Culturelle Kids Helped With My Son's Stomach and Diarrhea Problems

In today's post, I'll reflect on my toddler's experience with pneumonia and some things that we learned along the way. I'll also tell you about how the experience shifted our views such that we now give our children probiotics on a regular basis.

Let's start with how the situation started and evolved. My toddler recently had his first sick germs that required a hospital visit and prescription. We first noticed that he had a runny nose and a mild temperature, so we gave him some meds to drop his temperature.  It seemed to work, but then his temperature would return.  After a few days, we took him to his pediatrician who examined him and among other things, listened to his lungs.  He informed us that he may have pneumonia and that an x-ray was needed to determine the best way to treat our baby.  We ran to a different part of the building for an x-ray and returned. It was quite fast because our pediatrician had online access to the x-ray by the time we returned to his office. Indeed, he thought that he had pneumonia and prescribed a medication.  (His office also called later that day to tell us that the radiologist agreed that our baby had pneumonia.)  

Here are some things that we learned from our baby having pneumonia:

1. We shouldn't be afraid to visit our pediatrician. We waited a few days because we thought that he probably had a cold that would clear up in a couple of days.  Our pediatrician recommended that we visit sooner next time, especially since our toddler is young and can't talk yet. He's always happy to see him sooner than later.
2. Call the pharmacy to ask them for a time to pick up the prescription.  Our son's pediatrician sent the prescription promptly to the pharmacy, but it wasn't ready when we visited several hours later.  I asked if they could fill it while we waited, but they said that it would take at least an hour. The pharmacist recommended that we call in advance next time to ask for a pick up time.
3. Stock up on probiotics when sick.  Similar to many people, my family often experiences stomach problems when we are sick.  When my son's pediatrician recommended that we give him Culturelle Baby probiotics, I was intrigued because I never knew about this and was relieved to know that there may be something to help my son to feel better. 

My toddler started taking the medication right away.  We used a syringe and he spit it out the first couple of times, but then finally took it.  (Luckily, the bottle contained slightly more than he needed, so it worked out fine.)  He refused to eat, but he was willing to drink juice or eat crackers or toast. I mixed the Culturelle Baby into his juice and he happily drank it. I think that it was really helpful.  We basically repeated this process for a couple of days and then he started eating normally as he felt better. Within two days, his fever was gone.  Within a week, he seemed back to normal. We finished the 10 days dosage as recommended by his pediatrician and he seems fine now.  We survived toddler pneumonia!

I hope that our son never has to deal with pneumonia or anything like this again. We are certainly being more careful about washing his hands more often, carrying disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, and trying to push lots of healthy foods.  We are also now using Culturelle Baby products for our toddler and Culturelle Kids for our older son after learning learning about the benefits of probiotics.  Both of our children are unique, so let me tell you how we worked probiotics into their daily routines.



My 20 month old is now using the Culturelle Baby Grow & Thrive.  Here is some information about how it works from the Culturelle website:

How Does it Work?Culturelle® Baby Grow + Thrive Packets combines 3.5 billion CFUs of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG®) the most clinically-studied probiotic in infants,†† and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BB-12™) with Vitamin D, an important nutrient for babies and for helping to build strong bones.* The active cultures and vitamin work naturally with your baby’s body to help support healthy development.* [Source: here]

We really like that this product is in a daily packet form.  While we liked mixing Culturelle packets into juice when our baby had pneumonia, that was mainly out of desperation that he needed to hydrate and he was shunning most food and water.  We don't typically give him juice, but we were worried that he was dehydrated and needed a creative way to hydrate him. Now that we are over that hurdle, we are using the Culturelle Baby Grow & Thrive packets by mixing them into Greek yogurt at breakfast.  He is obsessed with plain Greek yogurt with berries for breakfast, so we just stir the Culturelle Baby Grow & Thrive into his breakfast.  If his breakfast obsession changes, we'll work the packets into a different entree, snack, or drink in the future.

Now that I've discussed my toddler's experience, let me share how my 8-year old also takes probiotics.  He actually had a different pediatrician that recommended probiotics and increasing his fiber. My son was having stomach pains and constipation. He is an extremely active kid that eats relatively healthy meals and snacks, but it turns out that he benefitted from probiotics and fiber.  We initially gave him Culturelle Kids and a store-brand fiber supplement, but then later came across an all-in-one solution for us - Culturelle Kids Regularity.  Here is a quick overview of the product from the Culturelle website:

"A safe, gentle, drug-free way to keep kids feeling their bestWhen children have trouble staying regular, they often feel uncomfortable. From the brand most recommended by Pediatricians†, Culturelle® Kids Regularity provides a safe, gentle and drug-free way to help restore regularity and keep kids’ digestive systems running smoothly, making it the perfect choice when changes in your child’s diet alone are not enough.* Culturelle® Kids Regularity contains a unique blend of naturally sourced ingredients developed just for kids’ digestive systems:

• 2.5 billion CFU’s of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG®), the #1 clinically studied probiotic strain in kids††, to balance intestinal microflora and minimize discomfort while helping get your child’s digestive system back on track.*

• 3.5 grams of dietary fiber, the equivalent of one large apple, sourced from whole fruit kiwi and inulin – a prebiotic vegetable fiber from chicory root.

Gentle on a child’s digestive system, it’s gluten-free,≠ dairy-free,≠≠ sugar-free≠≠≠ and has no harsh stimulants."  [Source: here]

This product was a game changer for my son.  He initially liked taking it because it made him feel better. Now that he has taken it for so long, he doesn't remember his previous stomach and constipation pains, but he still loves taking it. He considers himself a "Top Chef Kid" and uses the packets in his recipes.  It's adorable because he mixes his Culturelle Kids Regularity packets into smoothies, yogurt, juice, pudding, whipped cream, and pretty much anything.  It's the kind of "cooking" that I appreciate because he never makes a mess in my kitchen with his "Culturelle Kids cooking".  It's amazing that this product works so well for his little body, but also that he loves the creative opportunities to work the packets into his meals and snacks.

In summary, our toddler is doing much better now, but we have definitely changed our lifestyles after the lessons that we learned, including the benefits of probiotics for both of our children.

Learn More
Visit the Culturelle website here.

I initially purchased Culturelle products at Target, but also found that Amazon has a good deal on Culturelle products with competitive prices, plus they have a 5% or 15% Subscribe & Save discount.  I am a big fan of Subscribe & Save discounts when it comes to things like this that I know are monthly supplies.  If you prefer to buy a 3-month supply at once, they also offer deals for bigger quantities. Check these deals out:




Disclosure: I am not a medical professional, but please feel welcome to share any information from this post with your family physician to ask for advice.  Everyone is unique and it's always important to talk to your doctor for any medical advice.