From the moment your baby is born, probiotics become an important part of its life. As a baby passes through its mother’s birth canal, it is inoculated with its first dose of probiotics. During breastfeeding, probiotics continue to be passed from mother to child. These probiotics are the friendly bacteria that are naturally found in an infant’s digestive system. Research has suggested that probiotics may be in fact an essential component of your child’s health.

Probiotics are able to help maintain the daily balance between good and bad bacteria in an infant’s body. When an imbalance of bad bacteria or yeasts take over a child’s digestive system, you frequently see the results come in the form of diarrhea, upset stomach, eczema, and many other health conditions. For this reason, many pediatricians recommend the use of probiotics to relieve digestive issues in children.

Since over 70% of a child’s immune system resides in their intestines, probiotics play an extremely important role in supporting this every day battle between good and bad bacteria that try to take over their health. They work by lining their digestive tract and crowding out potentially harmful bacteria, as well as creating an environment inhospitable to these pathogens. Probiotics also help your child manufacture digestive enzymes that break down their food, which help their bodies absorb vital nutrients better. Probiotics therefore help keep their immune and digestive system working properly to create a healthy, happy growing child.

Probiotics can be found naturally in certain foods such as yogurt and kefir, however may not be in the correct strains or doses needed to deliver optimal results. Powdered probiotics are a wonderful choice for children because they can be mixed into their food or beverages quite easily.

The two most predominant probiotic species are Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus- the most prevalent bacteria in a child’s intestines.  Many researchers have suggested that a mixture of probiotics may have a greater effect on the intestine than the individual strains. A pure, strain-identified formula consisting of premium strains ofBifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus salivarius can be beneficial to children that wish to include probiotics in their diet. For best results, open capsule and pour half content into food in the morning. The other half can be taken in the evening.

The Writer: For more information, please visit www.terribletummys.com

The Collaborator: Kim Gellman is the owner of Artisticsensations.com, a fun and hip website that sells kids furniture, bedding, and room decor from baby to college age kids. She is the mother of two boys and enjoys every moment of life and all its adventures!

Posted by kgellman on Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at 5:28 pm.