10 Best Probiotics for Kids Reviewed in 2024
Probiotics are becoming more and more popular, but what exactly are they? Probiotics are basically good bacteria that will help keep your child’s body in pristine condition by aiding them maintaining a healthy gut and strong immune system. While that may sound exciting, you can’t just grab your probiotics and give a couple to your child. After talking to your child’s doctor you will need to pick out probiotics that are specifically geared towards children. We created a list of the ten best kinds to help narrow your search. The probiotics on our list come in all shapes and forms but are all designed to benefit your child’s gut.
In a Hurry? The test winner after 53 hrs of research
Easy for children to eat
Composed of natural ingredients
Children like the flavor
Includes probiotics, vitamins, and zinc
- Olly Yum Berry Punch 70 count
- FloraTummys Sprinkles Non-Dairy
- Intelligent Labs Sunfiber & Fos
- MaryRuth's Organic Liquid
- Time Release Chewables Feels Great 365
- UP4 Soft & Creamy Vanilla
- Garden of Life Chewables No Sugar
- Hyperbiotics Chewable & Sugar Free
- Renew Life Ultimate Flora
- FloraTummys Gluten & Sugar-Free
10 Best Probiotics for Kids Reviewed
1. Olly Yum Berry Punch 70 count
Easy for children to eat
Composed of natural ingredients
Children like the flavor
Includes probiotics, vitamins, and zinc
If not stored properly gummies may harden
We know as parents you may not always win the vegetable battle, but with these gummies including probiotics, vitamins, and zinc you can feel confident in knowing they are receiving the nutrition they need.
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Your child will have no trouble eating these gummies as they are easy to chew. In fact, they’re so easy to chew, no water is needed. Children four and over should chew two a day while children between 2-3 should only chew one. The tasty flavor is derived from natural ingredients. The dose of probiotics will help keep your child regular.
Effectiveness
These gummy probiotic vitamins for your child contain vitamins A, C, D, E, Bs, and Zinc. This is a fantastic way for your little one to get any nutrients that they might be missing in their diet while also strengthening their immune system. Having good nutrients in their body will not only make your child feel healthy but it’s also a great way for your child to learn and live a healthy lifestyle early on. These gummies are chewable and easy for your child to swallow.
Ingredients
The healthy dose of probiotics will help create a strong immune system in your child. Along with the probiotics, each gummy is full of vitamins A-E and Zinc. This jar comes with 70 fruit punch and berry blast flavored gummies. However, when purchasing you can choose from different flavors and quantities.
2. FloraTummys Sprinkles Non-Dairy
Powder is tasteless
Each packet is sealed tightly to maintain freshness and survivability
Completely free of food allergens
Does not need to be refrigerated
May take awhile to dissolve in liquids
No more struggling to get your child to take a spoonful of medicine or to swallow a pill. The FloraTummys Probiotic sprinkles come in the form of a powder, thus allowing you to sprinkle the probiotics in their food or drinks.
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Probiotics are live cultures, so they lose their freshness and potency faster than other supplements. That’s why it’s so important to keep them free from air and moisture as much as possible. FloraTummy takes care of that with its sealed, individual powder packets
Effectiveness
The powder is tasteless, so your child will never know. The powder is free of food allergens. They are also vegan, non-GMO, and sugar-free. These probiotic packets are so great that they are currently being used in hospitals. They help reduce gas, constipation, and diarrhea in children.
Ingredients
This box includes 30 powder packets that are tightly sealed to maintain freshness and survivability. The small size of the packets makes them easy to transport as they do not need to be refrigerated and can fit into your purse or pockets. One single packet contains 5 billion good bacteria to help restore the flora in your little one’s intestines.
3. Intelligent Labs Sunfiber & Fos
Easy to store and transport
Sugar-Free
2-year shelf life
Contains prebiotics
Some reviewers don’t like that it contains xylitol
We find this product to be highly affordable as it contains a two month supply of tablets that have a two-year shelf life. However, your child is bound to enjoy the wildberry flavor so much that they won’t let them last that long.
