How To Tuesday: How to Eliminate and Prevent Infant Thrush

Submitted by JuliaFuller on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 06:54

Oral thrush is a common ailment among young infants, the chronically ill, and the elderly. A common fungus called Candida causes thrush; you may recognize it as the familiar yeast infection. While a small amount of germs, including Candida, usually live in your mouth, a healthy immune system usually keeps it in check. Thrush is whitish, and looks like velvety lesions mainly on the inside of the cheeks and on the tongue. The irritated red tissue underneath the lesions may bleed easily. Eating can cause pain to the already irritated soft tissue of the mouth, resulting in decreased appetite and increased fussiness.

Prevent thrush before it begins by following some simple steps. 

 

  • Sterilize bottles and nipples used to feed a newborn through the first three months, even if you wash them in the dishwasher. Boil tap water used to feed your newborn or use sterile bottled water. When you are going somewhere to visit with your newborn, take your water with you.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly after each diaper change and bathroom use.
  • Wash the pacifier after each use.
  • Wash chew toys daily in mild bleach water or run them through a dishwasher.
  • If breastfeeding, wash your breast with an antibacterial soap daily. 

 

 

Eliminate thrush so baby eats normally again.

 

  • If your baby already has thrush, replace pacifiers and nipples for bottles, continue sterilizing and washing.
  • The thrush may go away on its own within two weeks with sterile practices. However, if you suspect your newborn is losing weight don’t wait for the thrush to go away on its own.
  • Ask your doctor about a prescription for Nystatin. Use a Q-tip to apply the medicine directly to the whitish patches of thrush after each feeding. You don’t want your baby swallowing a bunch of medicine, it is the topical application that kills the gram-positive bacteria.
  • Ask your doctor about using over the counter tincture of violet, also called Gentian Violet. Use a Q-tip to apply the medicine directly to the whitish patches of thrush once. You don’t want your baby swallowing much medicine; the topical application kills the gram-positive bacteria. Usually only one application of tincture of violet is necessary even with the worst cases.
  • If breastfeeding, ask your doctor about using an anti-fungal soap.

  • Boiling bottle nipples can cause the holes to close up. Use a tine of a fork or other narrow object to poke the hole open.

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