Your baby needs bacteria. I know, that sounds icky and goes against our instinct that bacteria = bad. But those probiotics may be what your little one needs for a happy, healthy digestive and immune systems. And they might just save you hours of frustration and missed sleep.

1. Probiotics Build a Healthy Gut

As adults, we have trillions of friendly gut bacteria that help us maintain a healthy digestive system. Just like fingerprints, this collection of bacteria is unique to each and every person. Some of the body functions they help out with include:

• Digesting foods your stomach and small intestine aren’t able to
• Producing vitamins (such as B and K)
• Keep bad bacteria under control

But it doesn’t start that way. When babies are in the womb, their tummies are a blank slate. Once they are out and about, they begin to gather bacteria. Introducing “good” bacteria during the first three years of life, through a diet rich in probiotic foods or probiotic supplements, paves the way to a healthy, balanced gut microbiome later in life!

1. Probiotics Support a Strong Immune System

The immune system is our first line of defence against bugs and while we don’t often think of it that way, the gut is part of this defence. A healthy gut is especially important in babies and small children, whose immunity is still in development! Supplementing with probiotics might even help reduce the use of antibiotics! Research has shown that probiotics can help reduce the incidence and duration of respiratory, digestive, and ear infections in children.

1. Probiotics can Help Fight Colic

The exact cause of baby colic is a matter of debate within the medical community, but probiotics could be a light at the end of the tunnel for frustrated parents! Studies have linked certain probiotic strains to shorter crying times in breastfed babies with colicky symptoms, as well as fewer colic-related phone calls and visits to the doctor.

Our Baby Probiotic Drops with Vitamin D feature a clinically-proven blend of probiotic strains and the sunshine vitamin for a balanced gut microbiome, healthy bones and teeth, and less tears!

1. Probiotics Leave Less Room for Bad Bacteria

The gut is like a tiny ecosystem. As bacteria starts to settle in, they compete with each other for food and space. By adding good bacteria to your baby’s gut, you’re ensuring that the resources available in the gut are being used by the good guys before the bad guys can even get there!

Have you started supplementing your little one’s diet with probiotics?

References 

Gut microbiota info (Gut Microbiota for Health)

https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/en/about-gut-microbiota-info/

Probiotics and immune health (Yan, F. & Polk, D.B. in Current opinion in gastroenterology )

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4006993/

Probiotics could reduce the need for antibiotics during childhood (Cristina Saez in Gut Microbiota for Health, 2011)

https://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/en/probiotics-could-reduce-the-need-for-antibiotics-during-childhood/

Lactobacillus reuteri (American Type Culture Collection Strain 55730) versus simethicone in the treatment of infantile colic: a prospective randomized study (Savino et al. in Pediatrics, 2007)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17200238

Preventive effects of oral probiotic on infantile colic: a prospective, randomised, blinded, controlled trial using Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (Savino et al. in Beneficial Microbes, 2015)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25488262