Probiotics for Children and Infant Probiotics

I've heard claims of probiotics doing everything from eliminating thrush to preventing allergies and asthma.

I have no doubt that probiotics are just as beneficial for children and infants as they are for adults, but their full potential is still being examined. It's fair to say that probiotics can definitely improve your child's digestion and give their immune system a boost.

Probiotics may also be able to:

• Heal or prevent childhood allergies.
• Effectively treat colic and other problems related to the digestive tract.
• Protect your baby from eczema caused by a reaction to food allergies.
• Possibly prevent or delay asthma.
• Replenish intestinal flora after a course of antibiotics.

Convincing Tiny Tastebuds

It's easy!

• Probiotics in powder form can be sprinkled on food or mixed into juice, water, or even smoothies.
• Capsules can be opened up and used as above.
• Chewable tablets are fun and make kids excited to take their vitamins.
• Liquid supplements in the form of a dairy drink are becoming much more common the grocery store and most kids think they are yummy.

Here are few recommended probiotics for children and infants:

• BioCare's Banana Acidophilus
• Nutrition Now's Rhino FOS and Acidophilus
• Solgar's ABC Acidophilus Powder, Children and infant formula

A Few Good Reasons to Add Probiotics to Your Child's Diet

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Probiotics have a variety of healthy benefits, but did you know they are also recommended for children and infants?

Colic

Colic in babies seems is usually related to problems in the digestive tract. You can helping your infant's digestive tract by supplementing their feedings with a probiotic supplement. Many infant formulas already contain probiotics.

Eczema

Probiotics also can help protect your baby from eczema. In some cases, eczema is caused by a reaction to a food allergy. In scientific studies, probiotics helped to prevent eczema outbreaks for as much as two years.

Allergies

Childhood allergies can be helped by adding probiotics into the diet. Allergies, thrush, colds and flu are all signs that the immune system is functioning below par. Topping up the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut will help boost the body's immune function.

Are Probiotics for Children Safe?

In the United States, most probiotics are sold as dietary supplements, which do not undergo the testing and approval process that drugs do.

Manufacturers are responsible for making sure they are safe before they are marketed.

Claims made on the label may not be true and there is no guarantee that the types of bacteria listed on a label are effective for the condition you are taking them for.

Health benefits are strain-specific, and not all strains are necessarily useful. As the market for probiotics has grown, some of the claims may have too.

As always, you should consult a practitioner familiar with probiotics to discuss your options and let your primary care provider know what you are doing.

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