How to give your baby a good gut start: Ask experts Lucy & Lotta - £200 voucher to be won

[MaddyMumsnet]

This activity is now closed.

Embarking on the journey of parenthood can be both rewarding and overwhelming, especially when it comes to ensuring your baby's optimal well-being. That's why we have invited Lucy and Lotta, experts in baby gut health, to address any concerns or queries you may have on how to give your baby a good gut start. From feeding practices to establishing healthy routines, they're here to provide you with valuable insights and guidance to support your little one's digestive health.

• Everyone who shares a questions on the thread below by 21/06/23 will be entered into a prize draw
• One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice
• Lucy and Lotta will be back on the week commencing 3/07/23 to answer some of your questions

About Lucy Upton - Children’s dietician and feeding specialist:
“Lucy Upton AKA ‘The Children's Dietician’ is a Paediatric Dietitian with over 12 years of experience. Her special interests include early years, food allergy, gut health and feeding difficulties. She is a feeding specialist and works in a feeding therapy clinic.”

About Lotta Johansson – Microbiologist at BioGaia:
“Lotta Johansson is a microbiologist with a passion for probiotics. She has a long experience of working with beneficial bacteria. For the last 28 years Lotta has specialised in research on different probiotic L.reuteri strains.”

Here’s what BioGaia has to say:
“We at BioGaia are passionate about probiotics. Products for babies and kids are at our core and we’ve spent the last 30 years on scientific research on gut health and the importance of good bacteria for how we feel. Our products are used and loved by parents in more than 100 countries around the globe.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

My DD who turns 2 in July went through a phase of having pale poo, then just a couple of explosive nappies a day then diarrhoea for a weekend with a temperature etc and then after that everything went back to normal. Is it possible that it was a bug that lasted that long? The phase went on for months and we kept a good diary but could identify anything, then she had a temperature and diarrhoea and it all just settled.

My child has had chronic tummy pain for over a year. No cause found. Coeliac blood screen negative but could it still be diet related?

how soon can you offer pro-biotics ?

If you breast feed can you also offer probiotics, and is there any research on whether the 2 conflict or help with a healthy routine ?

How does this help with colic - I need to understand what it is doing to the body before I can decide whether to use this ?

I like the sound of this - my query would be can you have too much good bacteria if this is already present in your gut - and what happens - does you body adjust or can their be side effects ?

Does taking probiotics help with allergies ? I really don't understand why breast feeding and a healthy diet is not enough ? Do you think that overuse of antibiotics and processed food as given us - as a generation who do not 'cook from scratch' each day - like our mums and grandma's used to do, as had a permanent effect on the good bacteria which we should all have ?

If you cannot add this product to food, how do we know it gets to the gut alive, and how long after giving this can you offer food to avoid the product not working properly. If you babies gut has a good balance - why would we need this - I'd like to consider - but there is also much to consider about this

My DS has recurrent ear infections, and has a poor immune system - given that he has had a lot of antibiotics - does this have an effect on the probiotics, and should I stop giving probiotics when he is on a course of antibiotics (18mo)

Does this product help absorb more vitamins and minerals from food - I want to feed natural and organic where possible and wonder if this will add extra benefits ?

Once you start taking probiotics- what happens if you stop - does it have side effects

My sisters DS was born at 28 week (now a 3 MO) and tolerates only small amounts of milk - the HV and MW has not mentioned the use of probiotics for prems -but have read it is beneficial. Is there a dose small enough for a prem, and is there good research on this ? tq

Are there any food groups to avoid when taking probiotics ?

Do probiotics work better with a vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet - I want dd to be as meat free as possible - would this impact on using probiotics >

Can you tell me why breast milk is not enough - and if not why not ? We all want the best healthiest start - or this just a 'sign of the times' we all have poorer gut health from birth?

I wanted to give my DS these to help with his development - but my SIL has told me that they can Increase Histamine Levels - can you tell me what this would mean - I've tried googling this but I'd like to know more please

Once you give it to a baby, does the 'good bacteria' stay in the gut indefinitely, and help with digestion etc and can you wean them off these probiotics and offer foods with this bacteria in ?

What is the difference between prebiotics and probiotics ?

Can probiotics help eczema? My daughter developed eczema after taking antibiotics for the first time and I’m wondering if it could be linked to gut health at all and whether probiotics could help?

Can you add this to juice ?

Can you also offer live yogurt from a year - and BioGaia - or would I better sticking with fromage frais - can I give too much probiotics in a diet ?

What are the outward signs of good gut health - and what are the signs of bad gut health ?

What does it taste like - and can you add small amounts of for example fromage frais if they don't like the taste

Just about to start weaning my second - what standout piece of advice would you give on getting gut health right from the off? Thank you!

My friend has just had a baby and is interested in whether probiotics could help lower the risk of eczema and asthma? As my friend has both and wants to minimise the risk of her baby getting them. Thanks.