My baby has thrush: how can I treat it?

Milk deposit or yeast infection: how do I know if my baby has thrush?

Small white spots appear on the inside of the cheeks, on the gums and sometimes on the tongue. This whitish coating looks a lot like simple milk deposits. With one difference: it doesn’t go away when you wipe baby’s tongue with a bib, or even when you scratch it with the tip of your index finger. Your baby usually has no other symptoms except sometimes that it is inconvenient to breastfeed, so it is not uncommon for the baby to cry during feeding. Thrush may be accompanied by diaper rash that is resistant to usual treatment. In children, the disease can spread to skin folds and nails.

How can a baby get thrush?

The culprit is a microscopic fungus called Candida albicans. This is where the scientific name for thrush comes from, “oral candidiasis in infants”. This yeast is naturally part of the flora of the human digestive tract. It is easily transmitted by the hands and saliva, but only becomes pathogenic under conditions that favor its proliferation: heat and humidity in the mouth in particular. It develops all the more easily in babies as their immune system is not yet fully mature.

Thrush, sometimes transmitted by the mother during childbirth or breastfeeding

Young mothers are sometimes affected by thrush, and thus infect their child. This fungus is in fact usually present in the mouth and vagina. During pregnancy, hormonal variations upset the existing balance between the different microorganisms, which leads to the development of this yeast. It is during childbirth that thrush is transmitted to the child. Be aware that the mother can also infect her baby during breastfeeding if the nipples are cracked.

Oral yeast infection in babies: what are the risks?

The main risk: proliferation. If it is not destroyed, this yeast can spread throughout the baby’s digestive tract, the esophagus, the intestine but also the anus. With the key, digestive disorders, diarrhea, vomiting and a diaper rash resistant to the usual treatment. Small red blisters appear on the baby’s bottom. They extend in layers and can reach all the small folds, in the groin in particular.

What treatment for thrush in Baby?

Most often, local care, if they are severe, are sufficient to cure this affection. The doctor will advise you to clean the lesions, with Vichy water (or bicarbonate water), before each meal. Soak a compress, wrap it around your index finger and dab the inside of the cheeks, tongue and gums.

After each meal, apply an antifungal cream, gel or solution to the gums and inside the cheeks. By swallowing his saliva, baby will allow the ointment to travel down the digestive tract and thus disinfect it.

If your nipple is affected by thrush, you can use the same ointment, which of course you will not forget to remove before feeding the baby! Also remember to wash your hands well after each application..

If the infection has spread through the digestive tract to the anus, baby’s bottom should also be cleaned with disinfectant liquid, then rinsed thoroughly, before applying antifungal ointment. Finally, if the child’s esophagus is affected, oral treatment will also be prescribed.

The lesions usually disappear after 6 to 7 days, but treatment should always be continued for at least ten days, otherwise the thrush will reappear very quickly.

Daily hygiene precautions

On a daily basis, carefully clean the pacifiers, bottles and all the material necessary for the preparation of meals, as well as all the toys that your child may wear in his mouth. Before meals, you can brush your baby’s mouth with a compress soaked in bicarbonate water.

Throughout the treatment, it is advisable to avoid any carrot-based meal. And for good reason, this vegetable promotes the development of thrush.

This condition is not dangerous for your baby. However, your baby may lose weight if he has difficulty breastfeeding. If the condition persists despite treatment, return to your doctor.

Thrush in babies: how to avoid it and prevent recurrence?

This yeast is very virulent. It is therefore essential to adopt strict hygiene rules to avoid a new infection.

Before each feeding, wash your nipples with water and dry them. To prevent thrush, transmitted by the stool, from developing in the anus change your child as soon as hislayersare dirty. Especially since a baby on antibiotics is even more likely to have a diaper rash. To avoid contamination, also think about giving your baby water after breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. One way to remove all milk residue. You can also wash your fluff at over 60 °.

The right anti-recidivism actions

• Clean with warm water and soap any toys that baby may have put in his mouth;
• Boil his sheets, sleeping bag, bibs, towels, washcloths and anything else he may have sucked;
• Sterilize the nipples of his bottles and his pacifier regularly;
• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after caring for your baby.