5 ways to support your baby’s gut health: A guide for pregnancy and the first year
Written by: Alba Health team
Reviewed by: Dr. Ina Schuppe-Koistinen, PhD
Last updated: 2025-10-10
Summary
Your baby’s gut health journey begins long before their first meal. From pregnancy through the first year, every choice – from what you eat to how your baby is born and fed – helps shape both your own and your baby’s microbiome. In this guide, we break down five simple, science-backed ways to support gut health for you and your baby, laying the foundation for lifelong well-being.
As a parent, you want to give your child the best possible start. Emerging science shows that a foundation for long-term health is built in the gut, beginning even before birth. A child’s first microbes are a direct gift from their mother, playing a critical role in training their immune system and shaping their well-being for life [1].
We recently spoke with Dr. Ina Schuppe-Koistinen, a leading microbiome researcher at Karolinska Institutet, about this critical window. She shared practical, science-backed steps that expectant mothers can take to support their own gut health and, in turn, their baby’s developing microbiome. This guide translates the key insights from our conversation into five actionable tips for pregnancy and your child’s first year.
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1. Nourish your gut with a variety of fiber
Think of the microbes in your gut as a garden. To help them thrive, you need to provide the right nourishment: fiber. While our bodies can’t digest it, beneficial gut bacteria ferment fiber into compounds like butyrate, which helps keep the gut lining healthy and reduces inflammation [2].
For mothers, aiming for 25–30 grams of fiber per day is a great goal [3]. For babies starting solids, introducing well-cooked and mashed fiber sources like sweet potato, peas, and avocado helps nourish their own developing gut microbes.
Concrete example: A breakfast of oatmeal with berries and chia seeds, a lunch of lentil soup, and a dinner of chicken with broccoli and sweet potato can help a mother meet her daily fiber goal.
2. Make fermented foods a daily habit
Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi supply beneficial live bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. While many probiotic supplements contain just a few bacterial strains, fermented foods often provide a broader variety of microbes [4].
For mothers, including small, regular servings is an effective way to introduce new microbes. For babies, unsweetened, full-fat plain yogurt can be an excellent first food to support their gut health.
3. Understand the first introduction: Birth and breast milk
A baby’s first major exposure to microbes occurs during birth. Passage through the birth canal seeds them with their mother’s vaginal and gut bacteria [5]. After birth, breast milk continues this introduction. It contains live bacteria and special prebiotic complex sugars called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs, that specifically feed beneficial Bifidobacterium in the baby’s gut [6].
A C-section is a common and often life-saving procedure for bringing a baby safely into the world. It’s true that babies born this way are introduced to a different set of microbes at first, and some studies have linked this to a higher risk of conditions like allergies and asthma later on [7].
However, birth is just the beginning of their microbial journey. The most important takeaway is that the infant microbiome is incredibly resilient and adaptable. There are many powerful ways to support its healthy development after birth: including skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and diet, offering many paths to the same destination: a healthy, balanced microbiome.
4. Prioritize Bifidobacteria for immune training
Among the most important early colonizers of the infant gut are Bifidobacterium species. These beneficial bacteria are specialists at digesting the sugars in breast milk and play a central role in educating a baby’s developing immune system [8].
Research shows that infants with higher levels of Bifidobacterium tend to have lower levels of inflammation. By supporting your own bifidobacteria levels through a diet rich in fiber and fermented foods, you increase the likelihood of passing these key microbes on to your child.
5. Care for the whole ecosystem
Gut health is also shaped by our environment and lifestyle. Spending time in nature can expose your family to a wider diversity of microbes, which can be beneficial. At the same time, it’s wise to be mindful of things that can disrupt the gut ecosystem.
Antibiotics are essential for treating bacterial infections, but they are known to reduce the diversity and richness of our gut bacteria [9]. When a course of antibiotics is necessary for either mother or baby, you can support recovery by focusing on supportive nutrition, including plenty of fiber and fermented foods appropriate for their age.
Summary
Giving your baby a strong start for gut health is about small, consistent actions. By focusing on your own well-being during pregnancy and being mindful of key factors in the first year, you can provide a powerful foundation for your child's lifelong health.
- Eat a variety of fiber-rich plants. This is for mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and for babies starting solids.
- Include fermented foods daily. A great habit for mothers, with baby-friendly options like yogurt available for little ones.
- Appreciate natural seeding. Microbes are transferred from mother to child during birth and through breastfeeding.
- Remember bifidobacteria are key. Mothers can support these microbes through diet to help their baby’s immune system.
- Live a balanced lifestyle. Exposure to nature and mindful antibiotic use benefit the entire family.
- Ignacio A, et al. Early life microbiome influences on development of the immune system. Cell Mol Immunol. 2024.
- Singh V, et al. Butyrate producers as gatekeepers of colonic homeostasis. Biomed Pharmacother. 2023.
- EFSA NDA Panel. Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA J. 2010.
- Laureys D, De Vuyst L. Microbial species diversity and dynamics of water kefir fermentation. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2014.
- Li W, et al. Vertical Transmission of Gut Microbiome and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020.
- Davis EC, et al. Gut microbiome and breastfeeding: implications for early life. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022.
- Liu X, et al. Risk of asthma and allergies in children delivered by Cesarean Section: Systematic review & meta-analysis. J Asthma Allergy. 2024.
- Lin C, et al. Infant-type Bifidobacteria mediate immune system maturation. Microorganisms. 2022.
- Ramirez J, et al. Antibiotics as major disruptors of gut microbiota. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020.
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