Athlete's Foot

• 2.5 year old with athletes foot ?
• Related page: Smelly Feet

2.5 year old with athletes foot ?

June 2004

I just saw that the skin around my daughters ( she is 2,5) toes is peeling more and more. I usually think that this is a sign of athlets foot. I myself struggle with athlets foot and very bad toe nail fungus. It seems to run in my familiy ( my mother and father have it too). My husband didn't seem to have problems with his feet. I never heard of small children having athlets foot. Could it be possible ? My daughter insists sleeping with socks and her leather shoes (robeez). Maybe this was bad for her feet ? She is not the kind of kid who likes to run around without shoes ( she loves shoes a lot). Maybe I should change that or has the peeling of the skin a totally different reason. I just don't want her to struggle like me. Any advice ? a mommy with fungus feet anon

Hi, It does sound like athlete's foot. Fungus loves to grow in a moist environment and it sounds like your daughter's feet are usually covered and moist. I would try to control this now because fungus can progress to infect the nail and then it is very difficult to cure without oral anti-fungals which require blood tests to monitor the liver. It would probably be hard for a young girl to have thick, yellow deformed nails. I would ask your pediatrician's advice about medicinal creams to use in kids. For now I would use powder to keep the feet dry and try to get them out in the open. If your daughter refuses to let her feet air out then maybe she would at least agree to frequent dry sock changes. As you know, athlete's foot can be a chronic problem but you can prevent it from spreading to the nail. Good luck An internist and mommy