As a parent, ensuring your baby’s health is your top priority. You strive to provide the best nutrition, comfort, and care. When it comes to gut health, probiotics are often recommended to support a healthy digestive system and boost overall wellness. But navigating the world of probiotics can be confusing, especially when considering the unique needs of little ones.
Let’s explore two striking statistics from babies who have taken a Tiny Health Gut Test to shed light on this issue.
41.6% of babies are taking the wrong probiotics
Nearly half of the babies on probiotics before their Tiny Health test were not receiving the strains most beneficial for their specific gut needs. There are numerous probiotic species and strains, each with different effects on the body.
Personalized probiotics: why one size doesn’t fit all
Imagine giving your baby a Lactobacillus probiotic, but discovering that a Bifidobacterium probiotic would help them. For example, your 2-month-old baby has digestive issues, and you suspect colic. You give your baby Lactobacillus reuteri, often recommended for colic [1], [2]. Symptoms decrease, but they don’t resolve completely. After a Tiny Health Gut Test, you find your baby has low levels of Bifidobacterium. The Action Plan recommends a probiotic with specific Bifidobacterium strains. You start giving it to your baby, and a couple of months later, symptoms subside. It turns out your baby was on the wrong probiotic.
But don’t panic, because when we say “wrong,” we don’t mean harmful. It’s just that the L. reuteri probiotic was likely not addressing the root cause. Lactobacillus bacteria are beneficial and can help with symptoms and digestive health as they pass through the gut [3]. However, they don’t stay there.
Bifidobacterium, on the other hand, are essential bacteria for your baby’s early months and we want to see high levels of them in the gut. These bacteria digest breastmilk sugars, known as Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs), leading to the production of short-chain fatty acids, major players in gut health [4]. Unlike Lactobacillus bacteria, the right strains of Bifidobacterium can stay in your baby’s gut, crowding out unfriendly bacteria that may contribute to digestive issues.
The importance of gut microbiome diversity: adjusting your baby’s probiotics strategy
On the flip side, your baby might be on a Bifidobacterium probiotic when a Lactobacillus probiotic would be more suitable. For instance, your 6-month-old baby has been taking Bifidobacterium strains since he was 3 months old. These probiotics reduced his skin rashes, so you continue giving them. Why stop when they're working?
Out of curiosity, you take a Tiny Health Gut Test. The results show your baby has high levels of Bifidobacterium but low diversity, which isn't ideal for his age. While high levels of Bifidobacterium are great for young babies, we want other beneficial microbes to colonize the gut too as babies transition from breastmilk or formula to solid foods. Diversity in a baby’s gut microbiome is crucial as they grow up.
In this situation, you might be concerned about stopping your baby’s probiotic. After all, you don’t want your child’s skin rashes coming back. Your baby’s gut health report recommends Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a strain that helps with eczema [5], [6].
Unlike Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus bacteria provide benefits but often don't colonize. This shift allows a diverse collection of bacteria to start gradually populating your baby’s gut, in a path to higher diversity and a more mature gut microbiome.
77.6% of parents change their baby’s probiotics after taking a Tiny Health Gut Test
The Tiny Health Gut Test analyzes the composition of your baby’s gut microbiome. You get a detailed report with insights into which probiotic strains would be most beneficial, based on their current gut bacteria and symptoms.
Having this information is empowering. In fact, 77.6% of parents change their baby’s probiotics after getting their test results. This shows how valuable personalized probiotic recommendations can be.
The beauty of a test-don’t-guess approach is that you can track how effective probiotics are. Testing again after two or three months on a new probiotic can see if your baby’s gut health is on the right track. You may even be able to see which probiotic strains have colonized your baby’s gut.
Taking the guesswork out of probiotics
The journey to improve your baby’s gut health may seem daunting but choosing the right probiotics is a crucial step. With 41.6% of babies taking a less than ideal probiotic and 77.6% changing their probiotic regimen after microbiome testing, individualized care makes a big difference.
By consulting your baby’s healthcare provider, testing your baby’s microbiome, staying informed, and observing your baby’s response, you can ensure your baby receives the best support for their gut health. We want you to have confidence and know if your baby needs probiotics, and which products are right for them. You have the power to support their lifelong health and development.
Ready to find out which probiotic is right for your baby? Test your baby’s gut microbiome with the Tiny Health Gut Test.
