Nobody wants to see any harm come to their baby. So it can be quite alarming to find a mouth full of white gunk in your baby. If you notice the inside of your baby’s mouth looks a little funny, then it is possible that your baby could have thrush.
Check out this post to find out why your baby might have thrush.
What is Thrush?
Thrush is an infection caused by the Candida Fungus. It is very common in babies and can manifest itself in the mouth or as diaper rash. Oftentimes nursing moms also have issues with thrush on their breasts.
Is Thrush Dangerous?
Though thrush can be alarming, it is typically a relatively common infection for babies to get. Unless it is caused by an underlying condition, there isn’t usually a reason to worry if you noticed that your baby has thrush.
Of course, if left untreated, it could cause other complications. But as long as you know the symptoms and treat your baby accordingly, there shouldn’t be any cause for concern.
What are the Symptoms?
Typically thrush will cause your baby to be uncomfortable. Most likely, you will first notice a white coating on your baby’s tongue and the inside of his mouth.
Your baby may not be interested in eating. You might also notice other symptoms of your baby feeling poorly just by observing your baby’s attitude and behavior. If he isn’t sleeping well, seems extra fussy, and has white patches in his mouth, thrush is a very likely culprit.
If you’re breastfeeding, then you might also notice you have cracked, sore, or itchy nipples.
Nursing Moms Need to Treat Themselves as Well
Since thrush can be shared between mom and baby, it is very important that if you are nursing your baby and you suspect thrush, it’s best to treat yourself as well. Since yeast-based infections spread easily, treatment for you is important as well, so you are not passing the infection back and forth.
How to Get Rid of Thrush Naturally
The good news is that you have several options for getting rid of thrush naturally. It’s not necessary to use harsh chemicals in order to get rid of this pesky infection.
Diet is Important
Before turning to any other remedies, consider your baby’s diet above all else. Stay away from food preservatives and chemicals and feed your baby a diet rich in nutrients.
Be especially careful to feed your baby fermented foods, which will help balance your baby’s gut flora and may treat the thrush.
Stay off of Sugar
It’s equally important not to let your baby have sugar or foods high in sugar. In this case, while thrush is present, consider not even allowing your baby to eat foods that convert to sugar quickly. That includes all fruits and high starch vegetables.
Natural Remedies to Get Rid of Thrush
Gentian Violet
Gentian Violet reminds me of ink. It’s thick and dark purple in color. One look at the bottle and you might think that maybe using Gentian Violet is a bad idea. But rather than stray away, relax and realize that it is one of the best treatments for thrush.
However, I’d advise you not to try to apply it to your baby if he’s lying on furniture or near carpet. It stains. And be prepared for your baby to look like a clown!
The easiest way to apply Gentian Violet to your baby is by painting it on your own nipples with a ear swab. However, if you first apply olive oil to your baby’s mouth, it will be less likely to stain your babies mouth and cheeks.
It’s messy, but it’s so worth it. Gentian Violet is such a great natural remedy to get rid of thrush. Repeat this treatment once a day for 3-4 days.
Probiotics
If you’re nursing your baby, then start by taking probiotics yourself. The probiotics will come through your breast milk and help your baby fight off the thrush infection. However, treating yourself with probiotics might not be enough to help your baby get rid of thrush. Try using infant probiotic drops. They are very helpful in getting rid of thrush naturally. Once a day is enough.
If your baby is old enough to have yogurt, you could also paint the inside of your baby’s mouth with yogurt as well. I would only advise this if you know your baby can tolerate dairy products. If you choose to use yogurt to treat thrush naturally, then make sure to use plain yogurt without any added sugar. The yogurt can be used several times throughout the day.
Baking Soda Water
To treat your baby’s thrush with baking soda water, make a simple concoction by adding ½ tsp of baking soda to one cup of boiling water. Let the water cool to room temperature and use a cotton swab to wipe out the inside of your baby’s mouth. This can be done several times a day.
