Probiotics for Children
The burning question for most parents is, “Are probiotics for children safe?” You should check with your childs pediatrician before administering any medication or supplemements. However, I will tell you from my personal experience that they do in fact seem to be safe. My daughter (6 years old) has been taking them for three months now with remarkable improvements!
Our battle began when she kept getting strep throat multiple times throughout her kindergarten school year. Repeated courses of antibiotics dessimated her normal bacterial flora and left her with constant acid reflux, constipation and abdominal pains so bad that she would cry just about every day. My wife and I started with her pediatrician who then handed us off to a gastrointestinal doctor. My little girl had to be put to sleep twice to have a scope ran down her throat (she was absolutely terrified). The gastro doc came back both times and said she couldn’t see anything visibly wrong, so she prescribed prevacid three times per day, which didn’t work so we tried a few other antacids that also didn’t work. At that point, my wife and I discussed putting her on probiotics. I ran to the drugstore and found some Acidophilus Pearls for adults and started giving her one a day. Within a few weeks she was feeling better, but not quite there. So, naturally I ordered some Primal Defense Kids (I take the adult version) and started her on those. It’s been several months now and she hasn’t complained of any abdominal pain or reflux, and her bowel movements are consistent.
The following table contains the majority of probiotics for children available to the general public.
| Ranking | Probiotic Supplement | Avg. Rating | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Primal Defense Kids |  |
Garden of Life |
| 2 | Babys Jarro-Dophilus | |
Jarrow Formulas |
| 3 | Biogaia Probiotic Drops |  |
Biogaia |