How to Cultivate, Preserve and Protect Your Kids Microbiome

WHAT IS THE MICROBIOME?

Everyone has a unique microbiome that houses nearly 100 trillion bacteria. Different kinds of bacteria have different tasks within our body. About 85 percent of them are beneficial probiotics and these help our little ones produce vitamins, absorb nutrients, regulate their immune system, and nfluence their mood. The first few years of a child’s life are crucial for proper microbiome development and help establish their gut health for years to come. Although a baby’s gut is mostly sterile in the womb (the placenta does contain some microbes), the major microbial inoculation begins as the baby descends through the birth canal, picking up vaginal bacteria along the way.

WHAT IMPACT DOES THE MICROBIOME HAVE ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM?

I often tell my clients that gut health is everything - and it’s true! More than 80% of your immune system lives in the lining of your gut. When good bacteria are destroyed, the bad bacteria proliferate, which can lead to leaky gut and a variety of poor health conditions. Just one round of antibiotics decreases gut microbiome diversity by 30% or more. The diversity of the microbiome is key for immunity, nutrient absorption, and effects on the brain. The microbiome also plays a role in a number of diseases caused by a disturbance in the normal balance of microbes. Low diversity of the microbiome can cause certain illnesses and conditions.

HOW TO BUILD THE MICROBIOME OF YOUR INFANT

• FOCUS ON YOUR GUT HEALTH: Making sure your baby’s microbiome develops properly starts with nurturing your own gastrointestinal system during pregnancy. It’s not just your genes that will pass down to your growing baby, but also your microbes.

• TAKE A QUALITY PROBIOTIC DURING PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM: Probiotics contribute to better gut health during pregnancy, which in turn, support the gut health of the baby. This is my favorite probiotic for mamas. (code livewild saves you 10%).

• MICROBIOME SEEDING: Microbiome seeding is generally regarded to start at birth (though new research is starting to propose that microbial transmission could occur in the womb via the placenta), through the vaginal canal, skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding. 

• BIRTH – C SECTION VS VAGINAL: Vaginal births are ideal for boosting the immune system and microbiome of your baby right from the start, but if that is not an option, you can look to support them by breastfeeding and/or focusing on a nutrient-dense diet. 

HOW TO BUILD THE MICROBIOME OF YOUR CHILD

• FIND A KID-FRIENDLY PROBIOTIC: Find a high-quality probiotic with at least 10-12 strains. My favorite is Mary Ruths Infant and Children’s Probiotic.

• OFFER FERMENTED & SUPPORTIVE FOODS FOR DIGESTION: Offer foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, yogurt, etc. as they are high in probiotics. Eliminate gut-damaging foods. Processed foods, conventional dairy, GMO foods, gluten, and sugar cause some level of gut damage for most people. Bad bacteria feed off of sugar, so the single most impactful way to heal your gut is to kick the sugar habit.

• DON’T OVER-SANITIZE: Of course, we know that good hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. It’s not just the visible grime you should be worried about. A good scrubbing physically removes disease-causing germs. Just be careful about over-sanitizing.

• LET YOUR KIDS PLAY IN THE DIRT: And speaking of dirt, get outside and play in the dirt with your kids! It’s one of the best ways to boost your child’s gut health and immune system. Whether it’s gardening or making mud pies, this is therapeutic as well as healthy. Shielding kids from dirt may weaken their immune systems.

• FOCUS ON THE SKIN: The skin has its own microbiome. Just like in the gut, the skin protects against pathogens invading from the outside environment. When the healthy balance between the good and bacteria is upset, it can contribute to skin disorders and diseases. I love Mary Ruths Probiotic Spray for helping the skin microbiome. This is great for diaper rash too!

• USE ANTIBIOTICS ONLY WHEN NECESSARY: When the number of good bacteria in your intestinal tract is outnumbered by the bad you may experience gas, bloating, diarrhea, and even constipation. These symptoms can range from mild to quite severe. While just getting sick can result in decreased numbers of good probiotic bacteria, antibiotic use is one of the primary reasons that good bacteria gets wiped from our system.

• PETS: Studies show that having your little one around household pets (mainly cats and dogs) can positively impact their immune system and microbiome.

WHEN IT COMES TO ANTIBIOTIC USE, DR. JOSH AXE, DNM, DC, CNS SUGGESTS:

• Don’t take an antibiotic for asthma symptoms, seasonal allergy symptoms, or viral infections like a cold, stomach virus, or the flu.

• Keep antibiotic use to when it’s absolutely necessary and only to treat bacterial infections in order to prevent antibiotic resistance.

• Never share antibiotics and don’t save antibiotics to use at a later time to take when you’re sick again. Always throw away any pills that are left over after your treatment is over.

• Follow antibiotic prescription directions very carefully — don’t skip doses, double up on doses or stop without finishing the cycle.

 NATURAL REMEDIES FOR GUT HEALTH: There are several natural options to help boost gut health and lower inflammation. Along with the probiotics and prebiotics mentioned above, add these foods into your meals to boost the gut health of your family:

1. Turmeric

2. Oil of Oregano

3. Echinacea

4. Garlic

5. Onions

6. Manuka Honey