Probiotics are increasingly making their way onto the shelves and refrigerators of health food aisles. Many parents are turning to them to improve their children's health, and many pediatricians are encouraging their use.
But do you know when to give your child probiotics and how they affect their little bodies?
Here's our guide for babies and children: When to take probiotics
Children's bacterial flora
The human intestinal flora is home to over 100,000 billion bacteria. This flora, which makes up the microbiotais forged mainly between birth and the age of two, under conditions specific to each individual.
Children are very unconcerned about hygiene and cleanliness. They're not afraid to take a bite of dirt from the garden, eat a piece of candy found on the sidewalk, or stroke a friend who's just sneezed on their clothes. Exposure to these environmental microbes helps build a child's immune system.
The presence of numerous microbes in a child's environment may, among other things, help the body distinguish between good and bad bacteria, which in the long term modulates immunity and reduces the risk of allergies.1
However, we live in an age of aseptization.
According to the hygienist hypothesis put forward by microbiology researchers, our world, sanitized with disinfectants, is detrimental to children's immune development.
Although research into the hygienist hypothesis is still in its early stages, researchers believe that our obsession with sanitation may lead to pathologies in children, including autism, allergies and digestive disorders.2,3
That's why it's so important to let children forge their own immunity by allowing them to discover the world with their hands and mouths, offering them a healthy, balanced diet, making sure they get enough sleep, encouraging them to play outdoors and incorporating probiotics.
When to use probiotics
Most parents understand that probiotics are beneficial bacteria that support a child's immunity and health. However, here are the circumstances in which a baby or child could benefit from taking probiotics.
When the baby :
- Born prematurely ; 4,5
- Has been hospitalized ; 4
- Is born by caesarean section, without contact with the mother's vaginal flora; 6
- Did not receive breast milk; 7
- Has colic and/or gastric reflux; 8
- Has difficulty passing stools due to constipation; 8
- Regurgitates profusely; 8
- Receives antibiotic treatment; 9
- Enters daycare ; 10
When the child :
- Has low immunity and often contracts viruses; 11
- Has diarrhea; 12
- Fights colds and flu; 13
- Receives antibiotic treatment; 9
- Must protect against viruses present at school; 10
- Sleep deprived; 14
Different probiotics for children
Although many foods contain probiotics, they generally don't contain enough to boost a toddler's immunity. So it's best to turn to supplementation.
There are several ways to administer probiotics to children.
In the world of probiotics, enteric-coated capsules filled with probiotic powder is widely used. These release the probiotics into the intestine. However, they are not universally appreciated by children, who generally dislike swallowing capsules.
Probiotic powder is a form often used with infants. Probiotic powder should be mixed with breast milk, formula or a fresh, liquid food such as compote or yoghurt.
Probiotic drops are good for babies. A few drops can be placed on the mother's nipple during a feed, or on the nipple of a bottle or pacifier.
An interesting option is the ready-to-drink probiotic beverage. Bio-K+ specializes in ready-to-drink probiotics. Their formula for children is easy to offer to little ones, who will feel like they're drinking a cup of juice or smoothie.
Bio-Kidz advantages
Bio-K+ is a Quebec-based company with solid, well-established scientific credibility. Having patented a blend of three specific probiotic strains, Bio-K+ stands out for its 100% probiotic products with proven efficacy. Bio-K+ offers a range of ready-to-drink beverages for children under the name Bio-Kidz.
Bio-Kidz contains 12.5 billion bacteria per serving, enough to improve a child's intestinal flora. The liquid format is convenient and easy to administer to small mouths that don't like swallowing tablets.
The fermented milk-based formula has a strawberry taste that's sure to charm kids. As for the vegan version, the pea beverage is used instead of milk, and the pea taste is undetectable under the delicious raspberry flavor.
With its juice-like texture and exquisite fruit taste, children will enjoy drinking every jar of Bio-Kidz!
To your probiotics!
About the author
Naturopaths of La Boite à Grains
Team of licensed and certified naturopaths (ND) in Gatineau, Outaouais.
Original article written by Véronique Cousineau, Naturopath
Sources
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8: Flavia Indrio, Antonio Di Mauro. Prophylactic use of a probiotic in the prevention of colic, regurgitation, and functional constipation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Mar; 168(3): 228-233.
9: Hempel S, Newberry SJ, Maher AR, et al. Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2012;307(18):1959–1969.
10: Michael D. Cabana, Daniel J. Merenstein. Probiotics in the Child Care Center: Context Matters. American Academy of Pediatrics. July 2017
11: Dr. Julie Durnan. 6 Ways To Boost Your Child's Immune System. Integrative Health. April 2, 2014.
12: nformed Health Online. Infectious diarrhea: Can probiotics help against diarrhea? May 4, 2016
13: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Plain Language Summaries.Probiotics (live micro-organisms) to prevent upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). First published: February 3, 2015.
14: AlDabal, Laila, and Ahmed S BaHammam. "Metabolic, Endocrine, and Immune Consequences of Sleep Deprivation." The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal 5 (2011): 31-43. PMC. Web. 21 Aug. 2018.
