Yeast Infections in Babies
Berkeley Parents Network >
Advice >
The Potty >
Yeast Infections in Babies
Nov 2003
Hi,
My 11 month daughter is usually free of diaper rash. But she got
diaper rash two months ago. We tried the usual diaper rash cream
and it did not help. We then went to see her pediatrician who
diagnosized it as yeast infection and prescribed a NYSTOP powder
(which is a MYCOSTATIN powder). We kept using it for one week
and it was under control. However it never went away. Now more
than a month passed and we still have to apply the powder every
day three times a day (although the prescription says for one
week) and the red patches are still there. We also tried
Lotrimin AF which also helped but didn't clear it up. We tried
to switch back to diaper creame or use cornstarch powder and
they made it worse. I am concerned about the continuous usage of
the anti-fungal powder. Is there any alternative we can try?
Yi
hi, i think sometimes you can have the yeast infection in your
breast also and so you need to take something.
the book ''the nursing mother's companion'' has some information on
that....
anon
My baby had a terrible yeast infection in his mouth and his
diaper area when he was about 7 months old. The doctor gave us
some medication for his mouth that we applied religiously 3x a
day for a couple of weeks. The symptoms would abate only to
return full force a day later. Finally, someone suggested
giving him yogurt. We did so and both the mouth infection and
diaper rash went away within a couple of days, never to return
(that was over 3 months ago). Hope this helps.
ST
When my son had oral yeast (thrush) and several weeks of Nystatin
did nothing for it, we used Gentian Violet, which is cheap
($3/bottle) and available at most drug stores, and it cured him
in two days. You only need a drop or two. If your daughter's
diaper rash is indeed yeast (which it might not be), perhaps
Gentian Violet would help. Note that it stains everything it
touches bright purple, so be prepared with some clothes you don't
care about!
Purple and Yeast-Free
Try this one, from a mother of three: Fill a small bathroom sink or similar
sized plastic container with warm H20. Add a small container of plain
yogurt, and a 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Let baby play in it as long as
baby wants. When baby is done, pat dry but do not rinse. Repeat 12
hours apart. On rare occations I had to do this more than twice. Let baby
air out as often as possible. Good luck!
ruty
Well, I can't say that I really know all that much about this
specific diaper rash/ yeast inf. because I haven't dealt w/ it
with my son at all. What I CAN say is that if you yourself were
to get a yeast infection in your vagina and you used the over
the counter 3 day medication (for example) and it didn't clear
up and you did it again and again... its obviously not working.
Most likely your doc would prescribe Diflucan or whatever to
zap the infection a diff. way. I would definitely recommend you
call your pediatrician and let them know your not comfortable
continuing to use a product that isn't working on your child
and to recommend something else.
The other thing I would suggest is to let him/her run around
naked to air out 'the buns' a few times a day. Yes I know the
possibilities of messiness are endless, but if possible try
that and maybe just getting some air down there would help.
Something else too- are you breastfeeding? If so, try
expressing some milk and dripping it on there before you put on
the diaper. I'm not kidding- breastmilk is great stuff! Have
you tried cloth diapers? Sometimes the disposable ones
don't 'breathe' enough and can make rashes worse....
Good Luck!
SK
I had a friend whose son was given those medications for a
yeast infection in his diaper. It did not improve and turned
out to be a staph infection. I'd recommend calling your
pediatrician for more assistance.
anon
Hi --
Your situation sounds similar to my own... and we solved the
problem!
My 2 week old son developed a rash of the openish sore variety.
The pediatrician saw it and recommended neosporin -- bad move.
The neosporin caused a yeast infection - a mean looking redness
in addition to the sores.
Lotrimin rid his bottom of the mean looking redness in about
three days, but the sores persisted. But a week of the
following regimins finally got my son's bottom back to smooth
lovliness:
- Exposing his bottom to sunshine (filtered through a window) at
least two or three hours a day.
- Applying a combination of hydrocortisone cream and lotrimin
twice a day
- Blowing dry his bottom after every changing
- Using very gentle wipes (we used Mustela) sparingly
- Using extremely thick coatings of Desitin barrier cream when
he was in the diaper
- Though seemingly counterintuitive, we changed him as
infrequently as possible... the barrier cream protected his
skin and the lack of frequent rubbings helped him heal
Bottoms Up and Good Luck!
