Who here has dealt with a cranky child?

The answer I guess is, everyone. It is perhaps one of the most frustrating moments of parenthood: dealing with a crying child, especially when there is no apparent reason for distress.

We can soothe them quite easily if they are wet or have soiled themselves. Unfortunately, understanding their discomfort takes longer. To help our children feel better, we need to kiss them, cuddle them and take a closer look at their gut health.

Distress in the gut may trigger an emotional reaction from the brain.

Confused? Hang on, let us explain.

There is no doubt that the brain is the central command system of the body and has the primary responsibility of our child’s learning and cognitive development.

Therefore all the attention we give to the development of our little ones’ brains, especially in the early days, is completely understandable.

However, did you know that our children’s bodies (and ours too!) have a “second headquarters” that we often ignore?

This second headquarters is the gut, which is the gastrointestinal tract starting from your mouth, stomach, small and large intestines, finally ending at the anus. Our child’s gut needs as much attention in the early stages of his growth, as the brain. This is because the gut supports brain development both directly and indirectly, while also impacting the total well-being of our child.

For optimum growth and development, our child’s brain needs the right building blocks which come in the form of nutrients such as DHA and ARA. These nutrients are needed by the brain in the right amounts at each stage of the child’s growth.

Almost all nutrients that are needed by the brain (and other parts of the body) are processed by the gut, which performs the complicated task of breaking down food consumed into basic components and ensuring their proper absorption.

The gut also helps our child further, by producing some essential vitamins that help in the absorption of important minerals6,7,8.

If the gut is unhealthy, it will hamper both these processes, i.e. it will prevent the absorption of essential nutrients needed for brain development and secondly it will also impact the communication of messages regarding satiety, health and comfort to the brain, hampering the child’s sense of well-being.

A healthy gut is absolutely essential for the total well-being of your child. It is therefore important to nurture a healthy gut in your child from the very beginning.