This is a question asked by a mum based in Sri Lanka. It is a frequently asked question so I thought I’d share my reply here.

Hi Marissa!
What is the average doses of pro-biotics that we should give? My son is now only getting one doses a day at night (Bio-Life advanced multiblend probiotic 5 billion cfu 75 mg. I went to see the iridologist/nutrionist and she adviced me to double the doses and give it morning and night (so morning 2 capsules and night 2 capsules).
Pls give me your advice… Tks so much!

Hugs, Mrs J from Sri Lanka

Hi Mrs J,

Great questions!  In my experience, there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to probiotics dosage. It is child specific (I know you must be bored seeing this again and again) But it really is depending on your child’s unique needs.

I have done many different doses and a few brands of probiotics. My girls started at 10 Billion CFU, then we increased to 25 Billion CFU, then 50 Billion CFU soon afterwards. Then, when they are on antibiotics/ antimicrobials/ antifungals/ antivirals (natural or prescription) I ramped up the dose to 100 Billion. Post treatment, I would give 200 Billion – 300 Billion CFU daily for 2-3 weeks perhaps in order to re-colonise the good bacteria. I do have friends whose children need probiotics in the trillions even. It also depends on your child’s underlying medical issues, patients with Crohn’s disease, colitis or other GI inflammatory diseases or gut disorders have different dosing requirements. So in my opinion, 20 Billion is a good start. Currently, my girls take 250 Billion CFU daily as a maintenance dose.

Dosing schedule varies too. Some kids do better on once a day dosing, some need 2-3 times dosing daily. For maintenance, I dose probiotics once a day. I used to dose twice a day for maintenance, but because of the sheer number of other supplements that I had to give, I had to compromise and only give it once a day. Same goes if we are undergoing antibiotics/ antimicrobials/ antifungals/ antivirals treatment. But post-treatment, I would dose 2-3 times a day. Depending on their reaction and needs of course. Some people do better if they dose probiotics before meals, for some people they can’t tolerate probiotics before bed as it causes stomach complaints. Over time, you will find the best dosing schedule for your little sweet pea.

I know a very dedicated biomed mum who doses her children with 7 different strains of probiotics individually which she needs to rotate daily in 5 (yes, FIVE!) doses a day! I nearly fainted when I saw her supplements schedule! She is following a specific gut treatment plan according to the Dr Amy Yasko’s protocol. It may seem very aggressive, however she has found that this has worked best for her children.

For some people, they cannot tolerate probiotics. Instead, they may react better to other sources of natural probiotics. Kefir, yoghurt, fermented foods and other cultured foods that provides natural sources of good bacteria. Fermented and cultured foods and drinks are also a more economical source of getting probiotics into your diet. Please check out Cultured & Fermented.

Btw, Bio-Life probiotics are cultured on dairy, thus it is not casein-free. If you are on a strict GFCF diet, you may consider changing to casein-free probiotics. Once you start doing higher doses, you may consider investing in high-potency multi-strain casein-free probiotics. I am not qualified to give medical or nutritional advice, please consult your physician or nutritionist to manage your son’s medical treatment.

Hope this helps!

Marissa