A prebiotic/probiotic blend in infant formula (like GOS/FOS fibers) can genuinely soften stool and ease straining in babies — but the specific '9 out of 10 children' figure comes from the manufacturer, not an independently verifiable published study.
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The claimed mechanism is real: several independent randomized trials show that adding prebiotics (GOS/FOS) to infant formula softens stool and raises stool frequency in infants with difficult stooling, with an 83% therapeutic success rate vs 56% for the control group in one placebo-controlled trial, and a consistent bifidogenic effect across studies. The precise figure the ad uses ('9 out of 10 children, no straining') matches a proprietary brand-run study we couldn't locate in the independent public literature to verify — so it's unverifiable as stated, without being implausible given the general mechanism. Breast milk remains the reference for infant digestive transit; these enriched formulas are a reasonable option when breastfeeding isn't possible, not a miracle product. The mechanism holds up; the precise statistic doesn't independently check out.
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