Why probiotics should be in your potty training toolkit

Potty training… the important milestone that each and every parent and child will go through. Few milestones in your toddler’s life can match the excitement, the reward (and sometimes the frustration!) of transitioning from diapers to a potty. It’s a journey of independence and building self-confidence…but can at times have its fair share of hurdles, and as many parents will attest to this is especially true when it comes to pooping on the potty. 

So in today’s blog post, we talk about probiotics, an unsung hero in helping kids to have easier bowel movements and how taking this good bacteria can be a game-changer when it comes to helping your child poop on the potty. 

First, let’s talk about the microbiome.

Wrap your head around this: the human body is home to trillions of microorganisms (or microbes) living in and on your body. Trillions? Yes Trillions! 38 trillion of which are bacteria. 

These microbes are what make up what's called our microbiome. Microbes live all over your body (like your mouth, skin), but the majority of these live inside your gut.

                             The human microbiome... home to 10's of trillions of bacteria 

‘Good’ bacteria and how it helps with pooping

Despite common perceptions that all bacteria are ‘bad’… 99% of bacteria are actually considered ‘good’ and are not only harmless… but can help us thrive.

Good bacteria have an abundance of health benefits. They help promote tissue healing and immunity on your skin, support pH balance, support respiratory health and help break down food in your mouth and protect your teeth and gums. 

When it comes to the gut, there are two types of good bacteria that play a crucial role in maintaining gut health: Probiotics and prebiotics. 

Probiotics help protect against “bad” bacteria (like bacteria that cause you to get sick!) strengthening the immune system, help to synthesize essential vitamins like vitamin B and vitamin K, balance the pH and aid the digestion of cellulose. They produce byproducts like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which support metabolic and gut immune health.

When it comes to helping your kid poop, certain probiotic strains will produce neurotransmitters that stimulate muscle contractions and help food move more easily though your body… and this helps to make stools softer, more regular and easier to pass!

Prebiotics on the other hand are dietary fibers that act as food for the good bacteria in your gut helping to maintain a balanced gut microbiome. They pass through the digestive system to reach the colon and are fermented to create SCFAs that support the lining of the colon and help maintain a healthy gut and proper bowel function.  

Fiber is also the most important nutrient for healthy bowel movements. It’s most commonly found in foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains and helps to bulk up stools to make them larger and makes the consistency of poops smoother and easier to pass….supporting pooping regularity and improved digestion. 

        Fiber - a powerhouse nutrient that is also the most challenging to incorporate into childrens' diets

Yet, this powerhouse nutrient is one of the most challenging nutrients to incorporate into kids' diets. In fact, alarmingly, most children in the US do not reach their daily recommended fiber intake… and without an adequate amount of fiber in the diet it can contribute to hard, painful bowel movements that are often the source of potty training hurdles. This is why prebiotics can play such an important part in helping kids bridge their fiber gap and to support healthy bowel movements!

What is and is not a probiotic?

In order for probiotics to be effective and deliver on their promise, the science community defines they have to:

• Remain alive as it travels through your body to your gut
• Be taken in adequate amounts 
• Be strain specific
• And actually deliver a concrete health benefit.

What most people don’t know is probiotics aren’t actually regulated by the FDA… meaning that if a company wants to sell a probiotic, they don’t actually have to test and prove that it works. This is why you’re probably seeing so many probiotic products pop up in your supermarket, from pillows to yogurt and kombucha… but if these products are not clinically tested to deliver a health benefit, it’s hard to know if they actually work!

Why I recommend Seed’s children’s probiotic

With many kids’ probiotics on the market not having the clinical data to support their claims, it’s difficult to know which probiotics I can confidently stand behind and recommend to parents knowing that they actually deliver on their promise.  

That’s why I’ve partnered with Seed on their PDS-08™ Pediatric Daily Synbiotic because not only do I believe that probiotics are important to support healthy bowel movements in kids, but because it has actually been clinically tested to work in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pediatric trial meaning they have data to back up their benefits.

Seed’s PDS-08™ comes delivered monthly to your home in thoughtful packaging that'll help you to track whether your child has taken their daily serving  

Seed’s PDS-08™ is a 2-in-1 probiotic AND prebiotic formulated just for kids ages 3-17 and includes 9 clinically studied probiotic strains that have been proven to develop health benefits across digestive, respiratory and dermatological health. For bowel health specifically, Seed’s PDS-08™ supports easy, frequent poops, more frequent bowel movements promoting healthy regularity… without causing side effects like pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea.

 It’s a dual-phase prebiotic meaning it’s comprised of both short-chain (FOS) and long-chain (inulin) fibers to meet the needs of your child’s GI tract and colon. Each serving contains 5 grams of fiber (equivalent to 38 cherries and 1.5 cups of strawberries!) which is particularly helpful to bridge the fiber gap in most kids' diets!

What also makes Seed’s PDS-08™ so different to other probiotics is the care they have taken in engineering a product that’ll survive ingestion and actually deliver health benefits.

Potty training is a complex, new milestone for young kids. And as we’ve discovered, a healthy gut microbiome can set your child up for soft, easy and pain-free bowel movements…which can help your kid overcome hurdles relating to pooping on the potty. 

This is why choosing a probiotic and prebiotic like Seed’s PDS-08™  that’s been clinically tested to support easier and healthier bowel movements should be in each and every parent’s potty training toolkit. 

You can read more about Seed PDS-08™ and how it can support your child’s bowel movements on their website here and be sure to use POTTY20 at checkout for 20% off your first month’s supply. 

*Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice or treatment from your doctor or other qualified clinician.