Yeast infections respond to yoghurt really well. (Those adverts
for all sorts of ointments and drugs seem so odd to me!) It
might be an idea to try this with your child, feeding her
yoghurt for the oral yeast, and applying it to any rashes. I
don't think it could do any harm, and might work.
Janice
Regarding a yeast-like rash in your child--forgive me, I did not
see the original post, so please get confirmation from a
competent pediatrician or dermatologist that what your dealing
with is not ''vaginal strep.'' VS can parade like yeast but is
treated wholly differently. And, yes, VS occurs in the toddler
girl population.
Good luck; I know the condition unchecked can be uncomfortab
Physician Mama
Regarding a yeast-like rash in your child--forgive me, I did not
see the original post, so please get confirmation from a
competent pediatrician or dermatologist that what your dealing
with is not ''vaginal strep.'' VS can parade like yeast but is
treated wholly differently. And, yes, VS occurs in the toddler
girl population.
Good luck; I know the condition unchecked can be uncomfortab
Physician Mama
Dec 2001
My 8 month baby boy has diaper rash: Red splotchy areas and some
small rashy spots on his bum. His skin is fine everywhere else.Any
recommendations or advice as to what I can do to make it better.
Creams, ointments, my diet (I'm breastfeeding him), food that
typically cause diaper rash (he's eating solids). Thanks.
Justine
Try to evaluate what kind of rash it is. My daughter had a rash that lasted
a month without improving until we figured out it was a yeast-rash. There
are descriptions in many of the parenting books. Essentially, a yeast rash
has small satelite pimple spots and can only be treated with an antifungal
(like jock-itch) cream - unless you can really air out baby. Once we
started this, it cleared right up.
Freyja
Could be yeast infection, so ask your doctor about it. If so, you need
prescription Nystatin ointment for him and you need to treat your nipples for
thrush, too. Also check his mouth for white spots that would indicate thrush.
Whit
Make sure the "diaper rash" is not a yeast infection. Our 9 week old
recently had a yeast infection under his diaper and no matter what we did
for the "diaper rash", nothing helped (surprise, surprise). Once we had it
diagnosed as yeast and we used the topical ointment, it went away very
rapidly. Good Luck.
William
It sounds like this could be a yeasty rash which both of my babies encountered
occasionally. Baths with baking soda added (the Children's Hospital advice nurse
suggested this), lots of time diaper free (our pediatrician suggested this), frequently
changed cloth diapers, and Bumblebee brand diaper ointment seemed to resolve each
case quite quickly.
on diaper rash, i have LOVED country comfort baby cream... it works
wonders on diaper rash, little scratches, etc. you can get it at
whole foods and similar sorts of places.
also, the usual info is helpful: exposure to sunlight, etc.
if diaper rash is very bad, your baby may have developed thrush (a
yeast infection) in the rash area... in which case you'll need to go
to the doc for meds.
good luck!
cynthia
My 8-month old has been getting frequent diaper rashes, too. I just took
her to the doctor, and it turns out that her diaper rash is related to
thrush, an oral yeast infection that occurs in some nursing babies and
appears as white patches in the baby's mouth. It has spread to my nipples
and to her stomach, hence the diaper rash. The doctor told me to use
Lotrimin on her bum and it went away. If you use cornstarch on it (even the
medicated kind), it makes it worse because the cornstarch feeds the yeast.
If cornstarch seems to make it worse, your baby may have thrush.
It can be hard to tell if this is the problem because the patches in her
mouth can be very small and the only symptom thrush nipples have had for
me
is that they get dry. She was prescribed nystatin suspension drops and I
put Lotrimin on my nipples. We have been fighting thrush for a while, now,
as it is VERY hard to get rid of. If my nipples are dry, I know that it has
spread to me. You have to boil EVERYTHING that comes into contact with
the
baby's mouth. We use clothe diapers, and she hasn't gotten any more diaper
rashes since I started using Lotrimin on her bum. I still don't know if
we've gotten rid of the thrush, but we are still in treatment mode and I'm
boiling everything AGAIN...
Anonymous
this page was last updated: Jan 5, 2011
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network