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 approximately 5% of healthy newborns. Babies often acquire yeast from their mothers during passage through the birth canal. You can tell whether or not your child has thrush by looking at the telltale white patches that can be found on the inside of the cheeks, lips, roof of the mouth, 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 curdling. Unlike milk residues, they adhere 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 it does, you’ll find a reddened area underneath that may bleed. Yeast lesions can be painful, and when bottle-fed, a child may become fussy and squirm.
Why are bottle-fed babies more prone to thrush?
Many babies have thrush, but it is a self-limited condition; it goes away on its own, with no one knowing the baby had thrush in the first place. However, certain changes in the baby or in her environment can cause the yeast infection to flare up. Antibiotics or stress may be to blame. Bottle feeding often causes thrush because the lining of the mouth wears away with prolonged sucking, such as babies sleeping with a bottle or pacifier; many bottle-fed babies fall asleep sucking on a bottle. Also, dirty nipples and pacifiers can harbor yeast infections.
How to treat yeast infection?
First of all, it is better to be safe than sorry. 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 well washed and sterilized.
In most cases, the yeast infection will clear up on its own and the only treatment required is to relieve oral discomfort or treat (or prevent) painful diaper rashes caused by yeast. You can use an antifungal medication such as nystatin suspension. This can be applied, directly to the plaques with a cotton-tipped applicator, or 1-2ml orally four times daily. 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 a drop or two of mild liquid detergent (no ammonia or bleach) mixed in a glass of warm water. Apply the mixture gently on 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’s worth checking your child for thrush. If your child has thrush, he does not need to change the formula. Simply apply a treatment like the one described above and the yeast infection should clear up in a matter of weeks.