Probiotics for an infant?

[chrisnjeri]

I am very new to the use of probiotics.  As I understand it, they are taken to boost one's immune system.  We are doing delayed/selective vaccinations, and my 8 month old DD still nurses quite a bit so she gets antibodies from me, but it has been recommended that she take probiotics.  Why would an infant need them?  She's never had antibiotics, and if I take them, wouldn't she  get what she needs from breastmilk?  I am not against the idea, but with a tight financial situation, I need to know more than just 'probiotics are good'.  

Any info on the use of probiotics for mama & babe is much appreciated.

TIA!

[1love4ever]

I have found that it is about health promotion as well as healing.  Probiotics can even be effective in healing some reactions to vaccines/damage caused by vaccines, in combination with other healing methods including a healthy diet.  They can help the immune system yes.  I also find that the rest of the child diet makes a difference.  If they eat a lot of "garbage" such as pop, candy, donuts, processed foods in general, then it is even more important for them to take them because those foods are very hard on the digestive system and is just terrible for the body in general.  If your child eats lots of fresh, raw organic food, then I would not be too concerned about it at this point.  Maybe when it is cold/flu season.

There is a huge thread here on MDC about probiotics but I can not remember what its called and can not find it, but I am sure it would be helpful to you.

[cameragirl]

Infants that have been born by c-section, or that were treated with antibiotics may need them in order to populate their gut with healthy bacteria.

[SpeechieK]

Is there a recommended way to give probiotics to toddlers? Our little one had A LOT of antibiotics before he came into our care and I think this is something he could benefit from. I presume a lot of the pro biotic drinks on the market for adults are full of sugar as they are very sweet.

I take keifer myself from grains (ie add the milk to the keifer grain and drink the liquid 24 hours later). Would this raw form of probiotic be too strong for him?

[cameragirl]

Kids love kefir, yogurt, lacto-fermented foods like green beans or pickles, and you can also get chewable tablets or powders to mix into their drinks.

[1love4ever]

I give these to DD http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Probiotics-Kids-3-4-Ounce/dp/B004H9O4VG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1316468342&sr=8-8 

I give half a tsp in her cereal each morning.  The serving size is 3/4tsp but I do less to save money.

[cameragirl]

I used some chewables that Swanson's Vitamins carries for my daughter. I have a feeling that her c-section birth had a lot to do with the frequent diarrhea she had later. (She didn't get juice and ate well.) We supplemented for a couple years, and the diarrhea issue is gone.

If I absolutely must have a c-section this time, I'll be bringing infant probiotics with me to the hospital.

[heatherdeg]

Best way for an 8mo would be powdered probiotics in a liquid.  If she is taking a bottle of pumped milk/day, you could put it in there, but be sure to only fill the bottle half way, add powder, let her finish, then pour the rest of the milk in.  Otherwise, if she doesn't finish the bottle, you don't know that she got the full dose (which is a waste of money).  If there's no daily bottle, you can dissolve it into some expressed milk and syringe it into her.

The other reason it gets recommended is for thrush or pelvic yeast issues.  I know she's a girl, but I'm not talking about the stuff we adult ladies are familiar with.  Yeast issues in that area can present as what looks like bug bits, small red dots, or diaper rash.

[1love4ever]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg 

The other reason it gets recommended is for thrush or pelvic yeast issues.  I know she's a girl, but I'm not talking about the stuff we adult ladies are familiar with.  Yeast issues in that area can present as what looks like bug bits, small red dots, or diaper rash.

I agree that probiotics can help with this!  But, my DD got a yeast rash even tho she eats very healthy and gets probiotics every day(although it was very minor even tho I let it go for several days before treating it properly hoping it would go away with diaper rash cream and it never got worse which I think is because of the things I mentioned including probiotics).  A natural cure for this is gentian violet painted on the rash.  I got mine on Amazon.