Should You Test Your Baby's Microbiome? Dawn Whitten on What Tests Get Right & Wrong

#315 Should you test your baby's microbiome — and if so, when? In this episode, I sit down with naturopath, herbalist, lactation consultant, and infant microbiome expert Dawn Whitten to take a critical and balanced look at the new wave of paediatric microbiome testing.

Dawn brings over 20 years of clinical experience in perinatal and early life health, and in this conversation, she covers what these tests get right, where they fall short, and the very real risk of over-interpreting a rapidly changing ecosystem.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What "normal" actually looks like in the infant microbiome across the first two to three years of life
• Why the infant microbiome can shift dramatically in just a few weeks without any intervention
• The clinical risk of testing too early and acting too fast
• Why Bifidobacterium is the keystone genus of the infant gut — and which species matter most
• The age grouping problem with current paediatric tests
• Why organisms like Blastocystis and Dientamoeba in a baby's report may not be cause for alarm
• The problem with functional markers like faecal calprotectin in infants
• What responsible interpretation actually looks like in clinical practice 
• What Dawn wishes these tests would do differently
• Dawn's Natural Early Life Health course and how it equips practitioners to use these tests wisely

Love & Guts listeners receive 25% off Dawn's Natural Early Life Health course via the links below. Jason Hawrelak's Healthy Gut course is a prerequisite — bundle options are available. Offer available until 15 April 2026.

Love & Guts podcast special discount links

Natural Early Life Course & Bridging Course Bundle https://probiotic-advisor.teachable.com/p/early-life-health11?affcode=186042_ituurmer

Natural Early Life Health 2026 term https://probiotic-advisor.teachable.com/p/early-life-health12?affcode=186042_ituurmer

If you work with infants and young children, or you're a parent navigating gut health in early life, this episode is for you.