We conducted hands-on tests of over 10 different probiotic supplements, testing them in vitro (in petri dishes with dairy cultures) and in ourselves and our own children. We were mainly interested in how active they were, whether they tended to cause stomach upset, what combination of probiotics were used, and how many colony forming units (CFUs) were present. For more details about what we considered in our tests to find the best kids probiotics and prebiotics, scroll down to the bottom of this article.
{wbamp-form start}
- Table of Contents [show/hide]
- Top 5 Kids Probiotics Comparison Table
- 1. Best Kid Probiotics Overall: Hyperbiotics
- 2. LoveBug Little Ones
- 3. LoveBug Tiny Tummies
- 4. Garden of Life Kids
- 5. RenewLife Ultimate Flora
- 6. Rainbow Light Gummies
- 7. Garden of Life RAW
- Things to Consider
- Science on Benefits of Probiotics
- Getting Kids to Take Probiotics
- Prebiotics vs Probiotics
#1. Hyperbiotics PRO-Kids
#2. LoveBug Little Ones
#3. LoveBug Tiny Tummies
#4. Garden of Life Kids
#5. RenewLife Ultimate Flora
Here are the Best Kids Probiotics of 2020!
1. Hyperbiotics PRO-Kids Probiotics.
These are an awesome, great-tasting, all-natural, tiny pill-based supplement that kids can swallow more easily than regular pills or capsules. It's the overall best kid probiotic of the year for several reasons. The pills themselves (called "pearls") are about the size of a green pea. Hyperbiotics uses a patented BIO-Tract preparation technique that time-releases the prebiotics and probiotics to prevent stomach acid from destroying them before reaching lower areas of the GI tract. They claim that this technique increases the body's absorption by about 15 times what you get with a traditional capsule. These are all natural, no GMOs, vegetarian, lactose free, no nuts, no soy, no sugar, and nothing artificial. They also do not need to be refrigerated, but should be used within 1-2 months of opening. Each pearl contains 25mg of prebiotic FOS, and 3 billion CFU (colony forming units) of probiotics (including L plantarum, L acidophilus, B infantis, and B lactis). In our tests with a 4 and 6 year old, the 4 year old seemed to bite it once then swallow, and the 6 year old ended up swallowing it without biting. Neither complained about taste, and the 4 year old said it tasted sweet. These are awesome little pearls that pack a probiotic punch, highly recommended! The only con is that they are a bit pricey. A bottle contains 60 pearls, and the best price we could find was about 32 cents per pearl online.
2. LoveBug Little Ones Probiotics.
These are basically the same as the PRO-Kids, but newer to the market. The LoveBug priobiotics use the same patented BIO-Tract process, and are available as a tiny (6 mm diameter) sphere that looks exactly the same as the PRO-Kids option. This isn't entirely surprising given that they're using the same manufacturing techniques to achieve a slow time-released probiotic. There are five priobiotics in this blend, including L. Plantarum, L. Rhamnosus, B. Lactis, B. Infantis, and L. Reuteri. It also includes the Fructooligosaccharides prebiotic (25mg) which is supposed to help with absorption of the probiotics. At the time of manufacturing, there are 3 billion CFUs, and they predict 1 billion CFUs available at expiration date. These are all natural, no GMOs, vegetarian, gluten free, lactose free, no nuts, no soy, no sugar, and nothing artificial. They do use stevia to prevent a bad taste in the mouth before swallowing. They also do not need to be refrigerated, but should be used within 1-2 months of opening. The batch we received from Amazon had an expiration date about 7 months after purchase. In our testing, these were just like the PRO-Kids, though both test kids were able to swallow it without any issues, and both said it tasted sweet. None reported any tummy upset, and when we tried it (we doubled the dose for ourselves), we didn't have any stomach upset either. Overall, these are another excellent option for the tiny pearls that pack a serious probiotic punch! About the same price as the PRO-Kids.
3. LoveBug Tiny Tummies Probiotics.
This is definitely the best powdered probiotic option on the market. It has the most CFUs of active probiotics on this list, coming in at 15 billion active cultures! If you're keeping score, that's about 5 times as many CFUs than the pearls. And that's a lot of probiotic. The truth of the matter is that with a powder or gummy, much of the probiotic content is broken down by stomach acids before it gets a chance to be absorbed by the gut. So this high CFU content is likely to compensate for that loss. It has 8 different strains of probiotics in it, including B. Lactis, B. Infantis, B. Longum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus reuteri. So that's a ton of great strains, many of which have been demonstrated to be beneficial for gastrointestinal comfort, regularity, immune function, skin health, and even mental health and well-being. To complement that 8-strain probiotic punch, it also contains the prebiotic fructooligosaccharides to help absorption. The first time our 3 year old tried this, he reported a mild tummy ache, but we note that he doesn't typically take probiotics. By his second dose (day 2) he was completely fine. By the second week, he bowel movements were very regular, a rash on his upper arms had gone away, and we were looking forward to fewer colds during the upcoming winter! We tried it as well, mixed in with water, OJ, and apple juice. In all cases, it was basically tasteless and odorless. Don't mix with milk or it will curdle, like most probiotics, unless the milk is consumed within about 10 minutes of mixing; and don't mix it with something warm or hot, as it will harm the active cultures. These are gluten and sugar free, and non-GMO. The packets are easy to transport, don't require refrigeration, and you're contributing to a small business based in NYC. They are, however, a much more expensive option for probiotics, but it might be worth the added cost to ensure you're getting a high CFU even without swallowing a pill.
