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My 2 year old DD has had a yeast infection since the end of March and we've gotten a prescription to use that has not worked effectively (obviously because she still has traces of the sores) but now she also has more redness and blistering. Her overnight diapers REALLY wreak of ammonia (always have since 9 months old) and most of the time her daytime diapers have a lesser ammonia smell as well.
I have tried several different detergents and have had better luck with Country Save powder, though it has not eliminated the ammonia smell. I have soft acreage water that is a bit brown in colour and am wondering if the water might be the issue here because I have not found any detergent to take away the ammonia smell. (Though I have not tried any regular detergents like Tide or Sunlight).
I currently use a little less than 1 tbsp detergent that I dissolve in water first before adding to the machine. (I have a top loader). I use a cold-water pre-wash with detergent then another cold water pre-wash with no detergent, then a HOT water wash with the same amount of detergent and a double COLD rinse.
My diapers have always had a stink and now this yeast infection won't go away. We used disposables for almost a month and it still didn't make it go away. We're back in cloth (pockets and ME Sandy's) and are changing her very often. Should we go back to disposables or is that going to make any difference? and Should we strip her diapers now or wait until the yeast infection is totally gone? ANd how often should I have to strip diapers? I don't think I have build-up issues. Maybe I should use more detergent, but whenever I do, I ALWAYS have suds in the second rinse. I've even done a quadruple rinse and had suds when I've used double the amount of detergent - which is the recommended amount for top loaders.
Lots if information and questions, but any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks! |
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Hmmm, well first if you're sure that it's a yeast infection and it's not going away with a prescription treatment I would definetly consider treating the diapers for yeast. Yeast is very tough and can survive hot water washes and even stripping to reinfect the skin. So you could be passing the yeast back/forth between skin and diapers. You need extremely high heat (boiling, steam ironing for example) or an anti-fungal agent of some sort (bleach is the most reliable but tea tree oil also has anti-fungal properties).
My first thought was that it was because the diapers hadn't been treated but the fact that a month of disposables still didn't help really blows that theory out of the water. That should have been plenty to let the medication do it's thing while letting the skin heal. I suppose it's possible that her skin was reinfected when you went back to cloth but even then I'd expect that her skin should have been fine while in the disposables. My dd had a very persistent yeast infection. I didn't know that it was yeast so I just kept treating it with tradition diaper rash methods and it would get better only to ger worse again. Once I got a prescription anti-fungal (with cortisone), her skin was all healed within a week and it never came back... Anyway, so that part has me mystified. Unless maybe you think she has a sensitivity to disposables? Have you been back to a doc since the initial treatment? I wonder about if the rash maybe started out as yeast and then morphed into something due to the ammonia and/or a sensitivity to the disposables (perhaps because the skin was already damaged). I don't know, I'm really just guessing now.
As for the ammonia I would recomend going with more detergent. I don't know much about Country Save (I'm assuming that's what you're still using??) but that seems like a really small amount for a top loader. Heck, that would seem like very little even for a front loader! The times you tried more detergent did it help with the smell? I wouldn't worry too much about suds for now. If you were using a large amount of detergent and having problems then yes I'd say strip/rinse them till you see no suds. But I'd at least give the more detergent a try before assuming that the suds thing is a problem. Too many suds can be an indication of build-up if it's accompanied by other 'symptoms' but by itself it's not something to worry about. I'd try using more detergent and just quit watching for suds. If it doesn't help then you can consider build-up but for now I'd just not even check for suds. Just do an extra rinse for good measure and then throw them in the dryer. Considering you already have a bad ammonia smell and rash issue I don't think it could be much worse. Also make sure you're differentiating between suds and bubbles. Sometimes you have to take a closer look to really see the difference (bubbles will dissipate very quickly if you turn the washer off while suds will hang around longer, suds are also usually more whitish & opaque).
You could consider using a stronger detergent if you'd like but I'd first try just more of the detergent you're already using. If you try the bleach to disinfect them of the yeast it might also help with the ammonia if it's due to a build-up of bacteria/urine.
