BioGaia Baby Probiotic Drops Review: Do They Actually Work for Colic?
BioGaia Protectis Baby Probiotic Drops | Colic & Gas Relief + Vitamin D | Safe for Newborns | Ease Crying, Fussing, Colic, Gas, Spit-ups & Constipation | No Dairy, Soy & Gluten | 50 Day Supply | 10mL
BioGaia
- SOOTHES CRYING, FUSSING, COLIC & GAS: For over 20 years, BioGaia Baby has been soothing babies with colic & fussy tummies.* Trust BioGaia Baby, the most studied probiotic for colic in the world.*
- SAFE FOR NEWBORNS: Simple & safe for babies from the first day of life. Great for breast-fed, bottle-fed, and mixed-fed infants.
- NATURALLY RELIEVES BABIES' DIGESTIVE DISCOMFORT: Works naturally in the digestive system to relieve colic, gas, spit-ups, and occasional constipation & diarrhea.*
- NATURALLY FOUND IN BREAST MILK: Unlike drugs and gripe water, BioGaia Baby with Vitamin D contains probiotics naturally found in breast milk that ease babies’ digestive discomfort and promote a happy tummy.*
Quick Verdict
Pros
- Over 25 years of clinical research backing the L. reuteri strain used in these drops
- Free from dairy, soy, gluten, sugar and artificial additives — ideal for babies with allergies or sensitivities
- Only 5 drops daily, which makes dosing simple even with a crying, squirmy infant
- Vitamin D already included — no need for a separate supplement in the early months
- Comes as a 50-day supply so you get decent runway to assess whether it works for your baby
- The dropper design keeps contamination minimal compared to spoon-based supplements
Cons
- Must be refrigerated after opening — inconvenient for travel or day care use
- Pricier per dose than basic gripe water or simethicone options
- Results aren't guaranteed — some babies improve noticeably, others show minimal change
- The oil suspension can feel slightly gritty in the mouth, though most babies swallow it without issue
Quick Verdict
The BioGaia baby probiotic drops are among the most researched infant probiotic products on the market. The L. reuteri strain they use has genuine clinical backing for reducing crying time in colicky babies — not just marketing speak. I saw modest improvement in my son's gas discomfort by week two, though the effect wasn't dramatic. At roughly $0.80 per day, they're a reasonable investment if your newborn is struggling with colic, but they're not a miracle cure and results vary. I'd recommend them for parents who've tried conventional gas drops without success and want a more evidence-driven approach.
Rating: 4.3 / 5
What Are the BioGaia Protectis Baby Probiotic Drops?
The BioGaia Protectis Baby Probiotic Drops are a liquid supplement containing the Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 strain — one of the most studied probiotic bacteria in pediatric medicine. Each 5-drop serving delivers approximately 100 million live CFU (colony-forming units) along with 400 IU of vitamin D3, which covers the daily vitamin D recommendation for infants under 12 months according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The product is housed in a 10 mL amber glass bottle with a dropper cap designed to deliver exactly 5 drops per use. The oil-based suspension keeps the probiotic bacteria stable, and the formulation is deliberately free from dairy, soy, gluten, sugar, and artificial additives. BioGaia has been producing this specific product line for over two decades, with the Protectis strain appearing in more than 200 clinical studies. That's a research depth you simply don't find with most supplement brands targeting infants.
Key Features
- L. reuteri DSM 17938 — the specific, clinically validated strain with the deepest infant research base
- 5 drops = 1 serving — simpler dosing than powders or sachets that require mixing
- Vitamin D3 included — 400 IU per serving, meeting the full AAP daily recommendation
- Free from top allergens — no dairy, soy, gluten, sugar, artificial colors or flavors
- 50-day supply per bottle — 10 mL total at 5 drops daily
- Oil-based suspension — protects live bacteria and can be given directly or mixed with milk
- Refrigeration required after opening — maintains bacterial viability throughout use
Hands-On Review
I'll be honest: I almost didn't buy these drops. My pediatrician mentioned them in passing, and I figured it was just another expensive supplement with vague promises. Then came the 2 a.m. sessions where my son would arch his back, grunt, and cry for what felt like hours — even after burping, swaddling, and the classic colic-hold. I was desperate enough to try anything within reason.
