Thrush In Babies

Oral thrush in babies or toddlers can happen at anytime. It's a yeast infection of the mouth with white patches inside the cheek or on the tongue. It looks similar to cottage cheese curds or milk residue and is caused by Candida albicans. A yeast infection in babies happens for the same reason adults get this troublesome overgrowth. Treatment of Candida albicans can be done at home if you wish to use natural remedies for thrush.

Yeast is normally present in the mouth. But, it can grow out of control if your immune system is not at it's best because of an illness or if you are taking antibiotics. It can also occur if there is an injury to the lining of the mouth. Thrush in babies is not contagious but it can be passed from baby to mom, or from mom to baby if breastfeeding. Causes of thrush in babies can vary but in all cases there is an overgrowth of Candida.

Thrush in babies is actually a common thing. A thrush infection can clear up on its own within a few days but even a few days may be too much for a nursing mom to bare. It can also be painful for baby when eating. Even if thrush does clear up on its own it might reoccur.

If your doctor has prescribed a medication to treat thrush that you wish to apply, use according to your doctors directions. Often nystatin cream and nystatin oral solution is recommended by doctors. The cream is applied to mother's breast 4 times a day thoroughly before breast feeding.

1 cc nystatin oral solution is applied to each side of babies mouth qid x 10 days (this means 4 times a day for 10 days). You would give the medicine to baby between feedings.

Home Treatment Options

• Start by washing silverware and drinking glasses in an automatic dishwasher. As an additional step, boil your silverware or use plastic items when eating. Boiling helps kills unwanted germs or organisms that might linger on your dishes and make you or baby sick. When washing infant bottle nipples, you can soak them in hot water for 15 minutes.

• For adults or older children with oral thrush, rinse the mouth with a salt solution. Mix teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of water. Rinse 3 or more times a day after eating. Don't swallow the salt water. DO NOT give salt water to young children.

• Drink plenty of unsweetened liquids (water) and eat foods that are easy to swallow. Use a straw for drinking if your mouth is painful.

• Sucking might be painful for your child. If you notice infant thrush symptoms or if your baby is so irritable that they refuse eating, reduce sucking time to no more than 20 minutes per feeding. Let your baby use a pacifier only when really needed for going to sleep. You can and should continue to breast-feed your baby during this time. For more information on home treatment options visit the baby yeast infection page or thrush treatment page.