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

Thanks for choosing us to try out the Bear cereals, we've enjoyed giving these 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?

No, breakfast is the one meal in our house that I know will be eaten without any fuss!

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

My DC's usually have Cheerios, mini shredded wheats, porridge or weetabix. The sugar and salt found in most cereals are a big concern for me and I try to choose cereals that are lower in salt at least.

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

Both DC's loved the Alphabites! DS, who's almost 5, liked the monster theming on the packaging and loved both types of cereal, declaring a preference for the cocoa. DD (20 months) happily ate both kinds of cereal - empty bowls all round!

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

Yes definitely. DD is dairy intolerant and we were advised by her dietician to give her Cheerios for breakfast due to the calcium content, but I have concerns about the amount of salt and sugar that Cheerios contain. I'm really pleased to have found a healthier alternative that DD likes eating.

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

Yes I would recommend them to anyone looking for cereals with less sugar and salt.

Have I missed something here?! OK so the cereal has “no added nonsense” and “no refined sugar” but that doesn’t change the fact that this cereal is still HIGH in sugar!

If you look past the (very nice and appealing) packaging and marketing blurb to the nutritional information panel, both boxes show that per 100g serving there is 18g of sugar. According to the government’s own labelling scheme, anything that has over 15g of sugar per 100g is classed as high sugar!

Here are a few other cereals to compare it with – this is the amount of sugar per 100g :
Porridge oats - 1.3g of sugar
Weetabix - 4.4g,
Cornflakes - 8g
Rice Krispies -10g
Shreddies - 14.9g.

And Alpha bites is 18g! This puts it in the same ‘high sugar’ category as things like Cheerios! (21.6g or sugar per 100g).

I understand from the box that this is “naturally occurring sugar” and not added/refined sugar, but it’s still sugar right? In the same way that the naturally occurring sugar you get in fruit juice means we’re all told to dilute the juice or not have too much of it these days. I’m no sugar expert , so if any of the nice people from Bear are reading this and can clarify things, then I'm all ears. All I know is that it’s all sugar at the end of the day and if some kind of traffic light system were compulsory for all foods including cereals, then Alpha bites would have a big red circle warning ‘high’ for sugar on the front of the box.

Breakfast is the one meal in the day where my daughters nearly always eat really well so I really want to take the opportunity to give them something healthy. I find it a constant battle to stop them eating too much sugar throughout the day, and breakfast is one meal that I can control more easily than others. (As opposed to, say, food at nursery or tea at a play date etc).

Because of the sugar, Alpha bites would have to be an ‘occasional’ food for my daughters. This means, though, that I’m afraid I would not buy this cereal as I’ve learnt from experience that it’s difficult to have a cereal as an ‘occasional’ treat because you have to buy a big box and then my daughters know it’s in the cupboard and I have to come up with an (usually unacceptable) excuse every day as to why they can’t have it every day (As opposed to, say, having a treat like ice-cream only when we go to a café etc). Besides, why would I even contemplate buying something that has 4 times as much sugar as Weetabix when they like Weetabix, or over twice as much sugar as cornflakes when they like cornflakes?! I just wouldn't want such stuff in the house to tempt them away from more healthy cereals.

It’s a real shame, because they both loved the cereal. They enjoyed the taste, loved the letter shapes, and enjoyed looking at the boxes. And I loved the packaging and presentation too. Full marks to the marketing team but I’m afraid I feel like that’s all it is – a clever marketing exercise on another sugar filled cereal.

Totally agree ChicaGirl, would be interested in more information as to why such a high sugar content is "better" if it is from coconut blossom… or is it...

ChicaGirl it is added sugar - they have used the sugar that naturally occurs in coconut blossom nectar to sweeten the sugar. It isn't naturally occurring as part of the wheat or whatever, like in your juice analogy. But the shtick is that this coconut blossom nectar sugar is healthier than refined sugar, I guess.

• 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?

My DS has ASC and although he will eat anything, it's tricky to find a quick and easy breakfast for him that is also healthy, he can't have sweeteners and I don't like him to have too much sugar.

I also struggle to cook in the morning because I have to watch him all the time, so cereals are usually our go to breakfast, but he's getting bored of weetabix.

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

He usually eats weetabix or porridge because I am worried about the refined sugar and salt

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

He seemed to like the fact that they were letters, even though capitals were impossible for him to recognise apart from the ones that look lower case.

He ate them so he must have liked the taste

He liked the bear on the packaging

• 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 or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would because it's something quick and easy for the morning without all the usual rubbish that's in 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?

My ds (6) eats anything in vast quantities but my dd (4) is a picky eater and has to be encouraged 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?

I do worry about the sugar and salt in cereals and usually buy the "boring" ones.

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

The kids loved them and so did I! I thought they kept their texture well and didn't go soggy. Also nice to munch a handful 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 or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes - I've already done it!

