The Best Baby Probiotics to Help Relieve Gas, Colic and More

reviewed mark Medically Reviewed by Gina Posner, M.D., F.A.A.P.  | January 5, 2024
Best Baby Probiotics

QUICK SUMMARY

The best baby probiotics are BioGaia Protectis Probiotics Drops because of the simple ingredient list and easy-to-use dropper, according to experts and testers from the What to Expect staff and user community.

Best Baby Probiotics

Maybe you've been hearing a lot about probiotics for babies and how beneficial they can be for your infant’s gut health and even immunity. But with so many options on the market, it can be nerve-wracking to first decide whether or not to give one to a young baby. And then, assuming the answer is "yes," how do you figure out which baby probiotic to choose?

First, the benefits: There’s evidence to suggest that giving babies a probiotic product may help support digestion and immune response. Probiotics appear to be effective at treating acute viral gastroenteritis and preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea, according to research from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Additionally, some research also indicates that having a balanced microbiome may help kids fight off future infections.  

Your doctor might recommend a daily probiotic if you’re trying to treat colic, or they may advise you to give your baby a probiotic only when your little one has an issue that warrants it, such as a stomach virus or if they’re starting an antibiotic. To be safe, always talk to your doctor before starting probiotics. From there, they can recommend a brand to try, or you can opt for one of these pediatrician-approved picks.

How we chose the best baby probiotics 

In order to learn about what you should look for in a baby probiotic and how they can help infants’ digestion, we spoke with two pediatricians: Jenelle Ferry, M.D., a neonatologist and the director of feeding, nutrition and infant development at Pediatrix Medical Group of Florida, and Gina Posner, M.D,, a board-certified pediatrician practicing at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California and member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. We also consulted the AAP’s guidance on probiotics for babies and referred to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 2023 letter on probiotic safety considerations for premature babies. Finally, we utilized feedback from parents in the What to Expect community to see what brands they found worked best for their little ones — plus, which probiotics they felt were worth the price.

Why Trust Us?

What to Expect is the world’s most trusted pregnancy and parenting brand for a reason. Our product recommendations are based on expert parent insight, advice from medical professionals and feedback from the millions of parents and parents-to-be in our community. Our editors adhere to the highest research and reporting standards and our team of vetted OB/GYNs, pediatricians and other health professionals ensure our recommended products are safe and effective for you and your baby.

Best Overall Baby Probiotic

BioGaia Protectis Probiotics Drops

best baby probiotics biogaia
Pros
  • Simple ingredient list
  • Trusted brand with long history of manufacturing probiotics
Cons
  • Smaller bottle
  • More expensive than some other probiotic drops
  • No separate dropper

Quantity: 5 ml

Type: Liquid drops

Price per serving: $.72

Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

A popular brand beloved by What to Expect parents and also recommended by Dr. Posner, BioGaia makes a variety of probiotic products for babies, kids and adults. These popular drops contain Lactobacillus reuteri, a probiotic that is found naturally in breast milk and has been studied extensively for its ability to help GI issues. What really gives it top billing on our list, however, is its beautifully short ingredient list, consisting of just the probiotic and oil. That means the formula is free of dairy, gluten, soy or artificial flavors — and it's non-GMO.

What to Expect parents rave about this brand for helping with issues like constipation, gas and reflux, with many saying they notice a difference within the same day of giving baby a dose. The recommended dose is five drops daily (the brand recommends giving it to your baby via spoon) and there are 25 servings per bottle. 

Community Reviews
  • “We use probiotics for [our baby’s] constipation and it worked miracles. Perfect runny stool same day. It’s called BioGaia.”

  • “We started using BioGaia two days ago. Saw results less than 24 hours after initial dose. Baby is much happier.”

  • “I give my baby BioGaia everyday with her morning bottle!”

Best Affordable Baby Probiotic

Gerber Good Start Baby Probiotic Soothe Drops

best probiotics gerber
Pros
  • Most affordable price per serving
  • More servings per bottle than other products
Cons
  • Dropper can be finicky

Quantity: 10 ml

Type: Liquid drops

Price per serving: $.6

Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

Many parents appreciate the relatively affordable price point of these Gerber baby probiotics: The cost per serving ($.62) is lower than most comparable probiotic products on the market, and for roughly the same price, the bottle delivers around twice as many servings — so it will last you longer.

