Yeast Infections in Babies
Archived Q&A and Reviews
| Questions | Related Pages |
11-mo-old's persistent yeast infection
Nov 2003Hi, 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
8-month-old's diaper rash
Dec 2001My 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