Yes, researchers are enrolling babies and young children for infant antibiotic use research. One project measures gut bacteria before and after prescribed antibiotics, and a second tests a same-child stool return to restore bacteria.
Gut bacteria are the microbes that live in the digestive tract. Researchers call this community the microbiome, and changes in early life can last. Same-child stool return means freezing a baby's own sample and feeding it back later.
Official resources:
- Read the original research from NIH — Use this page to review the original research.
- Read the official guidance from Centerwatch — Use this primary source to verify the official guidance.
Table of Contents
- Who can join now?
- What will you be asked to do?
- Why study antibiotics in babies?
- What should parents weigh?
Who can join now?
University of Calgary researchers are recruiting babies ages 0 to 1. They will compare gut bacteria before and after antibiotics to assess microbiome effects, according to the University of Calgary Research Participate program study listing.
Rutgers sponsors a separate trial for healthy infants and toddlers ages 1 month to 4 years. The Rutgers record states the trial accepts children regardless of birth mode, sex, or diet and aims for about 40 participants.
- Calgary: baby is 0 to 1 year old
- Rutgers REPAIR: child is 1 month to 4 years old and healthy
- Rutgers REPAIR: any birth mode, sex, or feeding pattern can apply
What will you be asked to do?
For the Rutgers approach, caregivers collect and freeze a stool sample each month. If a doctor prescribes antibiotics, the family notifies the team so the most recent pre-antibiotic sample can be saved for reuse.
The stored sample is later thawed and mixed into breast milk or formula. The same child drinks it from a bottle after antibiotics. ClinicalTrials.Veeva publishes this Rutgers feeding step in its study details.
- Collect monthly stool and freeze as directed
- Tell researchers right away if antibiotics are prescribed
- Give the thawed sample in milk only as instructed
Why study antibiotics in babies?
Rutgers researchers state that early-life antibiotics can change gut flora composition, richness, and maturity for a long time. Maturity means how developed the microbial community is for the child's age. The same Rutgers description notes epidemiologic links to obesity, asthma, allergy, celiac disease, and Type 1 diabetes.
These are patterns seen across populations, not proof that antibiotics cause each condition. There is still no proven therapy to restore the infant microbiome. Natural recovery can take months, and post-antibiotic probiotics have slowed repair in research cited by Rutgers.
What should parents weigh?
CenterWatch lists the Rutgers trial NCT06609980 as active-recruiting Phase 1, updated May 7, 2026, in its trial listing. It tests autologous fecal transplant to restore infant microbiota after antibiotics. Phase 1 means an early safety and feasibility stage with a small group.
The Rutgers target is about 40 children, so spots are limited. Long follow-up is common in this field. The BMJ Open ABERRANT protocol follows term-born children to link maternal and infant antibiotic disruption to later health. Contact the study team through the official listing and ask about visits, sample storage, and antibiotic-reporting steps.
