The presence of thrush in a baby’s mouth can be painful for the baby and very upsetting for the parents. Babies who are bottle-fed are more likely to develop thrush than those who are exclusively breastfed. However, steps can be taken to decrease the risk of developing thrush, and treatment is fairly easy.
Oral thrush, or oral pseudomembranous candidiasis, is a superficial yeast infection found in about 5% of healthy newborns. Babies usually acquire the yeast from their mothers during their passage through the birth canal. You can tell whether or not your child has thrush by looking at the telltale white spots that can be found on the inside of the cheeks, lips, palate, and tongue. Many mothers who bottle-feed their babies often mistake milk residue found on the tongue for thrush. If the tongue is uniformly white, this is not thrush. Yeast patches are often described as curd-like. Unlike milk residue, they stick to the underlying tissue. You can also test for thrush by gently touching a patch with a gauze-covered finger. If it’s a yeast infection, it probably won’t come off very easily, but if she does, she’ll find a reddened area underneath that may bleed. Thrush lesions can be painful, and when bottle-fed, a child can become fussy and squirm.
Why are bottle-fed babies more likely to get thrush?
Many babies get thrush, but it is a self-limiting condition; It goes away on its own, without anyone knowing the baby had thrush in the first place. However, certain changes in the baby or her environment can cause yeast infection to flare up. Antibiotics or stress may be to blame. Bottle-feeding often causes thrush because the lining of the mouth wears down with prolonged sucking, such as bottle- or pacifier-sleeping babies; many bottle-fed babies fall asleep sucking on a bottle. Also, dirty teats and pacifiers can harbor yeast infections.
How to treat candidiasis?
First of all, prevention is better than cure. Babies should not be put to bed while they are still sucking on the bottle nipple. Avoid letting your child suck on a pacifier for long periods of time. Make sure all teats and pacifiers are thoroughly washed and sterilized.
In most cases, thrush will go away on its own and the only treatment required is to relieve oral discomfort or treat (or prevent) painful yeast diaper rashes. You can use an antifungal medication such as nystatin suspension. This can be applied, directly to the plaques with a cotton-tipped applicator, or orally 1-2ml four times a day. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. An old-fashioned and still effective treatment for thrush in babies is baking soda. Use a cotton-tipped swab dipped in a mixture of a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and one to two drops of mild liquid detergent (no ammonia or bleach) mixed in a glass of warm water. Gently apply the mixture to the affected areas.
If symptoms persist or you have any concerns, seek medical help.
Babies who fuss during bottle feeding can do so for many reasons. If your baby is fussy when formula fed, it is worth checking your child for thrush. If your child has thrush, he does not need to change the milk formula. Just apply a treatment like the one described above and the yeast infection should clear up in a matter of weeks.