I had to collect my Bears from the post office and loved the look from the postman when he handed over my MASSIVE green snake box!

We've tried the plain and will try the cocoa flavour tomorrow and I'll let you know our thoughts!

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?

Not really - my dcs are normally quite hungry so will do their own cereal while I'm getting ready 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?

They normally have cereal with fruit juice and then a piece of fruit on weekdays. On weekend we have eggs or pancakes. I try to buy cereal that iis not too sugary and stay clear of ones that imply they are too sweet e.g cocoa pops, cookie crisp etc

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

Both DCs loved them - especially the chocolately ones! We all loved the package they came in. DC1 wasn't bothered about the shape but DC2 loved spelling out her name with the letters.

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

Yes - although I normally buy own brand so at that price they would be a once in awhile treat.

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

Yes - when I've told people about this test they've all responded positively to the brand and said they were thinking about trying them.

Thank you!!!

After trying the breakfast all this week, I can finally give you some answers to your questions.

• 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, they have got into a routine of requiring nothing but the sweet breakfast cereals and anything else I try to give them usually resorts in shouts of "I don't like this" and me making them something else. Because I know what they will eat without a fuss we tend to stick to the same things.

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

Both DS and DD like the sugary no good for them rubbish, usually Coco Pops, Chocolate squares, Weetos. They do eat Weetabix but when I try and trick them without the sugar their noses are soon turned up. The winter months are the best months as they like to eat porridge. I do my best to try to get them to change breakfast and have tried many different ones. Boiled eggs and soldiers are welcomed on weekends, but with just an hour in the mornings before we are all out of the door it is better to see their tummies full of something I know they will eat.

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

They both loved the packaging and got quite excited about "a new" cereal that they could eat in the morning. They both wanted to try the chocolate ones first (only natural as a child) I was a little bit wary as I know how fussy they can be with the non sugary cereal and my fears were confirmed after about 3 spoonful's. They both said they tasted "yakky" and wasn't eating anymore. so I saw this as my chance to try a different tactic and serve up the other ones. They ate these no problems at all and crunched them all down.

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

Yes, definitely.

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

Yes we already buy from the Bear brand for the children's lunchboxes so now I know the DC like one of the cereals we will be purchasing in the future.

I replied to this a few days ago but my phone must not have posted. I'll try again.

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?

My children eat breakfast willingly every day, they always wake up hungry! The challenge is more a time issue on my part. Getting up, getting 3 kids dressed and making packed lunch takes up so much time I have to rush like crazy to fit in a healthy 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?

Yes, massively so. Our breakfasts are usually porridge, some variation of eggs and bread, or homemade pancakes with fruit and yoghurt. We sometimes had wheatabix and fruit but tend to stay away from cereals due to the high content of sugar and salt.

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

They were extremely excited! They all love bear yo-yo's so recognised the brand instantly. I liked the packaging also as it had stayed away from the bright glossy in-your-face appearance that I now associate with chemical and sugar laden 'kids food'.
They found the taste pleasing and it didn't leave them feeling hungry before lunch.

What did they like or dislike about them?

I pressed them for a negative but all I could get from them was that I wouldn't let them have seconds! They liked the taste, and how they didn't collapse in the milk but stayed crunchy.

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

I probably would. I doubt I would make them a regular thing, mostly down to the price, but we will certainly have them in the cupboard for days when time is running low and hungry tempers running high. It's great to have a quick and easy breakfast that doesn't leave a guilty aftertaste.

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

I believe my kids already have to half the school!

- 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 not usually a challenge except in the school holidays. DD 6yo prefers a "picnic" breakfast, yoghurt, cheese, fruit etc, but during term time I want her to have a bowl of cereal and a yoghurt/fruit.

- 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 has a bowl of cereal every morning, usually Honey Loops, Cheerios, or Choco Hoops occasionally. I prefer her not to have Coco Pops. I would prefer her to have something like Weetabix, but she says that is boring. I was told once by a nutritionist that Coco Pops were no worse than any other cereal, but it doesn't seem right for breakfast on a school day, not filling enough. She will quite often have a yoghurt or banana as well, and she always has a multivitamin with Omega 3 and usually a health drink like Actimel.

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

"They are chocolate and crunchy and yummy" were DD's first words on trying them. She has had them for 3 mornings in a row and really likes them. We have tried both boxes but she obviously prefers the chocolate ones. She is happy to eat them every morning instead of her usual cereal.

She likes the letters and she asked if she could have some dry ones to play with to make words up, but she said that they didn't taste so nice dry, better with milk.

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

Yes I would happily buy them again, they are priced similar to other cereals and DD likes them, so that is half the battle. They are more healthy than a lot of cereals, but appealing to children too.

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

I would recommend them because children seem to love them, they are healthy and they are average priced.

