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Tips to Restore Your Toddler's Gut Naturally

Medically Reviewed by May Zhu, RDN | Published January 16, 2025

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Gut health plays a crucial role in your toddler's overall well-being, influencing everything from digestion to immunity. If your little one’s gut health needs a reset—perhaps after antibiotics, illness, or a period of picky eating—rest assured, there are simple, natural strategies to help their microbiome thrive. Here are practical tips to restore your toddler’s gut health naturally and set the stage for lifelong wellness.

1. Include Prebiotic-Rich Foods

Prebiotics are dietary fibers that feed beneficial gut bacteria, promoting their growth.

Foods like bananas, carrots, and blueberries. are excellent sources of prebiotics. 

Incorporating these into your toddler’s meals, think oatmeal with banana slices or finely chopped asparagus in pasta dishes can support a healthy microbiome.

Check out these five prebiotic foods that kids love.

A 2020 study reveals the important role of prebiotics in fostering gut microbial diversity, which is essential for a resilient digestive system (Leeming et al., 2020).

2. Introduce Probiotic Foods

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help balance the gut.

Fermented foods such as yogurt (look for ones with live active cultures), kefir, and sauerkraut can help replenish healthy gut bacteria.

This is why a Pediatrician recommends bifidobacteria for infant gut health.

Research has shown that probiotics like Lactobacillus andBifidobacterium strains positively influence digestive health and reduce tummy troubles like diarrhea (Hill et al., 2014).

3. Limit Added Sugars and Processed Foods

Excessive sugar and highly processed foods can harm gut health by feeding harmful bacteria and suppressing beneficial ones. I

nstead, focus on whole, minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

A 2019 review highlights how diets rich in whole foods encourage a more diverse microbiome, while sugary diets may lead to dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut bacteria (Zinöcker & Lindseth, 2018).

4. Stay Hydrated

Proper hydration aids digestion and helps maintain the gut lining's health.

Encourage your toddler to drink plenty of water throughout the day. You can also offer hydrating foods like cucumber and watermelon. 

A well-hydrated gut supports optimal microbial function, as noted in recent hydration studies (Popkin et al., 2010).

5. Encourage Outdoor Play

Playing outside exposes toddlers to beneficial environmental microbes, which can naturally enrich their microbiome.

Let your kiddos explore nature - playing in dirt, interacting with animals, and gardening are great ways to boost microbial diversity.

According to Rook (2013), exposure to diverse microbes in early life can help train the immune system and promote gut health.

6. Support Sleep and Stress Management

A good night’s sleep and low stress are often overlooked but are critical for gut health.

A 2021 study demonstrated how poor sleep and chronic stress disrupt the gut microbiome in kids, emphasizing the importance of consistent routines and stress-reducing activities like reading or singing before bedtime (Bäckhed et al., 2021).

7. Consider a Prebiotic Supplement

If your toddler struggles to get enough gut-friendly foods, a high-quality prebiotic supplement tailored to kids can be a helpful addition,

Growing Up Prebiotics contains delivers 3g of fiber per serving in a convenient, tasteless, textureless, easy-to-mix powder.

Prebiotics such as the HMOs and inulin found in Growing Up Prebiotics help help boost good bacteria in the gut, helping toddlers naturally restore their gut microbiome. 

Summary

A healthy gut is essential for your toddler’s digestion, immunity, and overall well-being. Simple steps like incorporating prebiotics such as Growing Up Prebiotics, limiting sugar, and encouraging outdoor play can restore and maintain their gut health naturally.

View Citation

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