Yeast Infection in Babies

Common yeast infection symptoms for babies are:

• oral yeast infection or thrush: redness with white patches
• thrush related diaper rash: an intense red rash in the area under the diaper

My child has a diaper rash that won't go away. Could it be a yeast infection?

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It's possible. There are several reasons why your child might have a diaper rash, including chafing, sensitivity, and wetness. But a diaper rash that persists despite your efforts to treat it — by keeping your child's bottom dry and using a diaper rash cream, for example — may be caused by a yeast infection.

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I thought only women got yeast infections. How could my child have one?

Everyone harmless amounts of yeast (actually a fungus) in their body. It thrives in warm, wet environments like the mouth, bowels, skin, and, in women, the vagina. A diaper rash left untreated can easily become infected with yeast (Candida albicans), even if your child is a boy.

Babies taking antibiotics and breastfed babies whose mothers are on antibiotics are more susceptible to yeast infections. That's because antibiotics kill the good bacteria in the body that keep yeast in check. Without these bacteria around, yeast can grow more abundantly.

If your child recently had thrush (a yeast infection of the mouth), he may end up with a yeast infection in his diaper area, too. That's because yeast passes through your child's digestive system when he eats and it ends up in his stool, which eventually lands in his diaper right next to his warm, damp skin.

How can I be sure the rash is really a yeast infection?

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You may not be able to detect yeast in a subtle diaper rash, but once it's full blown you can usually tell a yeast infection (versus a plain old diaper rash) because the rash will be well defined and beefy red, with slightly raised borders and "satellite" lesions (red lesions a slight distance from the main rash). Your child's skin may also be scaly.

Another big clue: A yeast rash tends to hang around for more than two days and doesn't respond to any traditional diaper rash treatments. It also usually shows up in the skin folds of the groin area

How can I treat it?

As you may have noticed, diaper creams won't help cure a yeast infection. What your child needs is a topical anti-yeast or antifungal cream such as nystatin, clotrimazole, or miconazole . Some are available without a prescription at the drugstore. Use one as directed on the label; the rash should take only a few days to clear up.

Do I need to see a doctor about my child's yeast infection?

Not right away. Try the topical antifungal cream first. If the rash isn't improving within three days of starting the medication, call your child's doctor.

Also call the doctor at any time if your child develops a fever or if the rash develops open sores or oozing yellow patches. These symptoms may mean that your child has a bacterial infection and needs an antibiotic.

How can I prevent yeast infections in the future?

If your child is taking an antibiotic or has recently recovered from a bout of thrush, you may not be able to prevent a yeast infection completely. But you can avoid creating the kind of environment that yeast love — that is, a dark, moist place. What to do (these tips also prevent run-of-the-mill diaper rash):

• Change your child's wet and soiled diaper as soon as possible.
• Clean your child's bottom thoroughly after a bowel movement, and give it a chance to dry before you slap on the next diaper.
• Don't put diapers on so tightly that no air can circulate around your child's skin.
• Give your child some bare-butt time. Play with him — diaperless — on a waterproof sheet or a plastic tablecloth with a towel on top of it, to give his diaper area a chance to air.

For Natural Cure For Yeast Infection Click Here!