Constipation is a common concern among children, and it can be a source of discomfort and frustration for both children and parents alike. Therefore, it’s important to understand what causes constipation, what are the symptoms, and how it can be managed.

What is Constipation?

Constipation refers to infrequent bowel movements or difficulty in passing stools. It is typically defined as having fewer than three bowel movements per week, accompanied by hard, dry stools that are difficult to pass. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including diet, hydration, lack of physical activity, certain medications, and stress. Check out the image below to see what stool looks like during constipation, healthy stool, through to diarrhoea.

(Click the photo to view it in a larger size)

• Diet: A diet low in fibre and high in processed foods can contribute to constipation. Encouraging a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains is essential for regular bowel movements.

• Hydration: Inadequate fluid intake can lead to dehydration which contributes to constipation. If there is not enough water in the body, the large intestine absorbs the water from the food waste, making the stool hard and dry.

• Lack of Physical Activity: Regular physical activity helps stimulate bowel movements. Encouraging children to engage in active play, sports, or other physical activities can aid in supporting healthy bowel function. Enrolling children in outside school activities can increase physical activity.

• Toilet Training Issues: Delaying or pushing children to toilet train before they are ready can lead to constipation. It’s important to provide a relaxed and supportive environment during toilet training and avoid pressuring or creating anxiety around bowel movements.

Managing Children’s Constipation:

• Dietary Modifications: Increasing fibre intake by including more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes in the diet. Fibre can soften the stool so that it is easier to pass. Sources of fibre include, kiwi, broccoli, blueberries and even popcorn! Avoid excessive consumption of processed foods, sugary snacks, and drinks.

• Yakult: Yakult is a fermented milk drink filled with live beneficial bacteria known as Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain (LcS). It is a probiotic that can survive to reach the intestines alive where it positively alters the bacteria in the gut, to improve stool consistency. Therefore, it can help reduce the occurrence of constipation.

• Hydration: Ensuring children drink enough water throughout the day is important to maintain proper hydration. Carrying a water bottle will make it easier for children to access water. Adding fruits to the water may encourage children to drink if they are resistant. Also, letting them choose a fun water bottle helps them take ownership and encourage more frequent hydration breaks.

• Establish Regular Bathroom Habits: Encourage children to sit on the toilet for a few minutes at the same time every day, preferably after meals. This helps establish a routine and promotes regular bowel movements. Provide a footstool for proper positioning and consider using child-friendly toilet seats or potty chairs, if needed. It is also important to create a supportive and open environment where children feel comfortable discussing any concerns or fears related to bowel movements.

Understanding and effectively managing children’s constipation is crucial for their well-being. By implementing dietary modifications, promoting hydration, encouraging physical activity, and establishing regular bathroom habits, parents can help alleviate and prevent constipation in their children. If constipation persists or becomes chronic, it’s important to consult a paediatrician for further evaluation and guidance. Remember, patience, support, and a holistic approach are key to promoting healthy bowel habits in children.

Yakult helps with keeping us feeling good from the inside out! To get your daily bottle of goodness, you can buy Yakult from your nearest major supermarkets or your local independent grocery stores.

Reference:

1. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/constipation-and-children
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1824-7288-37-28

Prepare for cuteness overload! Our brand-new television commercial stars the most adorable children you’ve ever seen. Get ready to be charmed as they bring joy, laughter, and heart-warming moments to your screens.

Celebrate the innocence and wonder of childhood as they experience both good and bad days coming home from school in our captivating new ad. No matter what kind of day you’ve had, a bottle of Yakult can bring on a smile while helping to promote digestive balance.

Enjoy a bottle of Yakult today and tune in to experience this fun commercial featuring these adorable little stars!

Find Yakult Man Blue at our Dandenong South factory and share it via Instagram Story to win!

Tag @yakult_australia in the Instagram story. 

For more information, please read below.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these Terms and Conditions. Participation in this promotion is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
2. The Promoter of this competition is Yakult Australia Pty Ltd (ABN: 97 055 486 443) of Locked Bag 1403 Dandenong South, Victoria, 3164 Australia. Telephone: (03) 9238 4700
3. The giveaway is a game of skill. The giveaway commences 8.00AM AEDT 3/4/2023 and closes 11.59PM AEDT on 25/4/2023 (“Promotional Period”), however, the eligible entry period for each weekly prize will commence and conclude on the following dates and times.
   

