How can I tell if my child needs probiotics?
It's a question on a lot of parents' minds.
In today's world, it's almost inevitable that most children will benefit from taking supplemental probiotics. The delicate balance of healthy gut bacteria is constantly under siege from various environmental and lifestyle factors. Here are some key disruptors:
1. Antibiotics: While essential for fighting bacterial infections, antibiotics can also wipe out beneficial gut bacteria, leading to an imbalance in the digestive tract that probiotics can help restore.
2. Chlorine in Drinking Water: Chlorine is great for keeping our drinking water safe, but it can also reduce the population of good bacteria in the gut.
3. Environmental Toxins: Many pesticides (worse being glyphosate) can negatively impact the gut microbiome.
4. Stress: Yes, even kids experience stress, whether it's from school, social situations, or changes at home, and this stress can affect their digestive health.
- Never Taken Antibiotics: If your child has managed to avoid every ear infection, strep throat, and other common childhood illnesses requiring antibiotic treatment, congratulations! They might not need probiotics.
- Only Drink Filtered (Reverse Osmosis) Water: Tap water with chlorine? Not for your little one! They only drink the purest, most meticulously filtered water.
- Eat Only Organic: Your child’s diet consists solely of homegrown, organic produce, free from any trace of pesticides.
- Don’t Have Stress: Your child lives in a utopian garden, attending school where homework doesn’t exist, and friendships are drama-free.
If this sounds like your child, then they might be one of the rare exceptions. For the rest of us living in the real world, where antibiotics, chlorinated water, environmental toxins, and stress are part of daily life, probiotics can be a valuable addition to help maintain a balanced microbiome and optimum digestive and immune health.
In summary, unless your child is living an incredibly pristine and stress-free life, they will likely benefit from probiotic supplements. Given the many factors that can disrupt the gut biome, incorporating supplemental probiotics into your child’s routine can help ensure they maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria.
However, choosing the best probiotic supplement for your kids may not be as straightforward as it seems. You'll want to check out these 5 essential components of the best probiotic for kids.
If your child is already taking a probiotic supplement, you may be wondering if you’re getting your money’s worth. In the next article, we share how to tell if your child’s probiotic is working.
Raise Them Well is a trusted children’s supplement brand that uses only high-quality ingredients. Our Children’s Chewable Probiotic is physician-formulated with a complex blend of spore-based and regular probiotic strains approved for use in children.
- Potent: Providing 5 billion CFUs of healthy bacteria per tablet
- Allergy-Friendly: Dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free
- Free of Artificial Additives: No artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, or bio-engineered ingredients
- Great-Tasting: Kids love the natural mixed berry flavor of our easy-to-chew tablets