4. Garden of Life Chewable Organic Kids Probiotics.
Garden of Life has been making a range of probiotic options for decades, and people love that they're USDA Organic certified, Non-GMO Project verified, vegetarian, and free of gluten, dairy, soy, and added sugars. They do not explicitly say kosher on the label, but there is no gelatin used (for what it's worth). These chewable tablets are about the diameter of a penny and pretty thick, and come in three flavors - berry cherry, strawberry banana, and watermelon. Each chewable has a total of 5 billion CFU of probiotics, including 9 varieties of lactobacillus (acidophilus, gasseri, paracasei, plantarum, casei, brevis, rhamnosus, salivarus, bulgaricus), and 5 varieties of bifidobacterium (lactis, breve, infantis, bifidum, langum). These are combined with the prebiotic acacia fiber, and a few vitamins: alma emblic fruit extract and cranberry (vitamin C), and vitamin D. Together, this makes for one of the most diverse prebiotic and probiotic blends available for kids. The tablets are shelf-stable so no refrigeration is required. The manufacturer says 1 tablet per day for ages 4 and up. We tried it with a 3 year old and 5 year old. Both were perfectly fine with the strawberry banana flavor, and commented that it tasted like a smoothie, but not as yummy! After a week of daily use, neither experienced and tummy distress, but they did get a little sick of the flavor and texture. One of the chewable tablets was broken up in the bottle and made a bit of dusty tablet debris on the bottom (at about 50 cents each, it was a little annoying to have any waste). Outside of that, we think this is a great option for kids who aren't ready to swallow a pill but are old enough to enjoy a chewable fruity tablet. We weren't thrilled with the flavor or texture, and it seems like some tablets can be broken during shipping. We also aren't confident about absorption of the 5 billion CFU and wonder how much of that goes to waste during digestion. Interested? You can check out the Garden of Life Chewable Kids Probiotics here.
5. RenewLife Ultimate Flora Probiotic Gummies.
This kids gummy chewable probiotic was released last year and we tested it over the past 3 months, in our 2 year old and 6 year old. These chewable tablets contain 3 billion guaranteed live cultures in each tablet, consisting of 6 different probiotic strains (lactobicillus acidophilus, bacillus coagulans, bifidobacterium lactis, bifidobacterium breve, lactobacillus salivarius, and lactobacillus plantarum). It also contains Xylitol as a sweetener, some preservatives and binders (stearic acid, citric acid, magnesium stearate), and some natural fruit juice flavors. Overall, the ingredient profile is pretty good (sugar free, gluten free, dairy free), though we prefer not have the sugar alcohol as a sweetener. Also, it doesn't contain any prebiotics to help absorption of probiotics, so that's a little unfortunate. When we tried the chewable probiotic tablets, we found the taste to be just fine - nothing too yummy, but also no strange off-putting flavors that sent us or our kids running for the hills! We appreciated the attempt at a fruity flavor, though our older child would definitely have preferred bubble gum or something less natural tasting! No strong after-tastes or burps. The good news is that these probiotics work really well, and our only wish was that we had started them sooner! We saw a reduction of mild tummy problems, more regular bowel movements that were generally easier to get moving, and we also noticed that common colds and other little viruses seemed to be shorter-lived after a few months of this probiotic. Spurious correlation? Maybe, but it's worth mentioning. Like all probiotic gummies, these need to be stored at room temperature (below about 75 degrees) or in the refrigerator. That's for two reasons: first, once the packaging is opened, the cooler temperatures will help reduce the breakdown of the probiotics, and second, leaving gummies in warm temperatures can cause them to melt together into a giant sticky ball. The cost is a bit on the higher side for these, coming in at about 37 cents per tablet. Overall, this is a great chewable probiotic option for kids, with only some minor set-backs, including the mediocre taste, lack of prebiotics, and the use of Xylitol as a sweetener.
6. Rainbow Light Probiolicious Gummies.
Here is another awesome option for kids who won't swallow large capsules or parents who don't want to spend time mixing powders into drinks and foods. These little gummy chews are great tasting and kids love them; we tested them on our 4 and 6 year olds and they were always asking for more. Great tasting and less than 1 gram of sugar to get that flavor. All natural just like the PRO-Kids, with nothing artificial and no common allergens (nuts, dairy, eggs, soy, gluten, fish, shellfish). Each gummy chew contains 500 million CFU of probiotics (L sporogenes) along with prebiotics inulin and FOS to aid in absorption. As you've probably noticed, that CFU level is much lower than what you get from the PRO-Kids pearls. Another con is that these need to be stored at room temperature or colder; if you're getting them shipped to a hot area of the country (Arizona, Florida, etc), you may arrive with a melted glob of gummy mess. That's rare, but it happens. We live in Massachusetts so our shipment was just fine. These are also a bit less expensive than the PRO-Kids pearls or LoveBugs, coming in at about 25 cents per gummy, though you're getting much less probiotic with this option.
