Thrush is caused by an overgrowth of yeast called Candida Albicans. The overgrowth manifests itself in the form of shiny diaper rash, which is the not so common variety and the appearance of white raised patches on babies’ tongues, roofs of the mouth, inside the gums and lips. This infection is caused by yeast is common in infants and is usually painless; however, it could also cause some pain for your baby in some cases. It is important to know where this infection comes from, and a pertinent question from parents would be, “Can bottle-fed babies get thrush?”
Before answering this question, however, it must be acknowledged that Thrush is a health concern for your babies. Although it might seem not something to be worried about, it helps a lot if one could learn and get educated about the simple things that your child might experience. In this article, we will answer the question, “Can bottle-fed babies get thrush?”
Can Bottle Fed Babies Get Thrush?
Like what was mentioned earlier, babies are quite susceptible to different kinds of infections. As infants, they are still building up their immune system; that’s why different infections could happen to your child, albeit most are not harmful and life-threatening. Many ask the question, can babies get Thrush from formula or can formula cause Thrush in babies.
Can bottle-fed babies get Thrush? The answer to this is yes and no. Yes, because babies get their Thrush from breastfeeding and being bottle-fed, it is related to the ingestion process. However, it is also a no because you do not get Thrush out of formula itself. Thrush is a yeast infection that usually grows in the digestive tract or skin. It will probably not have anything to do with whatever formula you may have but the container it might have gotten infected with.
An imbalance in the body causes Thrush. This imbalance could be caused by moms taking antibiotics during delivery, breastfeeding, or babies taking antibiotics. Taking antibiotics reduces the growth of bacteria in your body, but it might kill the good bacteria that prevent Thrush from thriving, causing the manifestation of the infection.
Yeast thrives in warm, moist, sugary environment. This means particularly a baby’s mouth and a mother’s nipple too. The infection is transferred from either mother to child or vice versa. It could develop from the baby and get transferred to the mother, or the mother is the carrier transferring it to the baby. This could be transferred mainly through breastfeeding and other points of contact.
How to Remove the Thrush Out of Baby’s Tongue?
Bottle-fed babies could get Thrush similarly with breastfeed babies as the infection itself could be an internal issue. Thrush looks weird on your child’s mouth, but it is not harmful. However, if you want to remove it immediately, it would be very easy because the treatment requires some medicines, and you are done. Bottle-fed babies could get Thrush too, and the same with breastfeed babies as the infection itself could be an internal issue. First, you must identify if what you have is a Thrush and not some left-over milk or formula from your baby’s mouth. The milky residue could be easily removed through wiping, but if it remained, then what you have is a genuine Thrush.
For removal of Thrush a liquid medicine, Nystatin is an effective solution. However, this medicine should be used upon the prescription of the doctor. This is applied to tongues and gums multiple times based on prescriptions. Also, the prescription should be followed for maximum effectiveness of the medicine. Besides Nystatin, other alternatives could also be used to treat the infection. One alternative would be the use of Gentian violet, a topical liquid with antibacterial and antifungal capabilities. This is also applied to your baby’s mouth for treatment. The other alternative would be for the use of Fluconazole, an antifungal medication that could treat Thrush as it is a yeast infection.
With all these medicines for treating Thrush, removing it would be quite easy. Another point to remember though, is that sometimes the infection heals on its own because of the child’s immune system getting better at fighting infections.
Should I Be Worried About My Child Getting Thrush?
Your child having a Thrush is something you should not be worried about too much as it is not a harmful and life-threatening condition compared to other infections. With this, learning how to get Thrush off a baby tongue still comes in handy if it gets too uncomfortable for your baby. If your baby has one, you should probably sanitize all the items and accessories used, especially the milk bottle. It should also be remembered that the infection could be transferred both ways through mother and child. If you are breastfeeding your baby, better sanitize your nipple too, or if your child already has Thrush, you should both get medicated to stop repeated infections. Thrush also affects a mother’s nipple and could cause mastitis if aggravated, so getting it cured is a must too.
If you are still not convinced, you could go to your pediatrician and get a check-up to get some advice from a doctor. Being worried about it is natural, but being educated about it makes the stress and burden a lot lighter, especially for first-time parents. Find out more about baby bottles.
Conclusion
There are many infections your baby might be subjected to. The important response when encountering these is learning more about how and why it happened. Asking the question, “Can bottle-fed babies get thrush?” is a pertinent and great way of addressing concerns about this infection because by knowing this, it could be used in a preventive measure for the future or even cause ease when encountering it again.
However, it is still important to get your baby its regular check-up and ask your doctor about your child’s diseases and symptoms. Thrush is something simple, and you could manage on your own but down let your guard down when it comes to infections because not all have the same pattern of manifestations and cure. Do not commit this simple mistake. Learn about possible infections and see basic treatments on it so that you will not experience excess worry, agitation, and stress when you encounter other infections in the future.