Vitamin C
The easiest way to use vitamin C to treat thrush in your baby is by purchasing vitamin C drops. Vitamin C will help your baby’s body naturally fight the thrush infection. Once a day is sufficient.
Colloidal Silver
Colloidal silver is an excellent choice for treating thrush. The nice thing is, there’s nothing you have to prepare. Simply dip an ear swab in some colloidal silver and paint your baby’s mouth with it. Use it several times a day to kill the infection.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Even though grapefruit seed extract is bitter, babies don’t seem to mind it. Do not apply it directly to your baby’s mouth, but rather, mix it with a tablespoon of water. The solution can then be applied with an ear swab directly to the inside of your baby’s mouth. Apply it after every feeding.
Here are a Few Considerations
I would recommend choosing one of the remedies for treating thrush naturally to start with and not trying them all at once. The chances are, you will find one that works well for you and/or your baby.
It’s also important to know that you should not double dip into whichever solution you are using. Use a clean ear swab each time you need to apply the remedy to your baby’s mouth or your nipples.
If your baby also has thrush on his bottom, then any of these remedies, except for the Vitamin C, can also be used.
I had thrush with my first baby. I only had pain in my breasts. Everyone told me it was impossible to have symptoms only in my breasts, and not vaginally, and for my son to not have it as well. I kept being told “Breastfeeding just hurts for a while”. One midwife diagnosed it as mastitis and gave me an antibiotic that made me puke my guts out for about 3 days. No one was helping so i researched it myself and decided to treat it like thrush. I figured I had nothing to lose. No grains, no sugar, very little fruit for 2 weeks (my diet was pretty boring!), plus grapefruit seed extract (this was 9 1/2 years ago so I don’t remember the exact dose, but I think it was about 20 drops, 5 times a day), plus Solaray Yeast Cleanse (with pau d’arco, which is in a lot of stuff to treat yeast). It was GONE for good in 2 weeks! Unfortunately it took 5 months of extremely painful, burning breastfeeding to get rid of it, but I was able to successfully breastfeed him and I’m so glad I did! 🙂
Wow! That’s incredible! I’m sorry you had to go through that, but how awesome that you figured it out! Thank you for sharing! I’m sure someone will benefit from this!
Are these remedies safe for a 2.5 week old? He had a rough start…aspirated fluid during birth & it turned into pneumonia, so he was on antibiotics, resulting in a yeasty bottom. Im thinking it’s turning into thrush, as well, despite my heavy probiotic use & giving him probiotics directly.
Following. I would like to know as well, I have a 3 week old with thrush. Prescribed medications don’t seem to be working.
LARA’s question is great, and we are so sorry it took so long to respond. Unfortunately, we can’t give medical advice but we can say while caution is warranted with such young babies, herbs are generally safer than prescriptions. If you have any specific questions, we recommend discussing them with a trusted natural health practitioner. 🙂
Would these natural treatments help a yeast diaper rash? My 18month old has been dealing with this for a month. I really over it.
Changing the diet to reduce sugars and encourage fermented foods would definitely help. For yeast rashes, I use Kate’s No More Yeast Salve. It is made with Cloves, Cinnamon, Calendula, Neem Oil, Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Candelilla Wax. https://earthley.com/product/no-yeast-salve/
Gentian Violet is a carcinogen though :/
We’ll look into to updating this. Thank you for bringing it to our attention!
Would these remedies work for an adult with oral Candida issues?
Many of these would help. My go to is usually using coconut oil for a mouth gargle and avoiding sugar. Since thrush is an indicator that things are out of balance in your gut, I would look into how to help your body balance the yeast/candida more. Here are two great articles to help: https://modernalternativemama.com/2018/07/16/key-mistake-anti-candida-diet/ and https://modernalternativemama.com/2019/03/24/how-to-heal-your-gut/
Gentian Violet is derived from coal tar & is a carcinogen. Not safe at all & definitely not natural. My go to is organic virgin coconut oil, gse, powder pro biotic, & an anti-fungal eo if comfortable. I’ve used the candida herbal formulas on breasts before as well.
Thank you. We will get this list updated!