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Prebiotic & Probiotic Baby & Toddler Foods for 6 months, 8 months & 12 months & Up
Melissa Rifkin is a Connecticut-based Registered Dietitian with over 15 years of experience working in the clinical setting and running the popular, nutrition-education Instagram account, @confessionofadietitian. Melissa hopes to show that healthy meals and snacks do not have to be time consuming and can be made to work for the whole family. Melissa is mom to Max, 4, and Leo, 2, and uses her platform to share practical tips for managing motherhood and feeding kiddos.
A healthy gut is important at all stages of life. As an adult, you may have considered what gut health means for yourself, but the same attention should be given to how pre- and probiotics benefit babies and toddlers. Prebiotics serve as the food source for probiotics, often referred to as the “gut bugs” that contribute to your microbiome. In order to maintain a healthy balance of gut probiotics, a diet rich in prebiotics is necessary.
Babies and toddlers are building their microbiomes, so dietary sources of pre-and probiotics are especially important. You can read more about the benefits of each, and how they work together in our blog: Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: what’s the difference. Beech-Nut has created a variety of delicious, convenient products that contain pre- and probiotics. You can see the full list here!
To help familiarize you with the variety of products offered, I’ve got an easy-to-follow guide on the newest Beech-Nut foods with prebiotics & probiotics for every age & stage:
Stage 2 Baby Foods with Prebiotics (6+ months)
- Beech-Nut® Organics Banana Berry Yogurt with Prebiotics
- Beech-Nut® Organics Banana Orange Yogurt with Prebiotics
Yogurt naturally contains probiotics. Beech-Nut created the first baby food jars with added prebiotics. Combining prebiotics with probiotics creates what we dietitians refer to as a “symbiotic” food. These fruit and yogurt jars contain inulin, a prebiotic fiber. Prebiotics can support gut health and digestion, according to Foods Journals.
Both flavors are made with one full serving of fruit and whole milk and are USDA Certified Organic and non-GMO. These jars also do not have any artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors, sometimes found in other baby food products. They are also super delicious and your little one will gobble them right up.
Stage 3 Baby Foods with Probiotics (8+ months)
- Beech-Nut® Melties Pear, Mango, Spinach & Yogurt with Probiotics
- Beech-Nut® Melties Apple, Carrot, Mango &Yogurt with Probiotics
Stage 4 Baby & Toddler foods with Prebiotics (12+ months)
🥳For kiddos who have celebrated their first birthday, these snacks & pouches are great! Beech-Nut offers a variety of biscuits and pouches with prebiotic fiber.
This blend of fruit and veggies provides 2 grams of prebiotic fiber. As mentioned, prebiotics can promote proper digestion and immunity. When we are on the go, pouches are one of my go-to snacks for the boys. I know my kids will love its sweet flavor and I feel good about what is inside.
This blend of fruit and veggies provides 2 grams of prebiotic fiber. As mentioned, prebiotics can promote proper digestion and immunity. When we are on the go, pouches are one of my go-to snacks for the boys. I know my kids will love its sweet flavor and I feel good about what is inside.
- Beech-Nut® Banana & Yogurt Dino Biscuits with Prebiotics
- Beech-Nut® Blueberry & Yogurt Dino Biscuits with Prebiotics
Not only are these dino-shaped biscuits adorable, they also contain fruit, yogurt, and prebiotics. They also contain 10 grams of whole grains per serving, making them a great alternative to traditional cookies. Even better, they have only 3 grams of sugar per serving. My boys feel like they are getting a treat because they look like cookies, and we incorporate them into interactive snacks, like this “prehistoric parfait” to make eating fun.
- Beech-Nut® Banana, Mango, Passion Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie with Prebiotics
- Beech-Nut® Apple, Cherry, Kiwi, Purple Carrot & Yogurt Smoothie with Prebiotics
Beech-Nut® created a fruit & yogurt smoothie that contains prebiotics from chicory root fiber. Not to mention, the bananas & apples in these pouches naturally provide some prebiotics, too. Both smoothies are made with whole milk yogurt, provide a full serving of fruit, and contain zero added sweeteners. These smoothie pouches are great for on-the-go eating and are made with the same high-quality ingredients you’ve come to see in all Beech-Nut® products.