Early life stress and adversity are major risk factors in the later life onset and severity of gastrointestinal (GI) disease in humans. The mechanisms by which early life stress leads to increased GI disease susceptibility in adult life remain poorly understood. Animal models of early life stress have provided a foundation from which to gain a more fundamental understanding of this important GI disease paradigm. This review will focus on animal models of early life stress-induced GI disease, with a specific emphasis on translational aspects of each model to specific human GI disease states. Early postnatal development of major GI systems and the consequences of stress on their development will be discussed in detail. Relevant translational differences between species and models will be highlighted.