BOOST Kid Essentials 1.5 Balanced Nutritional Drink for Children with Fiber, Vanilla Vortex, 8 fl oz (Pack of 27)

We've been buying these Boost Kid Essentials 1.5 Cal nutritionally complete drinks in Very Vanilla flavor for several months now. They are a little pricey, but extremely convenient and instrumental in helping our little girl gain weight.PROS:* "Juice box" packaging is super portable and convenient; no need to measure powder or mix with water.* The box features two different ways to open (insert the provided bendy straw, or peel back a tab to pour out).* "Very Vanilla" flavor is lightly, not overwhelmingly, vanilla. They also come in "Rich Chocolate" and "Creamy Strawberry" flavors. Although we haven't personally tried those varieties, it's nice to have choices.* It's lightly sweetened and the consistency is only a little thick (as a comparison, it's way less sweet and not as thick as the ready-to-drink chocolate milk in the dairy case). I was expecting it to be a lot sweeter, since it is made for kids' taste buds, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it totally drinkable (even at room temperature). PediaSure 1.5 Cal (the competition) was ridiculously sweet.* The calorie boost comes from added fats, some of which are Medium Chain Triglycerides. Google "MCT oil" if you want to read up on the health benefit details, but basically, MCT is good fat that is easily absorbed into your body and may be very beneficial for your brain.* It's nutritionally complete, which is peace of mind for us parents of picky eaters.CONS:* It's a little pricey. We use Amazon's "Subscribe and Save" delivery option to save an additional 5%, but we are still paying a little under $2 per box. Our two-year-old daughter drinks 2 boxes/day. It adds up.TRAVEL NOTE: we were able to carry these drink boxes on the plane with us when we flew to Portland this past July (2014). Our TSA agent apparently considered them to be in the same category as "infant formula" and simply sent our diaper bag, sippy cups, and these drink boxes through the special scanner. No problems for us, but your results may vary depending on your particular TSA agent.One Amazon reviewer stated that the straws are lined with probiotics, but that information is outdated (that review is over 5 years old). I just read all the small print on the box itself and on the Nestle Health Science website about this product, and there is no mention of probiotics in the straw or anywhere. That same reviewer also listed nutrition information that is no longer accurate.I'd like to echo what a few other Amazon reviewers have previously stated: this product is NOT for casual consumption. If you want to boost your kid's nutrition, try those gummy bear multivitamins. If you're looking for a shot of protein for your soccer star, there are a lot of easy, economical, and tasty protein shakes/bars available. If you want to make smoothies, you're barking up the wrong tree; try a simple green smoothie instead. These Boost Kid Essentials 1.5 Cal drinks are designed specifically for gaining weight, and they do that well (we call them "Weight Gainer 5000" drinks in our household).Our daughter has health issues and has always been a very picky eater, so she's had trouble eating enough food. She's petite, but at one checkup, she fell off the bottom of the growth charts altogether. All of a sudden, the doctors started throwing around terms like "failure to thrive" and "feeding tube" and "acid reflux testing" (quite invasive procedures on a toddler). She needed to gain weight quickly! We went online immediately, did some research, and ordered a case of this. Thank goodness she liked the taste! This was the main change we made in her diet, and at the very next doctor visit she was back on the growth charts. She's still a small girl, but we no longer worry so much about her weight.If your child or loved one needs concentrated calories, I would recommend these Boost Kid Essentials 1.5 Cal nutritionally complete drinks in Very Vanilla. They are a little expensive, but the results were worth every penny.

Our 6 year old is autistic and has struggled to eat since the day she was born! Failing to thrive we were about to have to make the choice to have a G tube surgically placed when a nutritionist told us about these drinks! They are rich and sometimes gives her a belly ache. BUT she has gained 3 pounds in a month!! A MONTH!! They are pricey but to us a lifeline! If you have a child struggling to grow or maintain their weight, these are a must try! But your Doctors and nutritionist do need to monitor.

This is the 2nd time I've purchased these shakes and I will continue to buy. They have simple ingredients and seem to be healthier than the comparable options I've seen in the store. I used to get the Pediasure but I was looking for a less sugary option that still had all the benefits. My son absolutely loves the flavor and would drink them all in one day if I let him. I tried a sip and they are actually delicious! No chalky flavor and they taste like dessert. The 1.5 is great because you get 1.5 times the amount of essentials in them. So even though they cost a little more, they contain more so you get more benefit from less. If you're looking for a product to fill the gap or have a failure to thrive child, I would definitely recommend these.

Reupdate: just got my kids weighed at the doctors. They are FINALLY 50% (twins). This is using it for about 3 months i think? So yes, this is worth it to me and i am so darn grateful to this formula after months of struggling with weight gain. I still wish and hope the company changes the caeton to a capped bottle for easier storage..Update: about a month of use and my kiddo is gaining weight! Everyone is mentioning how his cheeks look fuller. My other twin isnt eating and drinking much, but i feel this milk is helping him from losing too much weight. I purchase 3 boxes of these on save and subscribe and its saving me a few dollars. Hope that helps.My twin boy recently had the stomach flu and ended up in the hospital for dehydration and lost 4 lbs. Needless to say, he ended up at 2% failure to thrive again.... we originally were on pediasure and swapped to this for the higher calorie per GI Doc. At first i started out slowly with 1 oz essencial and 5 oz pediasure, but he absolutely hated it. I ended up caving in and gave him the entire thing and eventually he drank it. Im pretty sure he has gained weight. The issue i have now is his food intake somehow decreasing. Not too sure what happened there but im also attempting to have my other boy drink this, which isnt going too well lol. I like this stuff for the calorie, just not happy spending so much for two boys... they are both autistic as well if that helps.One thing i dont like is the bottle. You absolutely have to shake vigorously cuz the formula gets stuck on the bottom carton. The other thing is no cap. My almost two year olds cant finish 8 oz. It is such a pain to shake it with a carton like that already open. I hope they fix it soon.

My kiddo now 2.5 years was diagnosed with failure to thrive at 3 months old and was placed on a gtube. It has been a constant battle to keep his weight up and this is a great product for him approved by his nutritionist. He was on pediasure peptide 1.5 which is like 3X the cost of this product and has continued to grow and gain since the switch to Boost. Talk to your nutritionist and see if this is the right product for your kids!Update 09/08/18The last shipment I received is slightly different. I believe the manufacturer has changed the formula for this product. The biggest difference is the thickness of the liquid. The new formula is less thick and is much more fluid. My son is still adjusting to this because he is highly resistant to change. If you read this before running out I suggest you mix old formula with a bit of new and slowly switch the ratio until your child is comfortable with the new less thick formula. Otherwise the flavor is pretty much the same but the ingredients and nutritional information has slightly changed. The green box is the newer version.