My Top 4 Best Probiotics for Kids

Yesterday I wrote a post about my 5 Best Probiotics For Adults. Feel free to check that post out too since it has a lot of good general information about probiotics. Today I am going to review what I consider to be 4 of the best probiotics for kids.

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Selection Criteria: What To Look For

The main 3 pieces of information that I look for when I compare probiotics for kids are:

1. Number of Billions of CFU (colony forming units): For kids, the appropriate number of CFU is considerably less than for adults. 0.5 – 3 Billion is appropriate for children from what I have researched.
2. Is refrigeration is required? I prefer to keep all of my kid’s supplements on the same shelf, so I would prefer not to have to refrigerate their daily probiotics.
3. Cost: There are many good quality kid’s supplements available for 15-30 cents per serving.

Nature’s Way Primadophilus for Children

This product is a powder which can be mixed in with breastmilk, milk, applesauce or yogurt for a child of any age. The label says for ages 2 and under to consult a health professional, which is typical for all of the products I will be reviewing.

1. This product contains 3 Billion CFU per serving. The serving size is 1 teaspoon.
2. Storage Instructions: “Keep refrigerated to maintain maximum potency.”
3. This product is available in a 5oz container for the following current price:
   1. $12.63 ($0.27 / Serving)

Other ingredients include rice maltodextrin and silica.

Nature’s Way Primadophilus for Kids

This product is a chewable tablet. Unfortunately when my kids tried it, they said the tablets were very hard to chew. They did not finish the bottle.

1. This product contains 3 Billion CFU per serving. The serving size is 1 chewable tablet.
2. Storage Instructions: “Keep refrigerated to maintain maximum potency.”
3. This product is available in a 30 tablet bottle for the following current prices:
   1. Price for Cherry Flavor, Pack of 2: $13.61 ($0.23 / Serving)
   2. Price for Orange Flavor, Pack of 2: $15.18 ($0.25 / Serving)

Other ingredients for the cherry flavor include sorbitol, xylitol, cellulose, natural cherry flavor, magnesium stearate, citric acid, silica, and ascorbic acid. May contain a minimal residual amount of milk or soy proteins.

Other ingredients for the orange flavor include sorbitol, xylitol, cellulose, magnesium stearate, citric acid, silica, turmeric, natural orange flavor, natural vanilla flavor, and ascorbic acid. May contain a minimal residual amount of milk or soy proteins.

Nature’s Plus – Animal Parade Acidophikidz

This is a chewable tablet. My kids haven’t tried this particular product, but they have taken other chewable supplements by Nature’s Plus Animal Parade. My daughter will eat Animal Parade chewables, but my son won’t anymore. He says he doesn’t like the texture.

1. This product contains 1 Billion CFU per serving. The serving size is 1 animal-shaped chewable tablet.
2. Storage Instructions: “Keep tightly closed in a cool, dry place.”
3. This product is available in a 90 tablet bottle for the following current prices:
   1. Price: $15.99 ($0.18 / Serving)
   2. Price for Pack of 2: $27.74 ($0.15 / Serving)

Other ingredients include HerbaFlor (a complex of Rhododendron Root [Rhododendron caucasicum extract and botanical growth accelerants – Fructooligosaccharides [FOS] from Dahlia Tuber [Dahlia inula] and Chicory Root [Chichorium intybus]; Wild Clover Honey, Fructose, natural flavor, natural colors, citric acid, magnesium stearate.

Rainbow Light Probiolicious Gummies

This is a gummy probiotic. It is the one that all three of my kids currently like and take.

1. This product contains 500 Million (0.5 Billion) CFU per serving. The serving size for children is 1 gummy.
2. Storage instructions: “No refrigeration required. Store in a cool, dry place, away from heat and direct sunlight.”
3. This product is available in a 50 gummy bottle for the following current prices:
   1. Price: $12.93 ($0.26 / Serving)
   2. One-time Purchase (100 / Pack of 2): $26.40 ($0.26 / Serving)
      1. Subscribe & Save 5%: $25.08 ($0.25 / Serving)
      2. Subscribe & Save 15%: $22.44 ($0.22 / Serving)

Other ingredients include Water, cane sugar, gelatin, citric acid, lactici acid, tartaric acid, natural glazin agent (vegetable oil, beeswax), natural color (black carot), natural flavor (cranberry).

So What Should You Choose?

Given the way the pricing comes out, I recommend seeing if your kid will take the Nature’s Plus – Animal Parade Acidophikidz first. Since one of my kids won’t take that one, I’m satisfied with what they are getting from the Rainbow Light Probiolicious Gummies. These are also the two products that don’t require refrigeration, which is my preference.

The Nature’s Way products are high quality though and definitely higher-potency. So if your child has any digestive issues or is taking antibiotics, I would see if one of those two works better for you. I use the powder when my kids are under age two and needed to take antibiotics. I really don’t worry about giving probiotics to my kids when they are younger than age two otherwise.

Do your kids take a probiotic supplement? If so, please let me know about your experiences in the comments below.