Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Treating a Toddler Yeast Rash

My daughter is 20 months and seems to have a yeast rash. It was around her vaginal area but I was able to put cream on it and it is gone but it was also barely on her bottom and she kept scratching at it when I took her potty.

I tried to let her go panty free outside but she plays so much and gets it irritated and scratches at it that it didn't help.

It has gotten to the point where I am thinking about taking her to the doctor to see about getting something to make it go away. I really don't want to put a strong prescription on my baby's bottom! Is there anything you can suggest to try before I go to the doctor?

Answer:

Yeast infections can be some of the hardest rashes to take care of because they get so persistent.

One thing you can do, which doesn't address the problem directly really, but can help in the future, is to add a probiotic into her diet. You can find infant probiotics (I would go with an infant formula for her) in most natural foods stores. It's just a powder you can add into a drink or food.

The probiotics help strengthen her gut flora and fight off yeast.

You can also apply the probiotic powder right to the yeast rash.

I have heard of doing a light vinegar bath for toddlers with yeast rash - put a cup of vinegar into her bath water, using a little less water than normal, and just let her soak.


It sounds like she's always in panties which is good because they're pretty light. I'd make sure they're 100% cotton panties. You may want to check her after she goes potty to be sure there are no wet spots that could irritate the rash. Change her into fresh panties if there are post-potty "dribbles."

If she's still in diapers or trainers at any point, be really careful to change them right away. If you usually use cloth you may want to use disposables or use a throw-away liners over the diapers. Another alternative is boiling the diapers/trainers to kill off the yeasts.

As for other things to put on the rash itself, I'm really not too sure if over-the-counter treatments aren't working well anymore. I know that Nystatin, the prescription anti-fungal, works much like the over-the-counter ones, so I don't know how much relief you'd find with that. But it is a possibility to consider.

For a really persistent rash I'd look into possible food sensitivities. Dairy is an obvious one to look at, but acidic foods can also be culprits for yeast rashes (tomatoes, apple juice, etc.)

Yeast infections are often related to antibiotic use, so if she's had an antibiotic courses that could be the cause and once you get rid of it, it will be gone. But I would be very careful otherwise.

I'm sorry I don't have any great answers, just general suggestions. Hopefully some other moms will be able to share their experiences with you, too!