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Prebiotics enhance the effectiveness of probiotics by 10 percent. You won’t find any artificial flavors or binders in these tablets. In fact, they are gluten-free, non-GMO, sugar-free and dairy free. Each package has a two-year shelf life so you won’t have to worry about them expiring any time soon.
Effectiveness
No refrigeration is required, thus making these tablets easy to store and transport. These tablets are easy to chew and are a wildberry flavor. The kid-friendly packaging will encourage your child to take the tablets. With 60 tablets in a bottle, you will have a two month supply as your child will only need to take one a day.
Ingredients
Support your child’s immune system and digestive health with the Kids Probiotics and Prebiotics. Each tablet contains 6 billion colony forming units, CFU’s, which is more majority of the probiotics on the market. Along with the CFU’s, each tablet is loaded with prebiotics.
4. MaryRuth's Organic Liquid
Sourced from three different types of 100 percent organic grasses
Non-GMO and Celiac-friendly
Made in a GMP-compliant facility by a mother-daughter company
Liquid form instead of a pill
Improves digestive health
Some customers didn’t notice any distinct change or effect
Since the company is small, they make their products in small, fresh batches. The probiotics are in their raw state, neither heat-treated nor mixed with additive chemicals for preservation, so they’re at their most potent. And a tasteless liquid is way easier to convince a kid to swallow than a pill.
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Mary Ruth Ghiyam is a certified health educator, nutritional consultant, and culinary chef. She and her daughter own a company dedicated to producing high-quality, healthy products for families around the world. This probiotic formula is liquid, sold in a glass bottle, and made in a GMP-compliant facility. It is one of the top sellers nationwide, with excellent customer service, a warranty to back it up, and full disclosure regarding their ingredients as well as how they were sourced, so you’ll always know exactly what you’re getting.
Effectiveness
These probiotics contain nutrients that will help your child with any type of digestive problems. It will also help your child if they are experiencing gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, etc. They are made of organic nutrients and are also 100% vegan as well. They are gluten free, corn free, soy free and wheat free. They are also celiac friendly. These probiotics will help your child's immunity and help with weight loss as well as maintaining weight. Note: these probiotics are recommended for children over 12. Please speak to your child’s doctor if you are looking for your child who is under 12.
Ingredients
It’s 100 percent raw, organic, vegan, paleo, ketogenic, gluten-, wheat-, corn-, soy-, and nut-free, and non-GMO. If you’re looking for honest, organic ingredients formulated in a probiotic mixture meant to help with immunity and gut health, Mary Ruth’s Organic Liquid Probiotic is where your search ends.
5. Time Release Chewables Feels Great 365
All Natural
Great for children 2 & up
Chewable
Easy for children to swallow
Some children didn’t prefer the taste of these probiotics
If you’re looking for a healthy vitamin for your little one this chewable probiotic is perfect for your toddler. Recommended for children between the ages of 2 and up, this chewable probiotic is incredibly easy for your little one to swallow. Not only will your child be able to boost and enhance their immune system, but your child will be able to protect their immune system with these vitamins from anything from asthma to allergies. This is also great for those moms who are breastfeeding as well. These probiotics are gluten free and made of all-natural ingredients.
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This chewable vitamin is great for children ages 2 and up. It’s important for parents to pay attention to not only the age recommendation when it comes to probiotics but also the ingredients that each probiotic contains. These probiotics are non-GMO and don’t contain any type of chemical ingredients that parents might be worried about their child intaking. These probiotics are also very easy for your child to swallow as well to avoid any type of choking hazard.
Effectiveness
A terrific way for your child to boost their immune system. Although it won’t protect your child from asthma or allergies, it will help weaken any type of chance your child may have when it comes to them when they take this probiotic. Your child will be able to live a healthy lifestyle and gain a healthy immune system while they take one of these a day.