Thank you for choosing us to try the Alphabites.

We loved the packaging and being huge bear yoyo fans my DD's were very excited about 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?

I try to make sure they eat a good breakfast to last them through till lunch so they have cereal, toast and fruit. Or granola, yoghurt and fruit. It does become a bit monotonous sometimes.

• 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 granola, shredded wheat, shreddies, Weetabix and occasionally cheerios. I know that some of those cereals are packed full of sugar and I wish they weren't!

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

They loved the concept and the packaging. Made breakfast cereal exciting again. They particularly liked the cocoa flavour as they said it had much more taste than the other flavour. DH tried them too and agreed. He said the plain ones need to be a bit tastier as they are a little bit too bland.

• Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)? Yes I would. I would be pleased to give them something with no added nasties.

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

Yes definitely. Probably the cocoa version more than the plain though.

I totally agree with chicagirl. After posting my review I glanced at some others and I didn't really agree that this was a healthy low sugar cereal. I also compared it to other cereals and thought I was misinterpreting or not understanding something! It's great it has no salt but is not low sugar! I think it's interesting that the nutritional information on the bear website is not immediately accessible, you have to click to reveal it. I would love bear to commit to the traffic light logo on their box, so that it's really clear about the amount of sugar. Otherwise this is just another triumph for marketing over health.

Also... I can spell wheatabix weetabix!

ElizabethMedora, thanks for your reply.
I think you're right - the question is really whether the sugar that occurs naturally in coconut blossom is any better for you than any other type of sugar. I found a really handy article in the guardian to try and learn a bit more about it (have posted a link below). Sadly, it seems the answer is 'no' - sugar is sugar in whatever form it comes, and too much is bad for you.

I don't know if coconut blossom has any other benefits we don't know about, but it doesn't change the fact that this cereal is still, sadly, high in sugar. I find it a bit worrying that a lot of people on this forum assume the cereal is 'low sugar' and 'healthy' just because of the way it's designed and marketed, because I really don't think that's the case. I would really love to be wrong on this because I would genuinely love to find such a well packaged cereal I could feel happy to give to my children every day, but I just don't see how something so high in sugar can be good for you.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/jan/14/sugar-guide-forms-sweet-calories-sweetener

Firstly thank you very much for picking us for this product test. We really enjoyed taking part.

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 isn't a challenge as DCs are always hungry at breakfast time! We also have a time issue with DD as she dawdles and is very slow and we have to make her rush to eat her 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?
They usually alternate between Weetabix, porridge with fruit, toast with scrambled/poached eggs or Shreddies. At the weekend we may have some bacon and eggs, or pancakes and waffles. Yes I am worried about refined sugar and salt which is why we try and avoid the sweet cereals. However, at the weekend they are allowed treats.

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
They absolutely loved the box and magnetic letters and had great fun sticking them on the fridge. Both DS and DD enjoyed the taste of both cereals but preferred the chocolate one as 'it had more flavour'. They love Bear YoYos so were familiar with the brand. I was also told that 'they are nice and crunchy'.

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

Yes definitely. They were a big hit with DCs. They were also good as a snack as well as cereal for breakfast.

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

Yes i would as they are great breakfast for kids without any dodgy ingredients! They are a good alternative to our other breakfast choices.

ChutesTooNarrow, I just saw your reply - I did a double take when I read the nutritional info on the box and I thought I must be interpreting it wrong too! Sadly not. I agree that it's good that it's low/ no salt, but that doesn't mean it's ok that it's high in sugar!

As we're big fans of the Bear Yo-yo's in this house, we were delighted to hear there was a new cereal out and to get the chance to test it.
The cereal arrived all neatly packaged, with two boxes inside - a multigrain one and a cocoa one.
We usually have some cereal and toast for breakfast, usually something like porridge, weetabix, cornflakes etc.
Breakfast is enjoyed by all,so it's never a challenge!
What impressed me the most about the cereal was the fact that they had no 'nasties' and were natural. I'm usually the 'boring' mum who never buys any sugary or chocolate cereal as they're full of crap (s'cuse the language ) but I'd have no qualms buying these cocoa ones as they were lovely and felt re-assured by the natural ingredients.
Extra bonus points for making them suitable for vegans too - I'm not vegan but am intolerant to milk so usually have to stay clear of chocolatey cereal. Not these though, so I was very pleased!
Both children loved both flavours, with the 7 year old preferring the cocoa ones and the 11 year old preferring the multigrain ones. Neither box lasted long.
I had some as well and found the texture nice and crunchy, and the cocoa ones impressed me with their natural taste - you could tell they didn't have any artificial guff in them as they tasted 'clean.'
I'd definitely recommend them to friends and we'll be buying some more in the future!
(Oh, and the magnets were a great touch. They're living on the fridge and we're having great fun making as many words as we can out of them!)

