Powerade Play a Hit With My Kids! (Product Review)

This is a product review of Powerade Play.  I was provided a sample for free; however, this blog post is uncompensated.  The opinions stated herein are 100% my own.

It gets pretty hot down here in Virginia.  Surely way hotter than summers in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where I grew up.  The latter part of June, July and most of August can get quite sticky and hot.  100 degree heat isn't unheard of - it is the norm.  My kids play hard in the summer and I worry about dehydration, so while I normally don't buy sports drinks as a matter of course, I do buy them in the summer for the kids.

I recently was sent a sample six pack of the new Powerade Play.  I was sent orange, which was perfect since both of my kids like orange.  I regret to say that I didn't get to taste any... and here's why:  They drank it all!  No joke.  I wanted to try it but the orange bottles disappeared out of the fridge before I got to take any pictures of my own and long before I even got to sip it.

The first to try Powerade Play was my son.  He's 5 and he plays pretty hard.  When I pick him up from preschool, he's usually very thirsty because he plays so hard.  One day last week, I sent a bottle of Powerade Play to school in his lunch.  I normally send a pouch drink, but thought he might enjoy the orange drink.  It had more fluid than his normal drink that I send and I didn't feel bad for the teachers because it contains 25% less sugar than other sports drinks.  As an added bonus, it has 100% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C.   He said he liked it and the 12 oz bottle did not come home with any remaining drink from lunch time.

My daughter tried it next.  I sent one to school in her lunch and told her to bring me back the cap (My Coke Rewards) and she did.  She told me that she really liked it and wanted me to buy more.  She's 9 and doesn't normally tell me things like that unless she really likes something.  She told me it was "perfect" when I asked her about the sweetness.  She also said the orange flavor was "yummy".  I guess I won't have a hard time getting her to stay hydrated this summer!

So where did the other 4 bottles go?  I can only imagine that my daughter shared them with her friends last weekend.  She liked the Powerade Play enough to share with her friends and that says something.

Powerade Play Pros:

• Geared toward elementary aged kids
• 12 ounce bottle size - so a good portion size for kids
• 100% vitamin C 
• Less sugar (25% less) than leading sports drink
• Great flavor - the kids loved the orange (Powerade Play also comes in mixed berry, grape and fruit punch)
• Tasted good enough to specifically ask me to buy more
• My Coke Rewards participant
• 60 calories per 12 oz bottle - that's far less than a can of soda!

Powerade Play Cons:

• Flavor options - I hope they expand.  I would like to see cherry or maybe a lemonade
• Price - price may be a sticking point for some parents.  Look for it to cost around $3.19 per six pack.  Shop the sales and stock up when the price is lower.

Overall analysis:  I will be buying Powerade Play in the future for my kids, likely giving another flavor a try.  I am sensitive to blue food dye so I would try the fruit punch for myself and leave the grape and mixed berry for the kids.

Thank you to Powerade for allowing me the opportunity to review Powerade Play.  All of the opinions above were my own and nutritional information was taken from product packaging and/or press release available on the web.