You asked about how often you should strip diapers. Personally I'm of the belief that stripping shouldn't need to be a part of a regular washing routine. It should be something used to solve a one-time problem. In theory you should be able to improve your wash routine so that the diapers don't need stripping on a regular basis. That said, if you're having such problems finding the 'right' routine and stripping every month (or two or whatever) is what works for you then I don't see a problem with that. Stripping adds an extra complication, which is one reason why I think it should only be used when really needed but if stripping actually avoids other complications like constantly switching up detergents or additives then I can see where it could actually be simpler.
Karen. |
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Well, it looks like her sores are healing up now. They're fading but they still seem to be a tiny bit open. But over the last 2 days now, she seems more red and has 3 tiny red blisters, one with a white head so I don't know if that's a yeast infection or not. Maybe it's just from the diapers not being cleaned well enough. I will take her to the doc though, just in case. She did really clear up when we had her in disposables, but not completely even over the span of a month. Is that wierd? And when your DD had one, it cleared up in a week? I had an anti-fungal which we alternated with cortisone. It's odd that her skin isn't completely healed.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you asked if I was differentiating between bubbles and suds. Makes sense to me. I don't think I was. I was looking for bubbles. I did wash with a lot more detergent today and am hopeful that that will clear the ammonia smell.  Thanks!
Many thanks for the input. I will consider all these factors and see how it works after we've been doing it for a while. I'll wait another week before going to the doc with DD to see if cleaner diapers helps to clear her bottom.
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Well, yeah, for us everything healed up really quickly. And this was after over a year of dealing with the rash (I know - bad mommy - but I always thought I had it under control and then it would come back, and it never seemed to bother her). But that was us, we also never needed to treat the diapers (didn't know at the time that we should) so it's always possible she has a stronger strain or something.
Hope you figure this out, I know how frustrating rashes can be. If you do see the doc again I would make sure he/she knows about the month in disposables, some docs have a tendancy to blame all rashes on cloth...
Karen. |
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I know this may be a long shot but I am wondering if you have heard about any other moms that have experienced green discharge from the little ones tiny bums. Our 2 year old daughter, the one with the yeast infection (if that's what it is) has had green discharge in the past (february and march) for a couple of days. It is in her vagina and showed up again today so I took a swab to bring it to the doc... but have you heard anything like that before?
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No, sorry, I've never heard of that. I've heard of green bowel movements but not vaginal discharge. Hope the doc can figure it out...
Karen. |
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We were dealing with a yeast infection for months, and it was sooo frustrating, I tried so many different prescriptions and natural remedies. It seemed like nothing worked. I tried putting an ointment with cornstarch in it on my LO's bum to see if it was still a yeast infection (cornstarch feeds yeast, so the bum will turn red with cornstarch), and sure enough his whole bum went red. I had just been putting the ointment on the little red dots, but after realizing that the yeast was all over I put a thin layer of the anti-fungal ointment all over his bum and it cleared up within days.
Anyways, I thought this might help you if you're just putting on the ointment on the "affected area" like prescriptions say, it may not actually be getting all the yeast.
You probably should treat your diapers too which is a hassle, but should be done because yeast can live in them. Just do an internet search for how to do it.
Good luck! |
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Thanks! This is very helpful because we are STILL struggling with it and are going to be going back to the Doc when our holidays are over. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll have to treat the diapers - maybe even try disposables again?
Did you use disposables when you were clearing the infection / treating the diapers? |
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Hi,
Garlic is a big enemy of yeast! This is one of the most effective home remedies I have found for instant relief. Inserting one garlic tab (such as Shaklee's Garlic Tabs) or a garlic clove into the vagina every few hours or as needed provides soothing relief. If you use garlic tabs, be sure the ingredients are natural and pure. I highly recommend the Shaklee garlic tabs. They are what I have always used with great results.Of course, garlic can be taken internally, as well. Again, the Shaklee garlic tabs work great. I have also used Kyolic garlic tabs and liquid in the past with good results. Or, if you don't mind the smell, you can press a whole garlic clove and drink it down quickly with water. I have found this to be very effective. Do it as often as necessary.Garlic is one of nature's amazing "drugs" that has a number of other health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and reducing bad cholesterol. It is a natural antibiotic. In fact, my Greek father-in-law eats raw garlic everyday and, in his mid-sixties, is very rarely sick.http://www.yeastinfectionsymptons.net/ |
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