Ingredients
These probiotics are gluten free and dairy free as well. Parents don’t have to worry about any type of chemical getting into their system. These probiotics don’t contain any salt, yeast, wheat, soy or eggs. They also do not contain any magnesium stearate or GMO. Parents don’t have to worry about any type of artificial flavoring or preservatives in these vitamins for their children as well.
6. UP4 Soft & Creamy Vanilla
Composed of clean ingredients
Cubes melt in your mouth
Great for the immune & digestive system as well as healthy bone growth
Cubes are individually sealed
Some reviewers feel the tablets leave an aftertaste
The packaging is great as each cube is individually sealed. Younger children can easily ingest these cubes as they are soft and designed to melt in your mouth.
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The Up4 Kids cubes are a blend of probiotics that will support your child’s immune system, bone growth, and digestive health. Each vanilla flavored cube is designed to melt in your child’s mouth, thus making it super easy for children over the age of three to ingest.
Effectiveness
These probiotics contain 1 billion CFU’s. Inside the box, the cubes are individually foiled seal on two strips, thus eliminating the process of struggling to open a pill bottle. This packaging also eliminates the possibility of any of the cubes falling out and onto the floor.
Ingredients
UP4 probiotics for kids are gluten-free. These probiotics are also made up of ingredients that are soy, sugar, and nut free as well. It’s important for parents to also be reminded that this probiotic does contain milk. There are no artificial coloring or preservatives in this probiotic.
7. Garden of Life Chewables No Sugar
No refrigeration required
14 strains of prebiotics
Yummy cherry berry flavor
Chewable
Also contains vitamins C and D as well as prebiotic fiber
Does not arrive cold-packed as advertised
May contain maltodextrin
It has 14 strains of probiotics, 5 billion CFU, and vitamins C and D. It’s doing a whole lot for your immune system in just one tasty, easy-to-swallow chewable supplement.
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This chewable tablet is doing double-duty for the immune system. Not only will it promote healthy gut bacteria and digestion, but it also contains vitamins C and D, and prebiotic fiber. Keep your body running in top shape with the Garden of Life chewable probiotic pills.
Effectiveness
With 14 different probiotic strains in a chewable tablet, this is one supplement you won’t have trouble getting your kids to take. It is both a prebiotic and probiotic supplement and contains organic acacia fiber to help the good bacteria thrive. It’s a tasty cherry flavor, so you won’t have to trick anyone into taking this.
Ingredients
There’s no refrigeration required, and it also contains organic amla, vitamin C, vitamin D, and cranberry. This probiotic chewable is doctor-formulated, certified USDA organic and non-GMO, and is shelf-stable. With 5 million CFU in addition to the Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, this supplement truly packs a punch to any nasty indigestion. Ingredients are grown without toxic pesticides, chemicals, antibiotics, or hormones. It’s natural, and it’s yummy; what more could you ask for?
8. Hyperbiotics Chewable & Sugar Free
Fortifies the immune system
Promotes upper respiratory health
No artificial flavors or preservatives
No refrigeration necessary
Possible mild side-effects
Flavor may not appeal to every child
PRO-Kids specifically targets ear, nose and throat conditions, along with digestive health. Considering the prevalence of ENT conditions in babies and children, we felt it was important to include this product on our list.
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Their inclusion of the probiotic S. salivarius M18 helps loosen and dissolve biofilm and sticky deposits around children’s teeth. This can be beneficial for children who are prone to cavities and other oral health issues. With such incredible health benefits, plus a great strawberry-vanilla flavor, it’s no wonder both parents and kids love these chewables by Hyperbiotics.
Effectiveness
This yummy chewable option does so much more than maintain digestive health. PRO-Kids ENT’s unique formulation has been shown to help with throat, nose and ear conditions through probiotics that produce natural antibacterials.
Ingredients
It’s hard to know just where to start when it comes to this product’s benefits. As you know, we love kids supplements that target a wide array of health conditions, and this one is exceptional in that regard! It’s also the only probiotic on our list that targets oral health with S. salivarius M18. In a clinical study, colonization of this probiotic in children’s mouths resulted in a significant improvement in their overall dental health.
