If you’re like me and can’t stop worrying about your child’s health and nutrition- you’re probably already familiar with kids’ probiotics. Food just isn’t cutting it when it comes to kids’ nutrition and parents like me are turning to supplements to fill nutritional gaps, support healthier digestion, and improve immune function.
Personally I struggle to trust traditional big-box food brands, so I am committing more time and energy than ever before into finding a solution for my kids that gives them the nutrients and health benefits they need to thrive.
I conducted my own research, conferred with nutritionists and pediatricians, and discovered two leading kids probiotics. Read on to see what they were able to offer my child, and which one I decided to stick with!
The Most Comprehensive Kids’ Probiotic…. Hiya
Hiya
My #1 priority when searching for my son’s probiotic was figuring out which one would offer the most extensive range of health benefits for my child. Seems obvious, right? Well, it turns out many probiotics focus solely on improving digestion, while others can support immune function, mood, nutrient absorption, and more. In my search, the kids’ supplement brand that offered the most comprehensive health benefits for my child ended up being Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic.
It’s cool that Hiya was founded by two dads who shared my concerns about the nutritional deficiencies our children face today. Together, they spent years collaborating with leading pediatricians, nutritionists, scientists, and parents to develop science-backed formulas that we can trust.
Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic is specifically designed for kids, featuring 10 billion live cultures and an evolving blend of three of the most clinically studied probiotic strains for children. Unlike most other kids’ probiotic brands, Hiya combines the power of pre and post biotics to support the immune system, promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria, increase nutrient absorption, and improve digestion. With Hiya, I felt confident my son was getting a more extensive range of health benefits than what any other product could offer.
If You’re Cost Conscious… Smarty Pants
Of the popular kids probiotics, Smarty Pants was one of the cheaper ones- SmartyPants’ Kids Prebiotic and Probiotic Immunity Formula was mentioned to me quite a few times. It is vegan and Non-GMO, which I appreciate because I personally try to avoid GMOs for my kids. Their gummy probiotic also combined a prebiotic and two strains of probiotics to support digestive health and strengthen the immune system. They have 2B CFUs ( colony-forming units, to clear up the scientific jargon!)
SmartyPants’ formula is free from all the major allergens and comes in a Strawberry Creme flavor for kids who like strawberry-flavored things.. I also liked the fact that each batch is third-party lab tested for purity and potency to comply with FDA regulations. With SmartyPants, it did feel like I knew exactly what I was getting.
Wherehas Hiya comes in around $30 a month, you can get the same monthly supply from Smarty Pants around $20-$25 a month on Amazon. (But, you can get the hiya probiotic for only $15 the first month to test it out. So it’s actually cheaper to join hiya if you were looking for something today.)
For Healthier Dosages & Servings…. Hiya
Whereas Smarty Pants requires two gummies a day, Hiya requires just one. Why did this matter to me?
Well, each serving of Smarty Pants comes with 3 grams of added sugar, while Hiya has no added sugar. That means in the long haul, choosing Smarty Pants would have drastically increased my kid’s sugar intake– a huge red flag for me.
Hiya’s one-a-day serving also makes it easier to keep my son on track with his probiotic. Plus, their 30-day supply program refills fresh packs to your doorstep every 30 days so I never worry about running out or having to go to the pharmacy.
If you’re concerned about your kids’ cavities… Hiya
One of the biggest concerns I gathered from my consultations with my son’s pediatrician is that the added sugar commonly found in kids probiotic brands are known to cause cavities.
Fortunately, Hiya’s probiotic is naturally sweetened with monkfruit instead of sugar, and comes in a chewable tablet. As a result, Hiya’s probiotic steers clear of the harmful added sugars and gummy junk that are so common in other kids’ probiotics. The added sugar and larger dosage of SmartyPants was a huge factor in deciding which probiotic to stick with.
I thought that my son might not like the taste of Hiya’s natural sweeteners as much as Smarty Pants’, but boy was I wrong! I was so relieved to see how much my son liked the flavoring of Hiya.
The Ultimate Winner….. Hiya
The back of the label of the Smarty Pants Probiotic is what helped me make the choice- to choose Hiya for the long term. Between the unrivaled amount of health benefits provided by Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic and its natural sweetening, picking a winner was easier than I ever thought it could be.
While my son liked the Strawberry flavor of SmartyPants’, he liked Hiya’s taste just as much- and it didn’t include all the gummy junk. Not to mention, Smarty Pants is 2B CFUs and Hiya’s is 10B, so my son is getting more nutrients and less sugar. That feels like a win to me!
One last win for Hiya was the refillable bottle. I liked that hiya’s was eco friendly (not in a plastic bottle) but the best part about the hoya package was that it comes with stickers and my son loved decorating his reusable bottle. With Hiya, I knew we were getting all the benefits of Smarty Pants plus more, and without the excessive daily sugar intake.
Conclusion
As a parent, I want to do everything in my power to keep my children healthy and happy, but I know I deserve peace of mind too. Hiya ensures my son gets all the nutrients he needs, empowers him to care about his well-being, and makes me feel confident about his development. Unfortunately, we live in a world with processed foods everywhere that can impact our toddlers’ already sterile GI systems; But Hiya puts the power back in my hands.
Since my son started with Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in his mood, energy levels, and digestion. Trust me when I say there’s no better feeling than seeing your child happy and healthy with the nutrients and health benefits they need to thrive fully!
Amanda Allen
Amanda Allen (34) is a Staff Writer for The Daily Post covering Healthy, Beauty, Fashion, and Fitness. In her spare time, she trains for her next marathon and plays with her dog Pico. She enjoys a nice glass of pinot noir and plays tabletop games with her friends.
