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First Day is a wellness brand that focuses on the development of multivitamins.
Interestingly, their entire product range consists of only four items, all of which are multivitamin formulations designed to accommodate different age groups and genders.
For instance, one is designed for children aged 4 to 14; another is targeted at teenagers aged between 14 and 18, and then they provide two distinct formulas for adults, each uniquely made to meet the nutritional needs of men and women respectively.
Needless to say, this distinction is important since nutritional needs differ based on age and gender, and First Day does a really good job by providing different formulas.
However, is the product, as a whole, better than its competitors? Or are there other multivitamin brands that accomplish a better job of delivering a comprehensive vitamin stack?
This is what I’ll be covering in this article— because ultimately, you want to understand whether or not First Day is the one you should be getting.
Main Takeaways
- I like the fact that First Day’s vitamin formulas come with gummies, which is a far better experience than having to swallow capsules. I know this isn’t applicable to everyone, but I can more easily pop in two gummies in the morning, whereas I feel like there’s a bit more friction with capsules.
- Although I do like gummies, these come with 2 grams of added sugars, which is not a lot, but you typically don’t want to be ingesting extra added sugars, particularly if you already consume a lot of them from your diet.
- Compared to other vitamin formulas, First Day’s seem not to be as comprehensive despite having a premium price point. Additionally, for some nutrients, the concentrations are not substantial, especially when compared to other brands.
Breaking Down The Nutrients in First Day’s Multivitamin
For this breakdown, I’m going to assume you’re looking for a multivitamin that is suitable for an adult and thus analyze First Day’s adult formulas from that lens.
Here are the supplement facts for each respective gender:
Based on this label alone, we can see that both multivitamin formulas contain 13 nutrients, of which 8 are vitamins, and 5 are minerals.
Compared to other formulas I’ve reviewed, this one is lacking in terms of pure variety of nutrients, and the amounts per serving are also lower, at least when compared to the multivitamin I typically forward people to.
Moreover, there’s an unusual aspect concerning First Day vitamins. While the brand purports that its products are inclusive of an organic fruit and vegetable blend, along with nine essential nutrients, this is not reflected in the image I’ve shared above – there’s just no reference to fruits or vegetables.
Whether First Day is being misleading or I’m simply reading things incorrectly, I don’t know, but there’s no mention of blends on the label. It’s only when you dig a bit deeper into the product page’s FAQ section that you can see the full ingredient list, which is the same Supplement Facts label as shown above but showing the ‘other ingredients’.
Additionally, what I’ve noticed is that the men’s formula has a higher concetration of some nutrients when compared to the women’s formula — namely when it comes to zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, vitamin B1, vitamin K, and vitamin A.
This seems like a reasonable approach because men, on average, need more zinc than women, and they also tend to need a bit more of other vitamins (i.e. like B6 and C) as they age.
Contrarily, when women are pregnant or get to a certain age, they also need certain nutrients in higher amounts (i.e. iron, folate (B9), and calcium).
So, it seems like First Day makes that distinction for some vitamins and minerals, and I think that is something positive in the grand scheme of things.
What I Like About First Day Vitamins
There are some things that I like about First Day’s products, and this may not be applicable to everyone, so do keep that in mind.
1. Gummies: Something that I often appreciate is not having to swallow big capsules, especially if I have to do it once or twice per day. First Day’s products, without exception, come in the form of pectin-based gummies. You can pop them in your mouth and relish in the experience because it’s basically like eating candy.
2. Low serving size: In addition to coming in the form of gummies, you only have to conform to two-a-day, which is a relatively low serving size compared to some other formulas, but then again, there may be some limitations in terms of how many nutrients can fit in a lower serving size. Typically, higher serving sizes tend to contain a wider variety of nutrients as well as a higher concentration of each respective nutrient.
