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!
Brands Recommended To Me : Hiya and Smarty Pants
Hiya
By far, the kids’ supplement brand that nutritionists and doctors rave about the most is Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic.
What I love most about Hiya is that it 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. The strains they use have been clinically proven to support childhood immunity and digestive health.
Hiya is sweetened with monk fruit 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. I ultimately knew Hiya was right for me and my family when I learned that Hiya was formulated by pediatricians who share my concerns about providing healthy options for our kids.
Ingredients:
Hiya’s Kids Probiotic is packed with a variety of probiotic strains, prebiotics, and natural ingredients that work wonders for the gut. Hiya includes 10B CFUs (aka colony forming units), including: Lactobacillus Rhamnosus (GG), one of the most widely used probiotic strains, Lactobacillus Paracasei (Lpc-37) and Bacillus Lactis (BI-04). Strains like these are clinically proven to support digestion, limit constipation and other common tummy issues, which was important to me.
In addition to these probiotic strains, Hiya is sweetened with Xylitol and Monk Fruit extract, which evidently enhance the taste without adding extra sugars to my kiddo’s diet.
They use natural antioxidants like Turmeric and beetroot that make up the color of the tablets.
How It Went
At first, I was skeptical that my son would like something so natural and so healthy. I would label my son as a “picky eater” since he generally runs away from anything that can’t be smothered in ketchup. I was SHOCKED at how much my son loved taking Hiya each day!
I think the bottle helped. Hiya’s reusable bottle came with stickers that my son loved! Decorating his own refillable bottle has helped inspire his creativity while teaching him to take responsibility for his own well being. Between the kid-approved taste, amazing health benefits, and opportunities for creative expression, I can confidently say that Hiya is both something my son and I look forward to him taking every day.
SmartyPants
One of, if not the most popular kids probiotic that was mentioned to me was SmartyPants’ Kids Prebiotic and Probiotic Immunity Formula. It is vegan and Non-GMO, which I appreciated because personally I 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 (again, that stands for 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. Many kids like strawberry-flavored things… I also liked the fact that they are using a cGMP-compliant (Good Manufacturing Practice) facility, and that each batch is third-party lab tested for purity and potency to comply with FDA regulations.
Ingredients:
SmartyPants Kids Probiotic Formula combines a prebiotic* and two strains of probiotics (B. coagulans and B. subtilis), in addition to other flavoring ingredients. That is where I got concerned, TBH, because other ingredients include:
organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup, natural strawberry creme flavor, pectin, citric acid, corn starch (non-GMO), sodium citrate, coconut oil medium chain triglycerides, natural color added (organic black carrot concentrate) and carnauba wax. Whoa!
How It Went
I was happy to see that my son, despite his notoriously picky eating, liked SmartyPants’ Strawberry Crème flavoring. After a short adjustment period and some grumpy moods, my son started to take SmartyPants each day without a fuss.
My Choice: 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. While he liked the Strawberry flavor of SmartyPants’, he liked hiya’s taste just as much. But I’m happy that Hiya’s doesn’t include all the gummy junk. Not to mention, Smarty Pants is 4 B CFUs and hiya’s is 10 B, 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’m all for an eco-friendly option (reducing packaging waste) but mostly my son just really liked the cute hiya stickers. With hiya, I knew we were getting all the benefits of SmartyPants plus more, and we skipped the excessive daily sugar.
Value
HIYA: $30 for a 30 day supply. $15 for your first order!
Smarty Pants: $25 for a 30 day supply.
Conclusion
As parents, we want to do everything in our power to keep our children healthy and happy, but you deserve peace of mind too. Hiya ensures my son gets all the nutrients he needs, empowers him to care about his own 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 system; But Hiya puts the power back in our 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 fully thrive!
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.
