We have all had that feeling, not looking after ourselves, sore head, sore tummy and, well, perhaps that round of tequila shots at 1am wasnt the best idea.
However whilst we can often do something about it (such as swear we will never drink again?) little toddlers can’t, they have to leave it to the older humans!
Digestive problems can be anything from mild bloating and wind to stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and indigestion, with different levels of severity. Thankfully, most of these are fairly benign and some even resolve themselves, but some are more persistent. It’s no surprise though that most of the problems toddlers have with their tummies are due to their diet and that changing their diet often resolves them.
If you’ve noticed a change in digestive health since switching your toddler from breastmilk to formula or starting them on solids, you can almost guarantee that their eating habits are playing a role. A great first step in trying to solve digestive issues is to follow a diet with no allergy-inducing foods. Some parents immediately cut everything out of their child’s diet and painstakingly start them back on one food type at a time, which indicates the lengths parents go to in order to ease their precious little one’s pain. This may be the best choice for serious digestive upsets; however, for less serious tummy troubles, you can start by helping to create a healthy gut flora for your toddler.
Prebiotics are a type of fibre that feeds probiotics (good bacteria) and this makes them vital to good digestive health. The prebiotic oligosaccharides (oligos) are found in breastmilk aren’t only perfect for babies’ digestion, but also have other benefits, like boosting immunity. For toddlers who are no longer breastfeeding, a great source of these prebiotics is goat’s milk formula, like Oli6 toddler or junior milk drink.
We have chatted to the specialists at Oli6 which is a
goat’s milk formula, and come up with some advice on why it works:
It improves digestive health overall
The prebiotics in Oli6 contains around six times the oligos of cows milk – has been shown to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria by increasing the helpful bacteria in the digestive tract. This prevents the infections and illness that these bad bacteria can cause. These natural prebiotics also aid digestion by making water easier to absorb, leading to less dehydration and diarrhoea. Goat’s milk formulas like Oli6 also contain phospholipids, which can reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections.
It mimics human milk nutrients
While human breast milk is always considered the best choice, goat’s milk has many simularities to human milk in the way it delivers similar levels of important nutrients. It has similar amounts of amino acids, which helps to regulate immune function, builds muscles and more. It also has similar levels of phospholipids – which helps to maintain cell membrane strength and flexibility – and nucleotides, which are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA.
It has plenty of calcium
Compared to cow’s milk, goat’s milk has higher levels of calcium. In fact, it contains a whopping 10% more! Great news for those tough little teeth and bones.
Goat’s milk formula is a great option
Goats milk formula has many benefits and is naturally high in Vitamin A for eyesight, Vitamin C for immunity, calcium for bones and teeth, Magnesium for development and of course natural pre biotics for gut health and immunity. Goat’s milk doesn’t require quite as many additives because it already naturally has many of the nutrients needed for proper growth and development. Goat’s Milk formulas are no exception and they only add what is absolutely necessary to make their formulas meet the required essential nutrients.
So, as you can see, there are plenty of reasons to try a quality goat’s milk – like Oli6 – to see if it resolves your toddler’s tummy troubles. If not, there are other dietary changes to try with the help of your family doctor, but goat’s milk can still be used as part of your toddler’s ongoing diet to help keep their digestive flora healthy.
