ORAL THRUSH

Oral thrush is a fungal infection in the mouth and is commonly seen in babies and young children. It appears as a white coating or white patches which may be seen on your baby’s tongue, lips or gums. These white patches are not easy to rub off as they would if they were from a milk coating following a milk feed.

Oral thrush occurs in babies because their immune systems have not fully developed and they are less resistant to infection. Should your health visitor or GP feel that this needs treating, they can prescribe an antifungal medicine.

 

• It is important that the antifungal medicine is continued to be used for two days after the infection has cleared up. This will help to prevent the oral thrush from returning
• Always ensure that all feeding equipment is correctly and regularly sterilized including dummies to prevent the infection returning
• Good hand hygiene is essential

 

Advice for breastfeeding mothers

A breastfed baby with oral thrush can sometimes pass a thrush infection onto it’s mother, which may affect the mother’s nipples or breasts. We call this nipple thrush – click here for further information on nipple thrush.