# Toddler experiencing pain around vagina (not diaper rash) pls help



## jazzybaby9 (Feb 27, 2007)

Hi, I hope I'm posting this in the right place! My dd is almost 17 months old and has never had diaper rash. For the past few days she has had extreme irritation around her vagina and butt crack...a couple tiny red bumps outside and it seems to be pretty painful for her! The redness has subsided a little, she looks _slightly_ swollen and the pain has intensified just this last night. She is refusing to let me wipe her after a dirty diaper (we use wet paper towels, so no chemicals would be stinging her private parts) She says "ouch", "owwie", and "hot!" when I change her diaper and while applying creme. She did have asparagus this past week around the same time these symptoms showed up...maybe her urine was too acidic? Pls help! Symptoms are growing much worse...

Last night I took her diaper off and she screamed and clenched her cheeks and ran crawled with her butt in the air to a corner. She won't even allow me to open her legs to wipe or change her. What the HELL is going on?!

I don't have health insurance on her due to recently switching jobs. My grandmother recommended tea tree oil...I will definitely pick some up.

ADVICE?!


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## FondestBianca (May 9, 2008)

could possibly be a yeast infection. I'd look into natural remedy that is safe for children as you would not want to use any chemical, over the counter meds until actually confirming an infection and making sure it would be safe for a child that young. It isn't all that uncommon for a little one to get a yeast infection. That could explain the redness, stinging/burning sensation, and any itching she might have as well.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

Tea tree oil is pretty strong, and may be not be appropriate for a toddler. I personally like the feeling of tea tree oil when I have a yeast infection, as the "tingle" feels kind of like scratching, but without actually having to scratch (which of course would be painful with yeast there.) However, most people find the tingling sensation to be too strong and actually painful on such a sensitive area.

You would need to dilute the tea tree oil in another oil before applying it; and even then you may make it too strong and it can cause discomfort, or too dilute and it won't be effective. I used to use baby oil with a few drops of TTO as a yeast preventative- I'd put the oil onto baby wipes and use that to clean DD's bottom at diaper changes. But I didn't do that DURING a yeast rash, only after she had several in a row and I wanted to keep them away.

Gentian violet is EXCELLENT for treating topical yeast. It doesn't tingle or anything when applied, although it DOES stain everything (skin, fabric, etc) dark purple.

OTC "athlete's foot cream" or "jock itch cream" are effective and feel pretty good going on. However, they're not "natural". It's what I used when my daughters had yeast diaper rashes.


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## megviolet (Feb 6, 2007)

I agree it sounds like it might be a yeast infection. My DD just had one and behaved a lot like what you're describing. A bath with about 1/2 cup of baking soda in it can help, and when it comes to yeast i unfortunately haven't found anything all natural that works... it always recurs for me and my DD so I finally gave in and bought canesten and it seems to have wiped it out. I'd also give her some acidophilis in her food if you aren't already and make sure she is getting lots of water.
Hopefully it's just yeast and you can get rid of it in a few days, i spoke to a pharmacist about it and got a lot of help.
Good luck!


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## jeliphish (Jul 18, 2007)

tea tree oil would burn her little parts. Nystatin works great for yeast infections...so does G. violet as the PP said.


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## jazzybaby9 (Feb 27, 2007)

Thank you for your thoughts, they really eased my mind. I have a recipe for homemade wipes that include tea tree oil, so I think it would be ok, esp since the wipes are for baby bottoms.

I wiped her down with witch hazel...then mixed aloe gel and tea tree oil and she is all smiles and running around playing again! i made sure to use a tiny tiny amout and it seems to have done the job







:

thanks again, mamas.


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