What I Dislike About First Day Vitamins
Now, as for the things that I dislike about First Day’s products, there are a few:
1. Not a wide variety of nutrients: I’ve hinted at this before, but compared to other brands, First Day doesn’t seem to pack a lot of nutrients, nor does it seem to have them in higher concentrations. Now, whether this is good or bad is debatable, but it’s true that for some nutrients (i.e. B12) our body is not very efficient in terms of absorption, so a higher concentration is generally preferred. This is, my experience, as someone that follows a vegan diet, at least.
2. Added sugars: I like gummies, but the issue is that oftentimes they come with added sugars— which is a relatively low dose in First Day’s multivitamin formulas (2g per serving) but it’s well-documented that excess added sugar intake is clinically shown to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
3. Price: It’s not the most expensive multivitamin out there, but it’s still relatively expensive when considering the amount of nutrients it contain, as well as the concentration of each one. It’s true that First Day’s products fall short when compared to many other brands I’ve reviewed.
What Do Real Users Have To Say?
Here’s a video review from YouTube creator LeighsHome that talks about her experience with the women’s multivitamin formula:
Here’s another video, but now from Fit Healthy Momma (on YouTube) also sharing her experience with the women’s multivitamin:
Here are also written reviews from the third-party website Judge.me, but I’ll be sharing reviews that give a more broad view of the brand’s products:
“Has helped my twins focus tremendously and calm them down throughout the day. I can tell a difference when they take FIRST DAY AND when they don’t. I now have found it necessary that we do the subscription option so we don’t run out.” – Char
“The flavor excites them so much it’s the best incentive to get ready for school and summer camp faster and they get the gummies as a reward. They love labeling their bottles and baby sister gives her brothers their gummies every morning.” – Kristin F.
“My son and I both take First Day vitamins, it is SO nice to have found a vitamin that my son will take without a struggle, I often say to him….Do your vitamins taste as good as mine?!” -Laura C.
“Chaos was my house on the daily. My 6 year old daughter and I were constantly bickering, between the not listening, the whining, the frustration it caused. I saw an ad on Facebook one day about these vitamins and everything the girl was saying about her son were exactly what I was experiencing. So I decided what the heck I had tried everything else so I had nothing to lose. I purchased these about 3 weeks ago and WOW is all I can say. Already my household is different and the change I see in my daughter is absolutely amazing!!!! These vitamins have been a true lifesaver for me and her and I can’t thank you guys enough for putting this out there!!!! I definitely recommend this to anyone who is struggling with your little one!!!! You will be so glad you did I promise” – Kristi L.
Let me note that out of the 1600+ reviews in Judge.me, 1568 are positive, which give the brand a 4.85 rating… which is pretty good I must say.
Alas, Do You Really Need To Take a Multivitamin?
This is a very important question you need to ask yourself before you decide to take a multivitamin— and the reason I say this is because I believe it’s not necessary.
In my experience of looking a different medica studies, I haven’t found much strong evidence to suggest that the typical healthy adult gains any significant advantages from taking multivitamin supplements.
One medical review from 2012 that examined data from various clinical trials and population studies found that long-term use of multivitamin and multi-mineral supplements might slightly raise the risk of cancer.
A different study I found in the Nutrition journal indicated that while multivitamin use appears to be safe, it didn’t show any improvement in health outcomes for people who take them compared to those who don’t.
Lastly, another medical review from 2012 suggested that multivitamin supplements might help improve certain cognitive functions, such as memory recall— but this can probably be achieved by taking another set of supplements, like a nootropic.
Here’s a good video from MyProtein explaining who might benefit from a multivitamin:
So, Are First Day’s Vitamins Worth It?
First Day Vitamins is not a brand that I would personally recommend if you’re planning to introduce a multivitamin into your daily routine.
And this is not because the supplement or brand is low-quality, it’s just that I simply think there are better products out there that might serve you better by providing you with a more comprehensive nutrient stack and essentially more value.
With that being said, it’s true that First Day Vitamins seems to be working out terrifically for many of its customers, which is quite obvious when you look at reviews in third-party websites like Judge.me.
Editor’s note: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.
