Why I think Probiotics is So Important for Kids especially during Travels

This post is sponsored by Reuterina™ Drops.

My daughter, Kitana went on her first international trip when she was one.

We travelled to Sri Lanka for my husband’s brother’s wedding. It was my first trip to my husband’s hometown and I was extremely excited – however, I did not realize how chaotic travelling with a one-year-old would be.

I have learned so much from the trip that I promised myself never to travel internationally with a one-year-old ever again!

One-year-old toddlers are extremely busy, and all they want to do is put everything in their mouth. They want to know, see and touch. They do not care if it is theirs or not … and they want to tour their surroundings whether you like it or not. They can be very persistent!

Kitana was determined to visit the business class on the airline for most of our trip – which was close to 12 hours (2-flights) – so she ended up walking up and down the plane several times.

When you are traveling to a foreign country with a teething toddler, you should be very cautious – especially at the airport. It is known to be germ infested. As much as I tried to keep her hands clean and made sure I only bought food and bottled water from reputable restaurants throughout our trip, the worst still happened…

Something that terrified me as a first-time mom!

Kitana ended up picking up a parasite –  A bacterial infection which we only became aware of after our trip.

Towards the end of our trip, she became very niggly – She had diarrhoea and a temperature.

I assumed her diarrhoea was from teething, I did not for once think that it could have been something more than that – because we were so cautious throughout the trip.

I remember crying on the way to the doctor for not realizing something wasn’t right sooner with my child… But it happens because even moms are human.

Kitana’s Paed recommended Reuterina™ Drops during the check-up – something that I did not know existed prior to this incident. I had heard of probiotics but thought that it was something that you take whilst on antibiotics.

What are Reuterina™ Drops?

Reuterina™ Drops are an intestinal and immune health probiotic ideal for infants. They are recommended to help relieve infantile colic symptoms, as well as diarrhoea associated with antibiotic use. It is also used as a daily immune-boosting supplementation.

None of my kids had colic (Thank God) but Kitana and Kiaan got sick on many occasions with severe diarrhoea.

Reuterina™ Drops are clinically documented – safe and effective in infant colic.

The best part is Reuterina™ drops are very convenient to give your baby or child – it can be added to food or drink or taken on a spoon. You can either directly drop it into baby’s mouth, on a teat, on nipple, in a spoon or on the dummy (although you may have to juggle the dummy into baby’s mouth while holding it upright)

It is slightly oily, much like breast milk and has no taste, so you are not introducing a foreign flavour to a small baby.

Just five drops a day provide the recommended daily dose of 100 million active health-promoting L. reuteri Protectis® bacteria.

Why are probiotics so important?

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Source: www.webmd.com

Reuterina Drops Help…

• Reduce side-effects and diarrhoea associated with antibiotic use and is recommended whilst on antibiotic therapy.
• Reduce the incidence and duration of infectious diarrhoea and diarrhoea associated with rotavirus.
• Reduce the crying time in infantile colic.
• Reduce incidence of minor illnesses, fevers, sick days, and visits to clinics.
• May reduce allergic symptoms in infants, 3 months and older.
• Reduce the incidence of infections and duration of hospitalisation in premature infants and may assist with their weight gain.

Reuterina Drops are well-tolerated in full-term newborns and infants.

Reference: www.reuterina.co.za

What’s in it?

Reuterina™ Drops 5 ml: Each 0,2 ml (5 drops) contains a minimum of 100 million cfu* Lactobacillus reuteri PROTECTIS® (Strain DSM 17938). Available in  5 ml packs.

*(cfu = colony forming units)

Reuterina has been clinically tested – over 100+ clinical trials in all areas including colic, diarrhoea, constipation, regurgitation and they don’t test on animals!

Ever since our Sri Lanka trip (5-years back), I’ve made sure that I always keep Reuterina drops in my cupboard and it is one of my must-have products when traveling with the kids.

Remember a balanced gut doesn’t always just mean no diarrhoea or rebalancing when a baby is on antibiotics, it also impacts colic, constipation, and regurgitation (not to be confused with reflux) in both breastfed and formula-fed babies.

Regurgitation or gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is the effortless spitting up of one or two mouthfuls of stomach contents. Formula or breast milk rolls out of the mouth, often with a burp. It usually occurs shortly after feeding.

For references, visit the Reuterina website or contact the customer care line.