You’ve been there, I’ve been there, and every mom friend you know has been there too. You want to find a good probiotic for the littles but half of them are filled with crap, Jonny won’t eat a liquid vitamin, Brannley won’t eat a gummy, this one is “too sour”, that one is “too big”, that one “smells funny” and all roads lead back to US still searching for a probiotic our kids will eat and one that we can trust. Well, today I’ve found just what you are looking for; a healthy probiotic your kids will actually eat. 

By: Lisa Fennessy

This post is sponsored by Hiya who makes vitamins and probiotics for kids that are sustainably packaged, mindfully sourced and made without the junk. As always, The New Knew only works with brands who we trust are making the world a better place.

I’m on team probiotic. I would say most of us are. The tricky thing about probiotics is they are not all created equal. To catch you up to speed, we teamed up with Dr. Kristin Oja to put together this comprehensive guide on what to be aware of when choosing a probiotic and how to pick the right probiotic for you…or your kids.

In a nutshell, probiotics improve digestion and immune systems. Stronger immune system = less colds/illness for kids = less colds/illnesses for me (since they are bringing an entire school’s worth of germs home with them everyday). 

The problem is, even with knowing what I know about what to look for in a probiotic, it feels like I am constantly searching for a probiotic that’s kid-friendly (tastes good/doesn’t have a weird texture) AND parent-friendly (not filled with weird additives, food dyes or a ton of sugar). 

I can’t count the number of times I’ve read the label of a vitamin or probiotic marketed towards my kids and placed it back on the shelf with my eyebrows sky-high. You’d think that in the vitamin & supplement manufacturing industry (with a revenue of $39.6 billion in 2023) there would be better options. 

If you are feeling this to your core. I’ve got your back, keep reading!

IN THIS POST:

• Meet Hiya
• 5 things that make Hiya different
• Do kids really need probiotics?
• My family tried Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic—here’s what we loved about it
• Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic—pros & cons

RELATED: Clean Alternatives to Children’s Tylenol: Genexa Review

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Meet Hiya

I’m thrilled to introduce Darren Litt and Adam Gillman. These two dads also couldn’t find probiotics or vitamins that they felt good about giving to their kids so they took on the challenge to create better ones. They spent three years talking to experts, pediatricians, nutritionists, scientists, and parents and finally made chewable vitamins and probiotics that have all the good stuff and none of the bad (AKA weird additives or artificial ingredients).

RELATED: How to Choose a Probiotic to Support Gut Health.

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5 Things That Make Hiya Different

Probiotics for kids aren’t a new thing. In fact when my son Quinn was diagnosed with eczema as a newborn (over 10 years ago) our pediatrician recommended trying a probiotic since there can be a connection between eczema and gut health. 

The hard part is getting kids to actually take probiotics to support their gut health. If it doesn’t taste good, they are out. And if you find one they’re willing to take, it’s often loaded with sugar—companies know kids will happily take them and even request them if they’re basically candy. So when a kids health brand is making products with actual health AND kid’s preferences in mind it gets my attention. 

1. Hiya is optimized for Kids (even picky eaters)

My boys are generally pretty good eaters now, but we’ve been through our moments when the greens consumed were few and far between. I knew these were just phases, but I couldn’t help those thoughts in the back of my mind panicking that they weren’t getting enough nutrients needed at crucial stages of growth or their gut health was suffering because they were only eating beige foods. IYKYK. 

What’s cool about Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic is that their formula includes 3 probiotic strains that have the most clinical research behind them specifically for kids—Lactobacillus rhamnosus (GG), Lactobacillus paracasei (UALpc-04™) and Bacillus lactis (Bl-04®). Hiya reports that these help support the body’s balance of good bacteria which can help support childhood immunity, gut health and digestion.

• According to this study in children ages 2-6, “long-term L. rhamnosus GG supplementation appears to have a beneficial influence on the microbiota composition, to prevent penicillin-associated changes in the microbiota, and to confer a long-term protection against certain infections.”
• When studied for its ability to regulate allergies in children ages 6-13 Lactobacillus paracasei (UALpc-04™)  provided a “significant improvement in individual symptoms of sneezing, itchy nose, and swollen eyes”.
• Preclinical studies suggest that B. lactis B94 exerts its beneficial effects by protecting the intestinal lining morphological integrity and function, modulating immune responses, and potentially competing with bacterial pathogens.

