What Every Parent Should Know About Antibiotics (And Your Child's Gut)

Antibiotics save lives, but they also change your child's gut microbiome.

In this episode of To Make a Mother, we're exploring what antibiotics actually do beyond treating infection, why the effects on the gut can last far longer than most parents realise, and the simple, evidence based ways you can support your child's microbiome during and after a course of antibiotics.

This isn't an anti-antibiotics conversation. It's about understanding how these medications impact the developing gut and what you can do to help restore balance afterwards.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the first few years are so important for your child's gut microbiome
• How antibiotics affect beneficial bacteria not just the bacteria causing infection
• Why microbiome disruption can last for months (or even years)
• The connection between repeated antibiotics and recurrent infections
• Whether probiotics should be taken during or after antibiotics
• The probiotic strains with the strongest evidence in children
• Foods that help nourish and rebuild the microbiome
• Practical ways to support gut recovery after antibiotics
• When probiotics may not be appropriate and when to seek professional guidance

Plus, at the beginning of the episode, I answer a listener question about navigating conversations with young children when they're curious about estranged grandparents, and I share this week's recco: Unwind Co. who create beautiful creative hobby kits designed to help busy mums reconnect with themselves.

Resources mentioned:

• Unwind Co.
• In My Clinical Opinion (personalised paediatric health reviews)
• Book a 1:1 consultation

If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you followed the show and left a review, it helps more parents find evidence based, compassionate health information for their own families 🫶🏻