Use a Home Remedy for Thrush
Choose a Simple Treatment for Thrush
A home remedy for thrush can help you quickly get rid of the problem for both you and your baby. Home remedies for thrush include some simple household staples.
| If you are looking for a remedy for vaginal thrush, see Home Remedies for Yeast Infections. |
Thrush Symptoms
Thrush is a yeast infection caused by the Candida Albicans fungus. It appears as white patches inside your baby's mouth - on the gums, tongue, roof of the mouth, or inside of the cheeks. It can also appear as small red spots. Sometimes there are no symptoms other than fussyness while nursing or colic.
If you are nursing your baby, thrush can be passed on to infect your nipples making them sore and causing nursing to be painful. If you only treat your baby's mouth, you will just give it to him again if you do not also treat yourself.
Sanitize all teething toys and pacifiers by washing them in the dishwasher or discard them and replace with new ones after the thrush is gone.
Using a Thrush Home Remedy
Treatment for thrush includes temporarily changing your diet to eliminate sugar which just feeds the thrush infection. It also includes keeping your nipple area extremely clean. Wash the area before and after nursing with soap and water. Breast milk itself contains sugar. If you leak breast milk, wear pads and change them frequently, washing each time. A thrush diet should include eating yogurt. Be sure it is a yogurt that has an active culture. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
You may already have a home remedy for thrush in your kitchen cupboard.
- Use a flat cotton square to smear yogurt on the white patches in your baby's mouth and then also spread some on your nipples. Be careful not to return the cotton square directly to the yogurt pot after it has been in your baby's mouth. Put a small amount of yogurt on a saucer and dip the cotton in it. Again, be sure to wash your nipple area before and after nursing - then you apply the yogurt.
- You can also apply pure virgin coconut oil to your baby's mouth and your nipples. Coconut oil is a natural antifungal.
- Paint the inside of your baby's mouth and your nipples with Gentian Violet. Be forewarned that this will stain everything it touches including anything your baby drools on. But it works.
- For yourself, apply tea tree oil to your nipples. Be sure to wash the area before breast feeding. Tea tree oil has a very strong smell and your baby may not like it. Read about the Benefits of Tea Tree Oil.
- Also for yourself, use clove oil diluted in some olive oil. Just apply to breast area between feedings.
- Clean your nipples with diluted apple cider vinegar.
- Make some calendula tea and swab the inside of your baby's mouth and your nipples with it. Read more about Calendula Flower.
You can control the levels of Candida in your own body by maintaining a healthy pH balance with Candidate
. It contains lemon grass and calendula which are proven to inhibit the growth of thrush/candida bacteria. This is helpful for preventing the thrush infection of your nipples and also for vaginal yeast infection.
