our exciting box arrived on Thursday and we began the taste test Friday morning.

Do you find breakfast with your DC's a challenge?

It can be a challenge when we are timebound. We have 3 children and balancing the needs of them all at once can be tricky. The 3 year old can be especially fussy and procrastinate until the cows come home.

What do your DC's usually have for breakfast, are you concerned about refined sugar?

Breakfast can usually range from fruit and yogurts, shreddies, porridge,scrambled eggs and toast, other cereals such as Cheerios. I do think about the refined sugar, but their breakfast is so varied each week, that they don't stick to the same thing day in day out.

What did your DC's think about Bear's alpha bites.

They both loved the packaging, they took interest in the facts that were given, the older one (6) was interested in what the numbers on the side meant and went on to ask further about these. The 3 year old brought me each letter asking what it was.
The older one asked to try cocoa first and enjoyed them, he said they were tasty and crunchy. The little one tried the whole grain and liked these, he also likened them to Cheerios but said they were better. He finished the bowl-which is very rare-he usually only finishes porridge.
They both asked for a second bowl, but swapped flavours, they soon swapped back as preferred their first choices.
I tried both choices. The whole grain one was preferable to me, I found the cocoa to have a strange aftertaste.

I would buy them in the future and I would recommend them to others.

Thank again for the cereal and here is our feedback!

Q1 answer,
Dcs love breakfast,so the only challenge I have is finding a healthy cereal that they both like.

Q2 answer,
Dcs usually eat either ready brek, rice crispies or honey hoops, all containing large amounts of refined sugars. And as I have cut all refined sugar out of my diet since april this really is a major concern when it comes to the dc.

Q3 answer,
Dd age 4 loved the packaging and concept and also the taste, especially the chocolate ones. Ds 15 was not really bothered by the packaging as you would expect, but did like the taste of the mutigrain. I would definitely buy again and would also eat them myself. Perhaps you could do an adult version :-)

Q4 answer,
yes will definitely buy again. I think the price is reasonalble compared to the 'healthy cereal' I buy in wholefoods which is much more expensive.

Q5 answer,
yes would definitely recommend to all of my friends with dc.

Our bear crocodile box arrived yesterday! DD was very impressed by the magnets!

• 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?

Yes! DD is 4 and is a very fussy and slow eater. She only likes dry cereal, dry toast etc, so it's a struggle to keep her interested in eating breakfast most of the time.

• 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 eats bite size weetabix, shreddies, porridge, toast, croissants, fruit. Yes too much sugar and salt does concern me, but sometimes I'd just rather she ate something than go hungry!

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

DD really likes them. As she's just started school and learning alphabet, words, etc, she is able to pick out letters and says Things like "D is for dog" and then it also helps to get her to eat if I say eat all the B's. She's also familiar with othe bear products - paw prints, yo yo's.

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

Yes I probably would.

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

Yes

Mine haven't arrived

• 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?

Nope, once they're actually our of bed its fine!

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

One eats cornflakes ahreddies weetabix etc. the other gas ready brek followed by sausage rolls or pasta!

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

Luckily they aren't remotely swayed by packaging. One did recognise it was from the yoyo people & so looked suspicious & asked if it was healthy! They both preferred cocoa.

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

If on special offer, yes. They're too expensive at rrp.

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

If asked yes, but I'm not the kind if person who would strike up a conversation about products!

• 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?

One of them is very fussy about cereals - dislikes various bits of different ones like a certain bit of muesli or the red bits of another one. So she will only eat particular cereals. The other one will eat any breakfast food you put in front of her.

• 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 usually eat cereal - we mainly buy weetabix, Special K, Rice Krispies, cornflakes (usually all own brand versions). We try to avoid sweet cereals like frosties or Cheerios. Yes I am worried about the sugar and salt and other unhealthy ingredients. At no other time would I feed them such a lot of processed food.

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

They liked the cereals a lot. Both were a bit disappointed that the chocolate one wasn't more chocolatey (like coco pops) but we probably wouldn't buy a chocolate flavoured one anyway. One of them preferred the non-choc one. They both liked looking for letters. (I always think these things should be lower case letters but maybe that's just me.) They liked the packaging. I also liked the ingredients list but I would like to know more about the sustainability / sugar content of the coconut blossom stuff.

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

Yes, the non choccy one. Maybe not all the time because it's a bit pricey but as an addition to our boring staples. Would also buy a variety pack for holidays if there were different types eg numbers / shapes / animals or whatever. They really like the country cards that come with fruit yoyos so that kind of thing inside would be an incentive too.

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

Yes probably. Just as a healthier than some other cereals thing to try. Something kids will eat that isn't full of sugar. Good for infant school kids learning to read!

Collected our parcel at lunchtime, DCs very impressed by the exciting box and loved the magnets - thank you. We'll try out the cereal this week (if they can agree on which flavour to try first) but they're really looking forward to it and I may have a sneaky try too. Will report back...