There's a lot I love about winter—the cozy sweaters, lingering for an extra moment when I can over a warm cup of coffee, watching my kids race around the park in their cute puffy jackets that we whip out sometimes in San Francisco. But to be honest, it’s also the time when everyone seems to come down with the sniffles and my family starts to feel run down. As a busy mom of two, the last thing I want is to be stuck at home dealing with back-to-back colds for the whole season.

This year, I'm on a mission to keep my kids healthy and give their immune systems a little extra support. I decided to look into two popular immune support supplements to see how they compare. Here’s my take on Hiya’s Kids Daily Immune vs. Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune Support. 

Criteria #1: Formula

When it comes to immune support, the most important factor is the ingredients that actually improve immune function. 

	Hiya Kids Daily Immune	Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune
Immune-boosting nutrients	Vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, beta-glucans, immunity fruit blend including organic elderberry juice extract	Vitamin C, zinc, vitamin B6
Added Sugar	0 grams	0 grams
Dose	1 chewable	3 gummies
Safety	Third-party testing on every batch, free of artificial dyes, gummy additives, added sugars, gluten, dairy, and GMOs	NSF certified, gluten-free, no FD&C dyes and caffeine

Hiya Kids Daily Immune

Hiya’s Kids Daily Immune features a fruit blend rich in nutrients to keep kids feeling their best (think organic sweet potato, apple, camu camu, and organic elderberry!). I also love that it contains zero added sugar. Instead, it’s sweetened with sorbitol, fruit powder, and monk fruit (a superfruit that’s 100-250 times sweeter than sugar).

Plus, Hiya is packed with these immune-supporting nutrients:

• Vitamin C: This vitamin doubles as an antioxidant and protects our cells from free radicals which can cause oxidative stress (¹) and damage. (²) It plays a role in collagen production, a protein that helps with healing. (³) Vitamin C also helps the body absorb iron, an important nutrient for healthy growth and development. (⁴)
• Vitamin E: An important antioxidant that helps the body combat free radicals that can contribute to chronic diseases. (4)
• Zinc: Known for its antioxidant properties, zinc helps support the immune system by warding off bacteria and viruses. (⁵⁾ It’s also essential for wound healing. (5)
• Selenium: This mineral protects the body from free radicals and infections. (⁶)
• Beta glucans: These fibers play a key role in regulating the immune system (7) and activating and strengthening immune cells.

Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune

Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune Support includes the following immune-supporting nutrients:

• Vitamin C
• Zinc
• Vitamin B6: An essential vitamin for producing cells for the immune system. (⁸⁾

While it has other important nutrients like vitamin B12 and biotin, their primary function doesn't directly support immunity. I also appreciate that it doesn't contain any added sugars, and is sweetened with stevia and allulose, a low-calorie natural sweetener.

Formula Winner: Hiya Kids Daily Immune

Criteria #2: Ingredient safety

I’m super picky about ingredient safety because I want to make sure what I’m giving my kids is the best option for them. 

Hiya Kids Daily Immune

I appreciate that Hiya conducts third-party testing on every batch of their vitamins to ensure purity and quality to ensure they’re free from heavy metals and microbes. Each batch is certified by independent labs to meet strict federal and state safety standards, including compliance with California’s Prop 65. Hiya’s manufacturing facilities are also FDA-registered and GMP-certified, so I feel confident that their supplements are held to the highest quality and safety standards.

 Hiya’s Kids Daily Immune is free of:

• Synthetic dyes
• Gummy additives
• Added sugars
• Gluten
• Dairy
• GMOs

Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune

Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune Support is NSF certified, which means it meets strict standards and procedures, including thorough testing and material analyses. Emergen-C products are not third-party tested. It’s also free from:

• Gluten
• FD&C dyes
• Caffeine.

Ingredient Safety Winner: Hiya Kids Daily Immune

Criteria #3: Taste

Hiya Kids Daily Immune

They taste amazing—they’re fruity and sweet even without the added sugars!

Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune

They come in a sour and fruity flavor, which some kids might find fun and tasty, but not every child enjoys that puckered tart taste.

Taste Winner: Tied

Criteria #4: Cost

Hiya Kids Daily Immune

$35 per bottle containing 30 doses, or $1.17/dose

Emergen-C Kidz Zero Sugar Daily Immune

$14.99 per bottle containing 12 doses, or $1.25/dose

Cost Winner: Hiya Kids Daily Immune

Hiya Kids Daily Immune is my pick for the winter season!

I'm always doing what I can to keep us healthy. We're a busy family, so if one of us is down with something, I know it means more dominoes could be falling soon. So whether that means I'm adding a few more fruits and vegetables to our meal prep grocery list (that I know my kids will eat) or leaning on a supplement like Hiya Kids Daily Immune, I'm here for it. I honestly recommend it to all my friends–not just for surviving the winter season, but for keeping our little ones healthy all year round.

✅ Immune-supporting nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, beta-glucans, and a immunity fruit blend including elderberry

✅ Effective and clean ingredients 

✅ Third-party tested 

✅ Formulated by pediatricians and nutritionists 

✅ ZERO added-sugars

✅ No gummy additives

✅ Tasty, delicious, and kid-approved

Get 50% off your first purchase with code NMM50.

Other Hiya vitamins for a healthy routine (with zero added sugars!)

• Hiya Kids Daily Multivitamin has 15 essential vitamins and minerals designed to support the immune system and healthy growth and development. It helps fill in nutritional gaps, especially if you’ve got a picky eater or a kiddo with a limited diet. 
• Hiya Daily Probiotic is a fantastic option for supporting gut health, strengthening the immune system, and promoting healthy digestion. With 10 billion CFUs, it's my go-to with my kids to give them a powerful dose of probiotics, along with prebiotics that help keep those beneficial bacteria thriving.
• Hiya Daily Greens + Superfoods is a greens powder packed with 55+ whole food ingredients and formulated specifically for kids. If you’ve got a child who can’t stand anything green, this greens powder makes it easy to fill in any dietary gaps, especially because it has a kid-approved chocolate-y taste!

¹ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10206224/

² https://www.eatright.org/health/essential-nutrients/vitamins/antioxidants-protecting-healthy-cells

³ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-Consumer/

⁴ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-Consumer/

⁵ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-Consumer/

⁶ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-Consumer/

⁷ https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/1024p38.shtml

⁸ https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/vitamin-b6-pyridoxine

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