DS is 17mo and has been sniffly for over a month. i'm thinking allergies, but now i think a cold too. he's also just started daycare.
from what i can tell, probiotics can help his immunity and possibly help heal him. is this correct?
if so, can someone give me specific guidance on what to get? if i go to whole foods, what do i ask for or look for? are there brands? i'm a complete newbie here so need the step by step.
and is there any reason to think probiotics would not be good for DS? he's got a sensitive belly, but no real allergies to food stuff....
thanks!
megin

I used probiotics after my son was on antibotics during an ear infection after he started daycare. I used Nature's Way powdered - does ratings. I don't know about using it for general immunity issues.
I've done some reading on alternative health - these are good books:
Superimmunity for Kids - Dr. Leo Galland
Whole Child Healthy Child - Ditchek and Greenfield
Natural Medicine for the family - Janet Zand
Good Luck

Curious, is your child have lactose-intolerance issue or milk-allergy? If not, since you are in Mass, it is legal to obtain the raw milk, it contains quite lots of bactericidial properties that can aid your child's immune system to fight against these infections or cold. Or making the kefir & yogurt out of raw milk to obtain even more bactericidial properties which will double your child's immune system.
If you prefer probiotic bottles, I suggest you to get Garden of Life's 'Primal Defense', it contains the pure probiotic from soil. Its cost is bit expensive than these 'common' probiotic.
and is there any reason to think probiotics would not be good for DS? he's got a sensitive belly, but no real allergies to food stuff.... A good quality probiotic product like Garden of Life's Primal Defense, I couldn't think any reason for anyone to not take it for infections or cold. But of course, follow the instruction on the bottle otherwise it may cause constipation (which is common for anyone to consume reasonably large amount of any foods, it is same conception as HSO [Primal Defense]). According to The Maker's Diet, there isn't anyone who is senitive to probiotic like HSO so I guess your DS (I don't know what that means) can tolerate without any problems. Maker's Diet is quite good book and have more details on soil microorganism (HSO/Soil Probiotics), it does contain the information, guide & instruction for you to look into. Whole Food stores should have that book, you can look & study that without having to pay for some information :)
Hopefully that this topic is somewhat helpful.
Cheers!

DH and I take Primal Defense probiotics daily on the advice of our OMD (oriental medical doctor). We also take Essential Fatty Acids, and no other supplements, vitamins, etc.
I asked our OMD (hereout referred to as Koren) if our DDs would benefit from the probiotic too. Her response was that they would, if they were given any antibiotics. Otherwise, assuming a whole food healthy diet, they do not need the probiotic. Koren said as we age and eat poorly we get too much "wrong" bacteria and not enough "right" bacteria and benefit from probiotics. She says taking them actually negate the need for supplemental vitamins since you are able to digest and assimilate the nutrients from your food better.
Also, DD found a probiotic on the floor (I spilled some and missed one!) and ate it when she was 22 months. I called poison control and once they found out what probiotics are, assured me there was no problem. They advised extra water to move it through.
Finally, I get the primal defense from for about 35% off Whole Foods Market's price.
Good luck to you and your son!
CurlyTop

probiotics are the beneficial bacteria our guts need to function well. since a large amount of our immune activity originates in the intestine, this does boost immune function. it has even been found that bf mamas who use probiotics have a higher amount of antibodies in their milk to pass to their little ones. probiotics can be taken by everyone and offer even more benefits that are specific to a number of disease conditions.
as to what to take: dietary-wise eat cultured foods - miso, kimchee, yogurt, etc. supplement-wise - a basic lactobacillus and bifidobacterium capsule or powder is usually fine. i agree that looking at consumer labs on which products to use is a good idea. babies need more bifidobacterium; as do folks who need more immune boosting. i love metagenics products because they are well researched and have good documentation as to the amount of product in each bottle. they have a varied probiotic line with ultra flora being their first. best of luck!

funny - i was in the hb section of the birth forum and there is a great new thread about the benefits of probiotics. here is the url to an article in the ny times that the original poster cited:

another thing i thought of is that metagenics documents that their strains of probiotics live through the gut. meaning they are still alive on the other side. so when you look for a product make sure they can document the benefits of their strain.

Newbie to probiotics jumping in...
How do you determine how much to give a baby? DS is 21 mos, weighs about 23 lbs. The only thing I could get was capsules, says take 2 for adults. I gave him half a capsule...
--balrig

Newbie to probiotics jumping in...
How do you determine how much to give a baby? DS is 21 mos, weighs about 23 lbs. The only thing I could get was capsules, says take 2 for adults. I gave him half a capsule...
--balrig sounds about right. its pretty hard to give too much. with diarrhea i will recommend often 3-6 x the normal dose. no harm done if you gave your ds a whole capsule.

Really it's about tolerance. While the flora is in transition some people can experience gas, diarrhea etc if they take too much at once. The type of bacteria you choose for a young infant may be different from what you choose for an adult. This is my favorite product for the over 2 years old group- notice the label suggests a 1/2 adult dosage for kids but really you may give a little more or a little less or even split it up throughout the day depending on tolerance:

I thought I put this here before, but apparently I was mistaken:

Thanks. Reassuring to think that I am not poisoning the baby! (grin)
The second link amnesiac posted has raised another question:
My DS is still primarily breastfed. The probiotic I can find locally (PB 8) is not a baby formulation. I had thought that it would be better than nothing. Is that true, or should I discontinue and wait for my local store to have Baby Jarro? (I also wondered if his age -- 21 months -- would make it more acceptable to use adult probiotic formulations, despite his babyish eating (drinking!) habits.)
Thanks a mil, for info here & in "Power of Probiotics" thread!

For a nearly 2 year old, the PB 8 is fine.