9. Renew Life Ultimate Flora
Easy dissolve formula
Comes with scooper
Contains B. infantis
Pleasant taste
Requires refrigeration
May contain traces of milk and soy proteins
We really like the fact that this product can be administered up to three times a day. Some babies do much better when probiotics are given with each meal, but many products can only be given once or twice a day. This is an excellent choice for babies who need a mild dose of probiotics several times a day.
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Another great powder formula specifically for babies, Ultimate Flora Baby Probiotic contains 5 probiotic strains, including B infantis. The included scooper makes it a cinch to mix into formula, milk, juice and other beverages. Renew Life recommends that you acclimate your baby by starting with half a scoop for the first five days and gradually working up to a full scoop.
Effectiveness
If you’re nervous about the right amount of probiotics to give your baby, this is a really great starter product. It’s easy to adjust the amount with the scooper, and some parents start out with a ¼ or ⅓ scoop just to be on the safe side. Further safety considerations are reflected in its mid-range bacteria count of 5 billion CFU.
Ingredients
Each serving contains 5 billion CFU, just the right amount for gassy and constipated babies. In fact, it works so well that parents admit to drinking their children’s leftover drinks and smoothies when they “need a little help”.
10. FloraTummys Gluten & Sugar-Free
Lactose-free
No artificial flavors or preservatives
Two-year shelf life
Made in the USA
Not as versatile as powders
Possible swallowing issues for toddlers
Are your cabinets overflowing with supplements for each member of the family? If so, you’ll love FloraTummy’s probiotic capsules for men, women, and children. Since these are capsules, they’re recommended for children who’ve outgrown FloraTummy’s Probiotic sprinkles.
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We’re always impressed with the potency of FloraTummy’s probiotics, thanks to multiple probiotic strains and prebiotics, like SunFiber. However, these ingredients won’t work as well without high-end packaging. These capsules come in a technologically advanced desiccant bottle to remove oxygen and moisture. We love the level of attention FloraTummy puts into the freshness and preservation of their products.
Effectiveness
Most children experience stomach problems as they transition into a diet of solid foods. Probiotics can help ease the process, but many kids formulations lack the proper amount of bacteria. FloraTummy strikes just the right balance at 12 billion CFUs. Higher doses are used to treat specific ailments, and would likely be too strong for children. By keeping the CFU count at 12 billion, FloraTummy makes this product safe and effective for the entire family.
Ingredients
Now, you may be hesitant about the potency of a kid’s product, but these capsules are serious business! They contain four probiotic strains, 2 prebiotic fibers, and 12 billion CFU. CFU is short for “colony forming units”, and most daily probiotics contain between 5 to 10 billion CFU. This higher CFU count makes the product much more effective in relieving common digestive problems. As with all FloraTummy products, these capsules are vegan, sugar and gluten-free, Non-GMO and Kosher certified.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Safety
This is, of course, our top criteria for any product that is taken orally on a daily basis. With probiotics, safety has a lot to do with the CFU count. CFU, or colony forming units, is a quantifier for the number of bacteria that are able to divide and form colonies. Infant and baby probiotics normally contain less than 5 billion CFU, while adult products range from 10 to 20 billion CFU.
Effectiveness
The most effective probiotics for kids and babies contain a variety of probiotics and prebiotics, along with CFU counts that are appropriate for specific age levels. For example, a probiotic for an older child would need a higher bacteria count that a probiotic for infants. On the other hand, we don’t want probiotic counts to be too high. Remember--probiotics are meant to balance a child’s gut bacteria, and that can only be done through appropriate dosages. That’s why we made sure all our picks contained the appropriate CFU level for their target age group.
Ingredients
For us, ingredients are not just about what a product contains. When it comes to daily supplements for kids and babies, we also pay attention to what it doesn’t contain. Some companies offer vegetarian, and gluten- and sugar-free products. We know how important this is to parents of children with certain ailments and food allergies. Or, maybe you just care about giving your kids a high-quality, natural product. Either way, we made sure to choose products with clean formulations that are safe for daily consumption.
