When a baby is born, they are at their most vulnerable. Babies do not have the developed immune systems to fight off even the most minor of infections. This is why babies are so susceptible to getting sick. Parents do their best to protect their newborns by limiting visitors holding them, keeping them in clean environments, and avoiding large crowds.
Even a common cold, which is usually just an annoyance for an adult, can be dangerous to a baby. Over time, exposure to germs is good in the sense that it will help build your baby’s immune system, but concerned parents often ask if there’s a better way to protect their babies during this critical time in their development.
While you may think of probiotics as health supplements taken by adults who prioritize holistic health, you might be surprised at how many people truly can benefit from healthy bacteria. Newborn babies are one population that has numerous potential benefits from taking probiotics. Let’s look at why probiotics are good for infants.
The Birth Process and Probiotics
These days, many babies are born vaginally and many are also born via C-section. Did you know that babies who travel through the birth canal actually get their first good bacteria from their mom’s body?
Nature has done an amazing job of setting newborns up for success with this first dose of healthy bacteria from the birth canal. For babies born from a C-section, they miss out on this immunity-boosting part of the birth process, so they are extra prone to getting sick.
While we’ve seen a wide range of infants benefit substantially from probiotics, babies delivered surgically are the perfect candidates for supplementation with infant-specific probiotics.
Breastfeeding and Immunity in Babies
After birth, the next place babies get a chance to boost their immune systems is from their mom’s breast milk. Formula can provide a range of important nutrients, but it cannot give the baby the natural immunity-boosting probiotics found in breastmilk.
If you are able to breastfeed your baby, that’s a great step in the direction of building up his or her healthy bacteria. However, the reality is that many moms cannot or choose not to breastfeed. In these cases, it’s even more important to find a way to optimize your baby’s health. Probiotics for infants are an excellent way to give your baby an even better start to a healthy life, whether you breastfeed or bottle feed.
Which Probiotics Should my Baby Have?
For parents who are starting out the journey of exploring what probiotics are best for babies, you can start learning about them on our website. Natren has a specially formulated probiotic called Life Start which makes it easy to give your infant the probiotics that are most appropriate for them.
Life Start can support a newborn’s gastrointestinal system, which is the hub of many factors of our health. Natren’s probiotics can encourage a healthy digestive environment in breastfed babies who want an extra boost in their health, as well a formula fed babies who do not have the advantage of good bacteria from their mom’s breastmilk.
When to Start Probiotics for Babies
Natren’s probiotics for babies are created to be healthy and helpful from day 1. In fact, you can even start helping to support your baby’s health before they are born.
Many expectant moms choose to take Life Start to give their baby a boost in good bacteria, while he or she is still in the womb. Life Start products are available in dairy, goat’s milk - for those sensitive to dairy - and also vegan, for those avoiding all animal products. You can learn more about Life Start here.
How to Give Probiotics to a Baby
You want to give your infant the benefit of probiotics, but you’re not sure how exactly to administer them. Let’s talk about how you can give your baby probiotics. First, if you are breastfeeding, the probiotics can be mixed with a small amount of water or breastmilk. You can make a paste and apply this to the nipple, so the baby will ingest the probiotics while breastfeeding.
For babies who are bottle fed, you can either follow the same procedure of making a paste and applying it to the nipple of the bottle, or you can mix the probiotics into the milk or formula that your infant is drinking. While our focus here is on probiotics and babies, please note that Life Start can be a healthy benefit to toddlers as well. For these older children, you can mix Life Start into yogurt, applesauce, or non-acidic juice like grace juice.
Importance of the Best Probiotics for Babies
We don’t need to tell you that when you’re making choices for your baby, there is no room to cut corners with safety or quality. An infant’s body and immune system are so delicate, that you will want only the best of everything - including probiotics.
Choosing probiotics for your baby can be particularly challenging because probiotics are not well regulated. This means that clever marketers may present probiotics that appear to be extremely safe, carefully made, and well-researched. However, in many cases, this is hype and not reality. There is no room for low quality or unsafe probiotics for a baby, and that’s why parents trust Natren. Our probiotics are researched, manufactured, shipped, and protected by the highest level of commitment to safety and excellence.
Why Natren Probiotics for Infants?
Natren probiotics are here to give your newborn their first boost in gut health. When you choose Natren, you are choosing baby probiotics that:
- Come with a guarantee of the potency of every single strain of bacteria that we provide for your baby’s health
- Are microbiologically pure which means you do not have to worry about contamination
- Are kept in the right temperature-regulated environments at every step of the process, so there is no risk of our probiotics losing potency during manufacturing or shipping, like many other companies’ probiotics can. Remember if the probiotic is outside of it’s recommended temperature range, you are losing potency by the hour.
- Are backed by over 35 years of expert scientific research and commitment to data
If you want to truly optimize your baby’s health, the benefits of probiotics are an important part of your plan. As a parent, you can give your baby the boost that can help them as their immune system is starting to develop. Natren’s Life Start is specially formulated to support your baby’s health from day 1. Learn more here