“We started using them when [our baby] Alex was having some tummy issues around week four,” says Tika Fender, Senior Art Director at What to Expect, of her son who had colic issues that would wake him up in the middle of the night. “After a few days we did notice a difference.” In fact, these drops helped stopped his nighttime colic issues entirely.

The change is likely due to the Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 probiotic strain of these drops, which is similar to the probiotic that occurs naturally in breast milk, with some research showing that it helps with colic in particular, says Dr. Ferry. 

Note that although the dropper is conveniently incorporated into the cap, some parents and caregivers struggled with dispensing individual drops. 

Community Reviews
  • “They work wonders for my dude, it was about five days before I saw a noticeable difference with just the probiotic.”

  • “When I asked my pediatrician about gas medicine or gripe water, she recommended these specific probiotics. I've been using them since she was about a month old and she rarely has gas problems.”

Best Baby Probiotic Powder

Lovebug Probiotics Tiny Tummies Flavorless Stick Packs

best probiotics lovebug
Buying Options
Pros
  • Convenient for travel
  • Women-owned brand
  • Organic
Cons
  • Baby must finish bottle to get full dose

Quantity: 30 packets

Type: Powder

Price per serving: $.66

Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

Many What to Expect community parents recommend the Lovebug Probiotics Tiny Tummies Flavorless Stick Packs, a flavorless powder that can be stirred into expressed breast milk or room temperature formula. The powders include different probiotics blended together (one strain of Lactobacillus and two Bifidobacterium, as well as a small amount of fiber), and are USDA organic, free of added colors, dyes, preservatives or flavoring.

This product is recommended for babies up to six months of age, but don’t worry about needing to switch brands as baby grows up: Love Bugs also makes formulas designed for older babies 6 to 12 months old and toddlers.

Some parents do find the probiotic powders to be a little less versatile than the drops; unlike liquid probiotics, for example, you can’t put them on your nipple while breastfeeding. And while you can mix them into food, many companies caution against adding probiotics to warm or hot food and drink, as this may kill the bacteria, which can also be limiting. A plus, though, is that the packets are very easy to travel with. 

Community Reviews
  • “We are using the Lovebug brand and it’s working so well for our little guy.”

  • “Just recently started baby on probiotics maybe three days ago and already noticing improvements .... Been using Lovebug Tiny Tummies.”

  • “We started using [Lovebug] Tiny Tummies at 3 weeks old and noticed a big difference after about three weeks of use. Her poop totally changed in smell, and started smelling the way breast milk poop should.”

Best Baby Probiotic With Vitamin D

Culturelle Baby Immune & Digestive Support Probiotic + Vitamin D Drops

best probiotics culturelle
Pros
  • Two for one
  • Affordable price point
  • Dropper included
Cons
  • Thicker consistency

Quantity: 9 ml

Type: Liquid drops

Price per serving: $.66

Why We
Love it
Community
Reviews
Why We Love It

The AAP recommends that all babies be given a vitamin D supplement unless they’re consuming more than 27 ounces per day of vitamin D-fortified formula. So if your little one needs vitamin D supplementation and you’re also planning on giving them a probiotic, you may prefer one formula containing both ingredients to streamline the number of drops you need to administer per day (not to mention, the number of products you have to purchase!). 

Designed for babies from birth through 12 months, this probiotic from the popular brand Culturelle — which Dr. Posner also recommends — contains 400 IUI of vitamin D per serving, which meets the AAP’s recommended amount. It blends two different types of probiotics: The widely studied Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG as well as Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BB-12), which occurs naturally in the intestines. It comes in a liquid formula, and a dropper is included.

Given that it’s a two-in-one product, Culturelle’s price — just$.66 per serving — is also a big selling point, though some parents do say that the consistency is a little on the thick side and can be harder to administer with the dropper.

Important to note: Culturelle isn’t the only brand that sells a probiotic formula with vitamin D. So whichever product you choose, review the ingredient list to check if the formula contains vitamin D in addition to probiotics — if it does, you won’t want to also give your baby a separate vitamin D supplement.

Community Reviews
  • “Culturelle! Used it on my first and doing the same with this little guy too! We started using it at around 3/4 weeks! Baby is 10 weeks now and I don’t know if it made any difference or it is just that he’s getting older but things have gotten a little easier. He passes gas easily now and burps easily now too.”

  • “Culturelle! Has been helping with baby’s gas and helping him poop a little more regularly.”

  • “This is the one I started using around 3 weeks and it definitely worked.”