Side note: Each bottle comes with a set of cute stickers to decorate the refillable glass bottle. Being almost a tween and teenager(!) my kids are a little outside the sticker-frenzy age, but I can see this being a great way to engage kids and get them excited about taking a probiotic.

2. Hiya has 10 Billion CFUs

You probably see this lingo on probiotics all the time, but might not know what it actually means. I mean a billion of something healthy sounds good, but what actually are CFU’s? CFU stands for Colony Forming Units which means the number of viable and active microorganisms (like a beneficial bacteria or yeast) present in a probiotic supplement. It basically measures the potency of a probiotic and the higher number typically indicates a higher efficacy—though the type of strains and how well they can survive the digestive system also play a part. Like just about everything, more isn’t always better. 

Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic is a blend of 10 billion live cultures, more than double most of the options I’ve seen on the shelves. Not only that, their formula is designed for optimal absorption and contains evolving strains to ensure the probiotic actives remain strong to help support immunity.

Unfortunately, according to Hiya, “many probiotics are generalized strains filled with added sugar, gummy additives, and other ingredients that may not be ideal for live cultures”. Which means you’re essentially just taking a probiotic for fun without any actual health benefits.

3. Hiya is Formulated with Prebiotic Fiber

Hiya also includes prebiotic fiber from larch tree as an additional benefit to the GI tract.

4. Hiya is Adjusted via the Season

Hiya adjusts the strains within its probiotic by the season because what your immune system may need more of in the summer is slightly different than what’s most beneficial during the winter. 

*This is based on US and Southern Canadian seasons where Hiya currently ships.

5. Hiya has Zero Added Sugar

This might be my favorite thing about Hiya because it’s notoriously hard to find probiotics that my kids will actually take that don’t have a ton of added sugar. I’m not here to sugar-shame anyone because everything in moderation, but we know that sugar isn’t great for gut health so added sugar in a probiotic has always felt really counterintuitive to me. Instead of added sugar Hiya uses monk fruit extract, a superfruit that’s sweeter than sugar but won’t actually raise your blood sugar, and mannitol, a sweetener naturally found in strawberries and pumpkins.

RELATED: Is Organifi Green Juice the Best? My Honest Review with Pros + Cons

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Do kids really need probiotics?

In a nutshell, everything I’ve read points to yes for supporting long term gut health and strong immune systems.

According to this study and summarized here, “Infants have sterile gastrointestinal tracts at birth, but bacterial colonization occurs rapidly. Gestational age, mode of delivery, and diet seem to have significant effects on this process. Dysregulation of the intestinal mucosal defense system early in life is believed to be a factor in many chronic conditions, such as atopic diseases (e.g., asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis) and autoimmune diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, chronic inflammatory bowel disease). Because of their influence on intestinal microflora colonization and immune function, an infant’s early diet and intestinal microbial environment are thought to be pivotal factors in his or her overall health.”

In layman’s terms, newborn’s gut microbiomes start from scratch and as they develop are especially affected by diet. The impact of processed foods, added sugar, and even the occasional use of antibiotics can dysregulate the microbiome potentially leading to chronic conditions and autoimmune diseases. 

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My family tried Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic—here’s what we loved about it

One of my kids won’t take a gummy probiotic and the other will ONLY take a gummy so finding something that works for everyone is no small task. Yay (!) for a chewable that both my kids were happy to take and didn’t fight me on. I even tried it myself and it kind of reminds me of the Smarties candy which I wasn’t upset about. One thing that also stood out to me is that these probiotics don’t need to be refrigerated like most. As someone who leans on visual reminders this was a huge bonus. No need to set reminders since the bottles are cute enough to sit out which actually helps us remember to take them daily. BOOM. 

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Hiya’s Kids Daily Probiotic—pros & cons

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Have you tried Hiya yet?

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