Day one with the BioGaia drops was underwhelming. You shake the bottle, wait ten seconds (the instructions are annoyingly specific about this), then tilt and squeeze exactly five drops onto a spoon or directly into the baby's mouth. My son accepted them without protest — the drops have a faint sweet, oily taste that doesn't seem to offend newborn palates. The dropper mechanism is better than most supplement bottles I've used; it doesn't glug or deliver random splashes.
By day five, I noticed fewer visible signs of gas discomfort — less straining, fewer grunting episodes after feeding. By day ten, the improvement was more consistent. The crying fits weren't gone entirely, but they shortened from 45-minute ordeals to more manageable 15-20 minute stretches. By the end of week three, I'd call the overall change a modest but real win. I should note: I also cut out dairy in my diet (since I'm breastfeeding) around the same time, so I can't pin all the credit on the probiotic. That confound is worth keeping in mind if you're evaluating these yourself.
What surprised me was the vitamin D angle. I hadn't realized I was supposed to be supplementing vitamin D separately for a breastfed infant. Having it built into the probiotic drops removed one more mental load from the newborn fog. The bottle lasted exactly 50 days as advertised, and I didn't notice any drop in the oil's consistency or effectiveness toward the end — a sign the formulation is stable.
The refrigeration requirement is mildly inconvenient. Taking the bottle to my in-laws' house for a weekend required packing it in a small cooler bag. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's worth knowing if you travel frequently or rely on daycare to administer supplements.
Who Should Buy It?
These drops are worth considering if:
- Your newborn (0-3 months) has been diagnosed with colic or displays classic colic symptoms — prolonged crying, red face, pulled-up legs, hard belly
- Conventional gas drops or simethicone products aren't cutting it. If you've been through a bottle of Mylicon with minimal results, the probiotic approach works through a different mechanism
- Your baby is breastfed and you're already supplementing vitamin D — combining both in one product saves time and reduces the number of products you handle each day
- Your family has a history of eczema, allergies, or autoimmune conditions — early probiotic exposure is theoretically beneficial for immune programming, though the evidence here is more preliminary than for colic
Skip these drops if your baby is feeding well, sleeping in reasonable stretches, and showing no signs of digestive distress. There's no evidence that probiotic supplementation benefits infants without gastrointestinal symptoms — and you'd be spending money you don't need to spend.
Alternatives Worth Considering
If you're weighing options, here are two alternatives that take different approaches to the same problem:
- Colic Calm Gripe Water — A gentler, more affordable option that uses a blend of herbal ingredients (chamomile, ginger, fennel) rather than probiotic bacteria. Works faster on immediate gas bubbles but doesn't address underlying gut microbiome health. Better for parents who want relief right now rather than long-term support.
- Infacol Simethicone Drops — A medication-based gas relief option that works within 30 minutes by breaking down gas bubbles. Doesn't require refrigeration and costs significantly less per dose. Ideal if you need quick symptom relief while deciding whether to invest in a probiotic trial.
FAQ
Most parents report noticing changes within 1-2 weeks of consistent daily use. Clinical studies evaluating the L. reuteri strain have measured improvements over 3-4 week periods. If you see no difference by day 28, the product may simply not agree with your baby's system.
Final Verdict
The BioGaia Protectis Baby Probiotic Drops occupy a legitimate corner of the infant supplement market — one backed by real science rather than vague wellness claims. The L. reuteri strain has appeared in enough peer-reviewed trials that recommending it doesn't feel like an act of blind faith. In my experience, they contributed to a noticeable reduction in my son's gas-related distress over three weeks, and the vitamin D bonus was a genuine convenience. They're not cheap, and they're not guaranteed to work for every baby. But for parents navigating the colic phase with a fussy newborn, these drops are a reasonable, evidence-supported tool to try before escalating to prescription options or more invasive interventions.