What to look for in baby probiotics

Based on our interviews with Dr. Ferry and Dr. Posner, advice from the AAP and feedback from parents in the What to Expect community, these are the factors to consider when buying baby probiotics:

  • Quality assurance: Probiotics are a type of supplement, which means — like all supplements marketed for adults or children — they have not undergone FDA’s rigorous testing process to evaluate their safety, effectiveness and quality as medications. For this reason, it’s critical to choose a probiotic product from a reputable brand and seller. Each baby probiotic in our list is from trusted brands that pediatricians frequently recommend — and we made sure to get our list vetted by a pediatrician. When in doubt, you can also speak to your doctor about the types of probiotic products they recommend for your baby specifically.
  • Ingredients: Two of the most common strains in particular to look for when buying a baby probiotic are lactobacillus (such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus or Lactobacillus reuteri) or bifidobacterium, according to Dr. Ferry, as they have data supporting their benefits for GI issues. All of the products on our list contain either or both of these strains. In addition, the probiotic formulas we’ve selected are non-GMO, dairy- and gluten-free to ensure they’re safe and easy on baby’s stomach.

FAQs

"According to a statement by the AAP, probiotics appear to be modestly effective at treating acute viral gastroenteritis and preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea," says Dr. Ferry. "There is encouraging but preliminary data for their role in helping irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, atopy and infantile colic, and even more conflicting data on the potential for probiotics to reduce food allergies.”

Many pediatricians also recommend probiotics for infants who are on antibiotics. “Probiotics can be helpful to counteract the good bacteria that are destroyed from antibiotics,” explains Dr. Posner.

However, it’s important to note that probiotics aren’t right for all infants, and premature babies or those who are immunocompromised should not be offered them, Dr. Posner says. Always ask your doctor to make sure probiotics are appropriate for your little one before starting them.

 

While probiotics can be beneficial and safe for many infants, they’re not considered safe for premature and/or immunocompromised babies. In 2023, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration sent a letter to health care providers warning them about potentially serious risks that probiotic products could pose to premature babies in a hospital setting. Probiotics had been given to hospitalized preemie babies to prevent an intestinal disease called necrotizing enterocolitis, but some products were attributed to adverse outcomes, including one infant death. Babies who are immunocompromised should also not be given probiotics for the same reason, Dr. Posner says.

“For that segment of kids — preemies or immunocompromised babies — I’d stay away from a probiotic,” she says. “Other than that, by the time they’re no longer preemies and out of NICU, probiotics are safe to use.”

 

Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are the two most common strains found in baby probiotic products, according to Dr. Ferry. The lactobacillus strain may be particularly beneficial for little ones suffering from colic. 

 

There’s some research to suggest that having a balanced microbiome — which probiotics can help to achieve — may help children fight off future infections. 

Still, Dr. Posner cautions against thinking about probiotics — or any kind of supplements for that matter — as a cure-all. “I’m a big fan of probiotics, but [they] tend to be best for more GI issues,” she says. “Parents shouldn’t think of them as a miracle cure.”

 

  1. What to Expect The First Year, Heidi Murkoff.
  2. WhatToExpect.com, Colic, June 2021.
  3. American Academy of Pediatrics, Probiotics and Prebiotics in Pediatrics, December 2010.
  4. American Academy of Pediatrics, Can probiotics help when my child has an infection and needs to take antibiotics?, January 2022.
  5. American Academy of Pediatrics, Probiotics in Infant Formula, July 2021.
  6. American Academy of Pediatrics, Where We Stand: Vitamin D & Iron Supplements for Babies, May 2022.
  7. KidsHealth From Nemours, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, May 2023.
  8. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Role of Lactobacillus reuteri in Human Health and Diseases, April 2018.
  9. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, The Science behind the Probiotic Strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, March 2014.
  10. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Symptomatic relief from at-home use of activated Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001 probiotic in infants: results from a consumer survey on the effects on diaper rash, colic symptoms, and sleep, August 2021.
  11. University of Michigan Health, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, March 2017.
  12. U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), FDA Raises Concerns About Probiotic Products Sold for Use in Hospitalized Preterm Infants, October 2023.
  13. Jenelle Ferry , M.D., Neonatologist and Director of Feeding, Nutrition and Infant Development at Pediatrix Medical Group of Florida – Tampa Neonatology, Tampa, Florida.
  14. Gina Posner, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician practicing at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California and member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board