B-Vitamins for Energy are NO JOKE!

Posted: April 2, 2012

I don't like April Fools' Day.  I hate realizing I've been duped and believed something that is just a joke lie.  (Like last year when my friend shared a sonogram on her FB page, to which I responded with some long mushy congratulatory rambling of excitement, only to find out it was a joke.  Seriously though, who jokes about THAT?!?!)  Well this weekend, I discovered something that is definitely NO JOKE.  You've probably heard of them or tasted them in the past year or two:  VitaminWater & Sobe Lifewater -  Yummy flavored drinks (some with zero calories) enhanced with various vitamins to boost this or that: Vitamin C Boost, Antioxident Boost, B-Energy Boost, etc.   Honestly, I never really read the labels all that carefully and felt like the vitamin "Boost" that they do give is minimal at best.  It was always just a way to get more water/fluid that wasn't quite as boring as water.

I was wrong.

Introducing my biggest Parenting Fail to date:

Babycakes had been sick recently and the doctor recommended some gatorade to make sure she would have/retain enough fluids.  I figured the Sobe lifewater was about the same thing - extra electrolytes, extra vitamins, zero calories, zero artifical sweeteners.  I made an honest mistake by not reading the label very carefully as to the specific "Boost" of this Strawberry Apricot flavor, and gave the lifewater to Babycakes.   She drank about 6 oz right before bed.  

I now know where the phrase "BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS" came from!!  She was literally up, energized, jumping on the bed, and going going going until 2AM.

When she hadn't fallen asleep by 10, dear hubby asked me, "what did you give her?"  I racked my brain, then remembered the lifewater.  I hurried to the garage to find the bottle to read the label.  <Insert Deep sigh>.  B-Vitamins for energy.  That explained the evening's madness.   I immediately brought her downstairs to drink some milk and eat a peanut butter sandwich to help "absorb" some of those B-Vitamins rushing through her bloodstream.   She finally fell asleep with me laying on the floor next to her at 2AM. 

Results of this madness:

  • One happy energetic toddler 6+ hours past bedtime.
  • One tired groggy momma who felt bad she'd put her baby (and herself) through that by mistake.
  • A hard bedtime the following night b/c Babycakes rather enjoyed her bubbly energetic night that ended with Momma sleeping by her side.  "Mommy sleep here" she kept saying the next night, pointing to the big bear / open floor next to her bed.
  • Dear Hubby saying, "I'm going to have to try that lifewater!!"
  • Tired Groggy Momma vowing never to bring it in the house again.

So, like I said at the beginning, those B-Vitamins: B3, B5, B6, B12 are no joke.  Boost accordingly.

Here is a picture the second night of Daddy and Chloe helping Babycakes go to bed.  This one night of B-Vitamin madness definitely threw our easy bedtime routine right out the window!


To end, I will share some other people's "Parenting Fails" featured in an article here.

1) Duck-tape Wall Carrier:

2) Grocery bag "hat":

3) Stroller Grocery Cart:

Questions:

1) Do you drink the Sobe lifewaters or Vitamin Water?  Do you feel they "Boost" your body?

2) Any of your own parenting "fails" that you don't mind admitting to?

3) Have you ever been duped by any April Fools' jokes? What was the story?

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Comments

Submitted by Shannon K. - April 2, 2012 - 10:04am

So funny to the outside observer ;) My energy related parenting fail story is when my DH have our 15 mo old son an organic lolli...the baby was a disaster running and screaming and hitting EVERYTHING. Lol. DH's response? A very clinical "Hih, so that is what happens when you give them sugar." Sheesh! My personal fail, was going to a park last summer with out a change of clothes or diapers for DS...naked baby in stroller after getting soaked in the stream, got me some disapproving looks.

Submitted by Rebekah - April 3, 2012 - 1:39pm

Hey Kelly! Hope that the routine has been reestablished for you guys and you're getting some sleep again!

Submitted by Heidi - April 4, 2012 - 12:56am

15 years ago, I was a clueless young mommy who gave her 2 year old a big glass of Ruby Red Squirt. I thought that it was caffiene free since it was Squirt. When my little guy started spinning in circles, panting like a dog, howling in an unearthly voice, "Me so happy!!!" and knocking chairs over, I quickly realized that Ruby Red Squirt is NOT caffiene free. At all.

Submitted by kelly - April 4, 2012 - 10:36pm

I love that: "me soooo happy!!!" :) Babycakes was super happy and energized too... then came the crash!

Submitted by Meghan - April 4, 2012 - 12:35pm

Organic, Non GMO Coconut water is sometimes referred to as Nature's Gatorade. It will hydrate and replensish electrolytes naturally. If you read the label for Sobe "lifewater" you will find, Erythritol ( which can cause IBS, Allergies, weight gain and Consumption by children), Xanthan Gum (which is a derivitaive of corn syrup and has the following warnings, Nausea, vomiting, appendicitis, hard stools that are difficult to expel (fecal impaction), narrowing or blockage of the intestine, or undiagnosed stomach pain: it is also highly recommened that pregnant women stay completely clear of it), Reb A (is not stevia, its derived from stevia and is not natural and While sugar alcohols may indeed occur in nature, their usage as sweeteners also suffers from the same problem as many other sweeteners, pharmaceutical drugs and other substances today–one single factor from a natural food item is being isolated from its normal co-constituents and consumed at levels that are difficult to obtain when eating the food item itself). I know to some this post will be alot to understand, any many won't care, but my failure was not knowing what these ingredients were and thinking they were good for me. Sobe lifewater, is just sugar, sugar and more sugar with a few chemically made vitamins thrown in.

Submitted by kelly - April 4, 2012 - 10:38pm

Thanks for all the good info Meghan! Babycakes will NOT be getting any Sobe Lifewaters in the future... and this momma will be avoiding them as well.

Submitted by Beth - May 22, 2012 - 2:38pm

I always thought SOBE was really just sugar water.

I had a FB friend post a status update that included the line "The baby in my belly". Me and several of her friends posted congratulations to her. Later we all realized she wasn't going to have a baby. It was some inside joke. She just ignored all of the congrats on her post. Like you, I found it an odd thing to joke about. I also learned that with some people you just have to be careful, especially if they are apart of a group of friends that you aren't FB friends with as well.

Submitted by Jill Rocklein - August 22, 2012 - 8:53pm

I also gave Sobe vitamin B's water a try. (after a friend assured me Sobe was a great tasting alternative to healthy water) After giving it a quick label read, I enjoyed one but I felt very jittery afterwards, I read the label again and found at the very bottom contents of the label, it contained caffeine just about as much caffeine per oz as Mt Dew soda !! hence baby cakes energy levels!! Another "read your labels carefully" lesson! Thanks for all your recipe blogs, love them!!

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