Yey, it's finally here - I'm ridiculously excited! The box is very battered so I think it's been on a bit of a journey! Will review asap.

Just to follow up on my previous post, we have now tried the plain variety and the kids seemed equally happy with it and I prefer something that doesn't look chocolate-coloured as I assume perhaps irrationally that it's less healthy than the plain variety.

Yes, after reading this again, I would like to see some clarification on this. Definitely not a low sugar cereal, based on this, which makes me wonder how healthy it really is.

Can I make an addition to my post.

After having the cereal for a few days my DT are mixing it in with two weetabix as an extra and not eating it on its own - this would probably prevent me from buying again if they are only using it as an extra top up.

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 time isn't too much of a challenge but mornings are very chaotic in our house with four children going to four different schools and a three month old baby. Having one thing which all four are happy to eat is the holy grail as at the moment everyone seems to eat something different.

What do your DCs usually eat at breakfast? Are you worried about the refined sugar and salt that most breakfast cereals contain, or not?
My DCs tend to eat either cereal or toast in the morning. I am concerned about the amount of sugar and salt in a lot of breakfast cereals, especially the ones my kids like

What did your DCs think of Bear Alphabites (taste, packaging, concept)? What did they like or dislike about them?
My DCs (the two youngest) had been asking me to buy Alphabites, having seen the ads on telly and we had already said we would buy some before I was picked for this product test. This meant they were really excited to see the packets and decided to start testing them straight away, when they got home from school. They started on the plain ones and most of the box seemed to disappear. They all liked them and the younger two liked the letter shapes and the back of the box, which we talked about. I liked the padlock on the top, which made me shut it properly unlike any of the other cereal we have.
They tried the cocoa flavour next morning and these weren't as popular, my eldest thought they looked like cat food! He did say he preferred the plain ones. The plain ones are now all gone but there are still cocoa ones left, which isn't how I thought it would go!

Would you buy Bear Alphabites for your DCs in the future? (available in 375g box, RRP £2.69)?
Yes, I think I would. They are more expensive than the cereal I usually buy, but they were popular with all if them, and I liked them too. I like the idea that they are slightly healthier too.
Would you recommend Bear Alphabites to friends or relatives? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes, if they came up in conversation.

Both my DC are very fussy eaters. My youngest DC is the fussiest but she does love breakfast cereal and would happily have a bow of cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner she normally has weetabix or cornflakes. She does not like cereal that is too sweet. She was delighted to try out the Bear Alphabites and really enjoyed the plain flavour, She did not really want to share with her brother and there was a mild disagreement when my oldest DC decided he too really liked the plain flavour as well ( The box was hidden by her at one stage!!), he does not really like to eat breakfast and prefers to eat his cereal dry with no milk. He liked spelling out words as he ate and said he would consider actually eating these for breakfast! The chocolate flavour was less popular as both my kids are a little bit fussy about sweet tastes and are not really keen. They did like the chocolate ones a bit and have eaten them but with a lot less enthusiasm. Youngest DC liked the box and had a good look at it as it does seem to be made to appeal to younger kids, I do not think my older 13 year old even noticed the box, he was far more interested in the contents! I think they are a good price, about average for cereal and I will buy the plain flavour again as they both liked it and ate it without any fuss. As it is healthy, tasty and reasonably priced and because both my DC's gave it the thumbs up I would definitely recommend the Alphabites to my friends and family. I have already recommended to my sister who has 2 yr old twins.
The only criticism I have is that they are made to taste sweet and not all DC's like sweet tastes.

Interesting discussion about the sugar issue. I've been pondering it over the past few days.
The box clearly states "no refined sugar" but I was wondering how they can get away with calling coconut blossom nectar "unrefined"? Surely there must be some form of refining to get the nectar out of the blossom and into some edible form?

It's also labelled as "no added sugar" but again, the nectar was added to the cereal. It's not like fruit juice, where the sugar is a natural part of the fruit.

The nectar (which is sugar) has been added to the cereal, making it a high-sugar product.

Isn't ordinary white sugar a natural product anyway? It's made from sugar beet or cane - that's surely naturally occurring sugar?

Sorry, I'm rambling a little bit but the upshot is that I feel a bit uncomfortable with the way that this is packaged, to appear as a "low-sugar" product.

• 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 generally pretty unchallenging, they're normally hungry which helps

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

Weekdays cereal, weekends eggs/pancakes or toast. I don't like the idea of salt in cereal, but don't get to worried about sugar.

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

My DCs were quite excited to try the Alphabites, they had seen them advertised and asked for them previously. They particularly liked the chocolate version, and said it was very chocolatey ( a big win in our house)

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

I generally shop Ocado and only buy branded cereals when they're on special offer, but yes I would buy Alphabites again.

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

I have done my MIL and SIL both had bowls of the multi-grain alphabites and enjoyed it.