Probiotics for Kids

I use a children's probiotic in powder form (refrigerated) that I get from the whole foods. I mix it in their shakes.

There is an organic oatmeal called Happy Bellies. It is wheat/gluten/dairy free and is rich in pro-biotics. I buy it at Target. Good luck!

B.,

I have used the YoBaby yogurt for my youngest and oldest and they eat it once a day. It has the probiotics in it and it is great! We can usually find it at HyVee, Wal-Mart, or Target. Hope this helps!

R.

I agree, check with your doctor for the best source, and whether it's safe for both children - but our children eat yogurt with probiotics regularly. Not all yogurts are the same - you do have to read labels - and when the few varieties in our area are on sale, I do buy more - so my kids go wild on those days :) -

health food stores offer it in a powder or liquid form, too - and i agree, it's costly - but pending how you mix it - if you're adding it to food items... could be less expensive than yogurt puchases.

I use the chewable FloraBear with my toddler son from Renew Life. My sister-in-law uses the FloraBaby with her infant daughter. I have found the best prices for both of these on Gotbody.com. The service was great and the shipping is not too expensive. As a side note, these products were recommended by my sister-in-law's chiropractor so I feel confident in using the product.

B. - most chiropractors sell a product line made by Metogenics. Metogenics carries a probiotic that I use for my family. They would be able to help you with dosage, etc for an infant and toddler.

Good luck

My pediatrician recommended culturelle. It is at Target at about $7-10 a box. It is in a capsule, but simple to pop open and mix with a food or drink. My 2 1/2 year old takes it easily and it works for us.

This is one I used for my 2 boys when they were on antibiotics. Its' also recommended for daily use if that is what you prefer. It worked great. I would highly recommend it. Suggested use (on the side of the jar)is 1/2 teaspoon once a day dissolved in formula or other liquid or for "extra strength" use 3 times a day. I used it for the entire course of their antibiotic.
The brand is "Udo's Choice Infant's Probitic". The company name is "Flora". This is a 2.64 oz jar (powdered). Orange and tan label with a guys picture on the front. The website is www.florahealth.com or www.udoerasmus.com
I didn't order online, but picked this jar up at a local nutrtion store. It can be frozen for longer storage which I found to be a real benefit as well.
Here is the description if you are interested... "Udo's Choice Infant's Probiotic in an easy-to-take powder form is for infants and children under 5 years old. This unique formula is designed to reflect healthy infant microflora. These friendly bacteria assist in nitrogen retention and help synthesize the very important B-complex vitamins necessary for proper growth and development. One serving per day helps maintain healthy intestinal flora and strengthen the immune system. Use "extra strength" amount to relieve symptoms associated wtih occasional diarrhea."
Hope this helps some... good luck!
Tami L.

I use RHINO (has a cartoon rhino on it!) brand probiotics in powder form. I put a small scoop in a small amount of water to mix it, then add juice every morning for both my girls. It's about 12$ for a small container of about 60 'servings'. we buy it in the natural foods section of our grocery store.

Hi B.,

Our family uses Shaklee's Probiotics. It has three layers to protect it going through the digestive system so it can be released at the best time, which is right before the colon. It does wonders for getting that microflora back on track especially when on antibiotics. We also use Shaklee garlic, vitamin c and other stuff when anyone feels like they are starting anything. It has kept us out of the doctors offices for over a year now.

I am not aware of any probiotics that are safe with children of your age that is an over the counter medication. You can try plain yougart or other natural foods that probotics already in them. Or check with your pharmasist they could probably direct you in your selection.

If your kids will eat yogurt, you can feed them that to help a little. Yogurt has a lot of good probiotics in it. It may not take the place of straight probiotics, but it's another option. Check with a health food store if you have one near you, they may be able to recommend something to you. Good luck!

After my dd had diarreha for 20 days straight my doctor recommended this and it's worked great for us so far. We got ours at a Valley Natural Foods in Burnsville, it was about $20.00 I was hoping to find something cheaper though and keep my dd on this. We use the powder form with her formula as she's only 4mos.

I heard taking probiotics and prebiotics at the same time is very good for your body.

I use Udo's from the healthfood store. You always want to use the kind that you refrigerate. Probiotics are actually live bacteria, so if they are warm, they are not alive. It's in a powder form, but is tastless so you can but it in juice, milk or sprinkle it on their food.

Hi B.! Absolutely use a probiotic! Yogurt doesn't have enough probiotics to do the job. Also, most yogurts have sugar or high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener and then it defeats the purpose of a probiotic anyway.
I use Udo's infant probiotic. A chiropractor is the best resource for probiotics. Wal-Mart brands are junk. So are Melaluecas probiotics. The Valley Natural in Apple Valley (or is it Burnsville?) has a great selection! There are even chewables!
Back to yogurt.....Cascade Fresh brand is sweetened with fruit juice only. You can also buy plain yogurt, beware, many plain brands DO have sugar in them, and you can sweeten them with Blue Agave Nectar. It's yummy and doesn't breed yeast like sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Whole Foods also carries good supplements! Someone mentioned Metagenics too and they are a good reputable company!

There's an awesome company that uses all natural herbs that I've been using (I used their whole body detoxification system and also their probiotics. I've continued to use the probiotic, the fiber, and the detoxification tablets). You have to buy it off the Internet. The site is www.drnatura.com. They are starting a line for children, and one of the products is a probiotic. It is a little bit spendier, but having used many, many such products over the years, I've found theirs to be the best. Otherwise, another good one is Florajen probiotic; my 8-year-old daughter takes that one (it's a pill that has to be swallowed).

When it comes to supplements, I go to community pharmacies and pay a little more money in order to ensure that I am getting a quality product. One of the first things my Integration doctor told me was to stop buying my supplements from drugstores or grocery stores, because they weren't strong enough (even though the label says so, when independently tested, their products were very low or held zero traces of what was claimed on their label). She recommended instead that I buy my supplements from either whole/organic stores or from community pharmacies. Since I've started doing so, my health has picked up/perked up 100%. So there must be some truth to it. When I received my supplements from www.drnatura.com, I wrote down everything that was on the label, for all the products. My Integration doctor not only was pleased to see the wonderful ingredients the products had, she also contacted the company and found out what their testing protocol and such was.

I hope this helped.

I have a 2 year old and I give him Floragen Probiotics. I open the capsule and stir it into his yogurt. You can buy it at health food stores.

Hi B.,

I am also a WAHM, daycare and 3 kids. : ) I use Rhino powder FOS and acidophilus for my children that is made by nutrition now. It is nice because you can up it in any cool food or beverage. I usually sneak it into yogurt, juice, milk. I get mine at Coborns. If you don't have a coborns by you try the Coborns delivers. Good luck to you.
I hope you are surviving the winter well with your daycare! I know we are going a little stir crazy! : )