   Entry Period	Start Date	Time (AEDT)	Closing Date	Time (AEDT)	Winner Publication Date	Number of Winners
   1	3/4/2023	8.00AM	9/4/2023	11.59PM	11/4/2023	3
   2	10/4/2023	12.00AM	16/4/2023	11.59PM	17/4/2023	3
   3	17/4/2023	12.00AM	25/4/2023	11.59PM	26/4/2023	3

4. Entries will be judged weekly with winners to be contacted within 2 days of publication dates via Yakult Australia’s Instagram Direct Message.
5. Competition Rules:
6. 1. To be eligible to enter, individuals must:
   2. Share an Instagram Story using the “Flying Yakult Man” Instagram Filter.
   3. Tag @yakult_australia in the Instagram StoryMultiple entries are permitted, but each entry must be different and each entrant can only win one prize
   4. If a competition winner does not respond to their message notifying them that they are the confirmed winner by 7 days of notification, they will forfeit their post as a confirmed giveaway participant and the next eligible entrant will be selected.
   5. The competition is only open to Eligible Entrants. An “Eligible Entrant” is an individual who: (i) is a resident of Australia aged 18 years or older as at the time of entry; (ii) is not an employee of the Promoter or any of its related corporations or any of their agencies associated with the giveaway; (iii) is not a spouse, defacto spouse, parent, child or sibling (whether full, half, step or by adoption) of such an employee.

   
   Judging Criteria

   All Entries will be judged against the following set of criteria:

   7. Creativity or response and alignment with the spirit of the competition.
   8. This is a game of skill, chance plays no part in determining the winner. Each entry will be judged individually based on the creativity of the comment. The judges’ decision in relation to any aspect of the giveaway will be final and binding on every person who enters. No correspondence will be entered into. Entrants agree that they are fully responsible for the Content they submit. The Promoter shall not be liable in any way for such Content to the full extent permitted by law. Entrants warrant and agree that: (a) they will not submit any Content that is unlawful or fraudulent, or that the Promoter may deem in breach of any intellectual property, privacy, publicity or other rights, defamatory, obscene, derogatory, pornographic, sexually inappropriate, violent, abusive, harassing, threatening, objectionable with respect to race, religion, origin or gender, not suitable for children aged under 15, or otherwise unsuitable for publication; (b) they will obtain prior content from any person who has jointly created or has any rights in the Content, to the uses and terms herein; (d) their Content shall not contain viruses or cause injury or harm to any person or entity; and ( e) they will comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including without limitation, those governing copyright, content, defamation, privacy, publicity and the access or use of others’ computer or communication systems.
   9. The promotion consists of one weekly announcement of the winners.

   
   The winners will be announced on the below dates:

   The winners will be announced on 11/4/2023, 17/4/2023, and 26/4/2023 via the Yakult Australia Instagram page (winner announcement post) and contacted via Yakult Australia’s Instagram Direct Message.

   
   Prize Information

   10. Promotional Prize Pool is valued at $225 and includes:
   • 9 Yakult Australia Merchandise Prize Packs with a RRP of $25 (each)
   • There will be 3 prize winners from each week’s entries – 9 prize winners in total.

During 2020, Yakult Australia launched the Virtual Reality (VR) experience of the Yakult Factory. Now, Yakult Australia is ready to launch two NEW Augmented Reality (AR) experiences!  These AR filters allow you to immerse yourself in the factory experience and learn about the benefits of probiotics in an interactive way.

To understand how to use these filters before you arrive at the factory, please see the instructions below:

TIPS:

• Keep the camera aimed at the image on the wall while you watch the experience unfold.
• Remember to turn on your sound!
• You can save or share these on your story!

If you would like to try this yourself, come along to our next tour to try our new AR experiences!

We had the pleasure to host Yakult Singapore as part of a learning exchange trip to Yakult Australia in February this year. This exchange provided a valuable opportunity for both teams to learn from each other, share best practices, and strengthen our partnership as part of the Yakult worldwide group.

During their trip, we were able to learn about both our public relations, sales operations, and distribution processes. They visited our production facility, meet our staff, and exchange ideas and experiences with our team.

We are confident that this exchange will not only enhance our understanding of each other’s business practices but also help us to identify areas of improvement and develop new solutions to better serve our customers. It was a fruitful learning exchange and we look forward to a stronger partnership between Yakult Australia and Yakult Singapore.