7. Garden of Life RAW Kids Probiotics.
If you're interested in a powder instead of the pearls or gummies, in our opinion this is the second-best powder on the market. It really packs a punch, delivering over 5 billion CFU of probiotic in a day's serving (3/4 teaspoon), along with prebiotic inulin to aid absorption. It is all organic, and contains a great blend of organic fruits and veggies as an added bonus. Each serving is 1.6 grams, so this tops our price list at about 35 cents per serving. In our testing, we found that this powder did a great job of mixing in with a variety of drinks (juice, milk), and didn't leave as much residue on the bottom of the cup as some other powdered options. As a con, however, it of course requires more work on behalf of parents since it's a powder you need to mix into something on a daily basis. It also contains a lot of fruit and veggies and inulin, rather than prioritizing the probiotics themselves; in other words, the serving could have been much smaller if they removed these other ingredients. Overall, this is a great powder that we believe is a bit better (in terms of content and dissolving action) than several other powders we tried (Culturelle packets and Nature's Way).
Yogurt Drinks not Requiring Refrigeration. While we're talking about prebiotics and probiotics for kids, you can't beat the natural probiotic content of a cup of yogurt, which can contain hundreds of billions CFU in a single serving. There are several delicious and all-natural (some organic as well) yogurt drinks available on the market. Unlike the pearls or gummy supplements, most yogurt drinks do not disclose the actual quantities of prebiotics or probiotics, so there is some guesswork involved. But if you're worried that your kid won't like the supplements, or need something a bit less time consuming (especially versus the powders) as a parent, then the yogurt drinks are certainly a great option.
Here are some more details about how we found the best kids probiotics of the year:
What the Science Says
Recently a team of medical scientists from UNC Chapel Hill found several benefits for kids who consumed a yogurt drink containing several key prebiotics and probiotics, including Inulin, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Bifidobacterium lactis (BB12).
For 3 months, 76 kids drink the yogurt drink every day, and 73 other kids drank a placebo drink. Kids who drank yogurt drink showed several advantages. First, they showed reduced days of sickness and reported fever. Second, they showed improved social functioning: they got along better with other kids, were less likely to be teased, were more confident in their abilities, and were better able to keep up with other kids. Finally, they also showed improved school functioning: it was easier to pay attention in class, keep up with school work, and they were less likely to forget things and miss school. This is in addition to all the benefits that have been reported in previous studies, like reduced obesity, gut health, reduced eczema, reduced colic, etc. The authors did find one little possible drawback of probiotic consumption: the kids tended to poop more often, and the poop was sometimes loose (is 'poop' the technical term?).
Overall, the authors found improved health, social functioning, and school quality of life for kids who consumed the yogurt drink. The one side effect seemed to be more frequent pooping, for better or worse. This paper was published in the highly ranked Journal of Pediatrics.
Getting your Kids to Consume Probiotics
As parents, we can deal with our kids pooping more than once every couple days, and we've never actually noted any increased frequency of bowel movements with probiotic consumption (but that's just our experience).
Sometimes getting kids to consume probiotics regularly is difficult. Of course, not all kids like yogurt, some kids have allergies to dairy products, and not all parents want to bother with refrigerating and ice-packing yogurts for lunch.
Fortunately there are other more convenient options that offer excellent probiotic content. Outside of simply eating yogurt, there are two primary ways to get probiotics into your kid's diet: supplements and yogurt drinks (scroll down to see the yogurt drinks section).
Prebiotic and Probiotic Supplements. There are several excellent supplements available online, in several different forms. There are the traditional capsules (pills) that kids can swallow, if you have an older or really brave kiddo. Even better for toddlers are the tiny pearls made by LoveBug Little Ones and Hyperbiotics in their PRO-Kids supplement, or the gummies made by Rainbow Light in their Probiolicious supplement. These pearls use the patented BIO-Tract technology (patent held by Nutraceutics) to protect priobiotics from gastric acid during digestion. Rather than allowing the acids in your stomach to harm the probiotic's effectiveness, it provides a protective control layer to slowly time the release and maximize the number of live organisms reaching the stomach.
You can also buy a powder so you don't need to mess with the capsules, which is especially useful for younger babies and more timid children. The powder is nearly flavorless and odorless, so you can readily mix it into anything you'd like. We've put it into drinks (smoothies, juices, milk), desserts (homemade popsicles), and even foods (mac 'n cheese, oatmeal). Of course, this doesn't provide the layer of protection that you'll see with the BIO-Tract coated pearls, but if it's the only way to get your child to take the probiotics, it's definitely worthwhile.
{wbamp-form end}
{wbamp-meta name="image" url="https://mommyhood101.com/images/Best-Probiotics-Kids-Toddlers-Babies.jpg" width="1200" height="800"}
{wbamp-show start}
THE %(site_name)s COMMUNITY
-
umkhaloodie
3864140 pt -
Ch
3396455 pt -
jesusmsanchezl
2453003 pt -
weddingblog2011
2205852 pt