Parents have asked about higher CFU counts helping with ailments like eczema and respiratory conditions. There are some studies to support these claims, but you should never attempt to treat such conditions with probiotics without approval from your pediatrician. It should be noted that our top picks err on the side of lower rather than higher. For example, LoveBug’s probiotic sprinkles for babies 0 to 6 months contains 1 billion CFU per serving, which we believe is best for infants.
As for what our picks contain, what was most important to us was the combination of probiotic strains. Most of the probiotics on our list contain proprietary blends of several strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS®-1 and Bifidobacterium lactis. These probiotics are backed by extensive scientific studies, so we know they’re safe and effective for children.
Fermented food and drinks are the best sources of probiotics, just like fruits and veggies are the best sources of vitamins and minerals. However, it’s impossible for many people to get an optimal balance of nutrients from food alone. This is particularly true with probiotics, which we need from the time that we’re babies. High-quality probiotics with the right combination of probiotic and prebiotic strains, along with other active ingredients, are highly effective in maintaining a child’s digestive health.
The idea that refrigerated probiotics are the only way to go is a persistent myth. It makes sense, considering that probiotics are live cultures. Furthermore, storage methods for pills and capsules were not as advanced as they are now. In past generations, refrigerated products were superior, but that’s no longer a problem because of technologically advanced packaging methods. Another advantage of shelf-stable probiotics is that you can travel with them since they fit easily inside a purse or suitcase.
Other Factors to Consider
Protection
Along with the right formulation, probiotic supplements must be properly packaged in order to maintain its live cultures. Individual packets are best for powders, while capsules should be stored in opaque, desiccant bottles with advanced moisture and oxygen absorbing technology. With proper storage, all the products on our list will maintain their effectiveness for two years without the need for refrigeration.
Materials
As for what our picks contain, what was most important to us was the combination of probiotic strains. Most of the probiotics on our list contain proprietary blends of several strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS®-1 and Bifidobacterium lactis. These probiotics are backed by extensive scientific studies, so we know they’re safe and effective for children.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: Will probiotics boost my child’s immune system?
Probiotics from both food and supplement sources can help children who see more than their fair share of illnesses. There are compelling studies that show children who regularly incorporate probiotics into their diets decrease their chance of developing colds, ear and throat infections by 20 percent. This may be linked to the ability of probiotics to replenish good bacteria, thereby giving children greater protection from the bad bacterias that cause illnesses.
q: Are there any side-effects to probiotics for kids and babies?
Probiotic supplements are generally considered safe, but it’s essential to stick with products that are formulated for kids and babies. Mild side-effects such as gas and bloating are possible, in which case you may want to switch to a different product.
However, these side effects can be very serious in children who are immunocompromised or have other serious ailments. That’s why it’s important to check with your pediatrician prior to administering any probiotic products.
q: Can lactose-intolerant children take probiotics?
There are many lactose-free probiotic supplements on the market these days, which are safe for lactose-intolerant children. FloraTummy products, for example, are lactose-free, as well as being free of food allergens, including peanuts, eggs, and gluten. An important tip when choosing lactose-intolerant probiotics is to look at the label. You will want to avoid products containing ingredients such as whey, curds, or milk by-products
q: How should I store probiotic pills and capsules?
Keeping shelf-stable probiotics fresh and potent is easy, thanks to freeze-drying techniques and advanced packaging methods. Pills, capsules, and even powders should be kept at room temperature in a dry setting, away from heat, light, and humidity.
Sources
- What Are Probiotics?, Informative Article ,
- 10 Things To Know About Dietary Supplements for Children and Teens , Informative Guide ,
- How to choose the best probiotic for your child, How to Guide ,
- Probiotics Pros and Cons, Informative Guide ,
- How Your Child Can Benefit From Probiotics, How to Guide ,