#YakultAustralia #YakultSingapore #LearningExchange #PartnershipBuilding #BusinessImprovement #TeamBuilding

Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new. It is the most important holiday in China, one also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population.

To hop into the year of rabbit on the right foot, we opened our factory in Dandenong, Victoria to over 300 people during our 2 days’ Lunar New Year celebrations.

In addition to a tour of our factory, we provided delicious free Yakult sampling and craft activities. All attendees including children and their families participated in a spinning wheel lucky draw competition to win a prize. Our mascot Yakult Man also joined us for photographs. Everyone received Yakult customised red envelopes (lucky pockets) in the tradition of Lunar New Year. Check out our video to enjoy a snapshot of this amazing event!

For over 80 years, Yakult has been a probiotic drink enjoyed by many families around the world. During this time there has been new research delving further into specific bacteria and their similarities to each other. Therefore, altering the name of the unique strain to reflect this update.

First, let’s talk about the history of Yakult:

During the 1930s, Dr. Minoru Shirota was a scientist and a medical researcher who dedicated his life to trying to find a way to help the digestive system. Through an extensive amount of research, in 1930 he found the Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) strain and in 1935 he created the drinks we now know as Yakult.

Moving forward to 2023:

With new technological advancements in recent years, the LcS strain now has a new name. New developments have enable scientists to reclassify bacteria into more groups, hence the name change. Scientific tools are used to look at the genetics of bacteria and their similarities to each other. They are then put into groups allowing for greater specification. This gives scientists a better understanding of each bacteria group. The new name for Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain is Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota strain (LcS).

The LcS strain is still proven to:

• survive and reach the intestines alive,
• where it positively alters and increases the beneficial bacteria,
• to help improve stool consistency.

So, what does this mean for us?

Not much really! The strain and benefits in Yakult are the same. However, the name on the packaging will be updated sometime this year. So, keep an eye out for that!

To put it simply, same strain just a different name!

Happy New Year 2023!

We would like to thank all our supporters in the past year – we couldn’t have done it without you! And wishing you positive new beginnings in 2023.

In this January school holiday, we have prepared loads of fun activities and programs for you and your loved ones!

Events in January

Yakult Australia Factory Tours (1 hour)   |   Sessions available throughout the month

• Suitable for all ages (minimum 2 years old)

Yakult Australia has been offering guided factory tours since 2001 for visitors to view the entire production of Yakult safely through large viewing windows. After a major revamp of our factory viewing facility in 2020, Yakult now offers a fresher look – a futuristic and innovative design with modernistic graphics to display more information for our visitors.

Yakult Australia – 养乐多工厂参观 (Mandarin-guided) 中文解说 (1 hour)   |   Sessions available throughout the month

• Suitable for all ages (minimum 2 years old)

Since June 2021, Yakult Australia has started running Mandarin-guided factory tours. This offers an opportunity for Mandarin-speaking communities to visit and explore the story of how Yakult is made.

Yakult Australia School Holiday Program – January 2023 (2 hours)   |   17^th January – 31^st January

• Suitable for primary school-aged children with families

Yakult Australia’s School Holiday Program was launched in April 2019. In this 2-hour fun packed session, visitors will not only learn about how Yakult is made but also the importance of healthy eating and our digestive system. Besides that, program attendees will also have opportunities to do some creative craft activities using our Yakult bottles.

Yakult Australia Lunar New Year Celebrations   |   24th January – 25th January 9.30am – 3.30pm

• Suitable for all ages (minimum 2 years old)

Yakult Australia is hosting a 2-day event to celebrate Lunar New Year 2023, including guided factory tours in English and Mandarin. We will also have art and craft activities, free Yakult sampling, lucky draws, and the opportunity to meet and greet our friendly Yakult Man mascot!

All activities are free. You can book guided factory tour tickets in advance to guarantee entry, or simply turn up on the day and join the celebrations.

• Yakult Australia Lunar New Year Celebrations (English Guided Tour) (45 minutes | 11am and 2pm)
• Yakult Australia 养乐多工厂农历新年庆祝活动 – 工厂参观中文解说 (45 minutes | 10am, 1pm and 3pm)

Please note that the minimum age to attend the factory tours is 2 years old and above. There is no pram/ stroller access at our facility.

If you wish to attend any of these events, please book your spots by visiting the link here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/yakult-australia-32291218257