Talking Allergies

I realize this may improve once my son is no longer in diapers but in the meantime does anyone have advice on how to handle recurrent yeast infections.

I have tried a probiotic which I researched on it's ingredients. However every time I start giving it to him he has sleep issues and his eczema flares up.

My son is only 2 so diapers may be in the cards a while longer and I hate seeing him flinch every time he needs a diaper change.

Any advice appreciated.

_________________
Jan, mom to 3 boys
DS#3 - eggs, cats, dust, eczema, avoiding nuts as a precaution
DS#2 - seasonal allergies
DS#1 - no allergies
Me & DH - seasonal allergies

I always use Canesten cream (either vaginal or athlete's foot formula), and never had any issues. I even put it in her mouth while breastfeeding as per a lactation consultant and doctor very knowledgeable about allergies to cure thrush (yeast infection of the mouth).

But I wonder if the diaper rashes could be allergy-related, or can acidity of some foods cause it. I know if I give kernel corn to my DD,it makes her diaper rashes flare up, but if it's in flour form, it's fine...

_________________
Me - Kim - No allergies
DH Ben - 31 - Allergic to nuts and peanuts, lots of environmental allergies.
DD Anne - 4 - Asthma. Allergic to dairy, eggs, mustard, kiwi, peanuts, wheat and barley... for now...
DS Francois - 1 - No allergies so far...

My 8 year old daughter is also allergic to dairy/eggs and has always had trouble with redness and yeast infections. The only thing that seems to keep it away is giving her a bath in water with no soap every other night.

I think it is a type of reaction to something (likely yeast I guess).

_________________
luvmikids

daughter allergic to dairy,eggs,peanuts, soy, intolerance for potatoes, whole wheat

i'm wondering if there is a soy based yogurt that is safe for a dairy allergy and if that might help keep things clear, keeping all the good and bad bacterias in check the way regular yogurt does, maybe it's too simple but anything is worth a try

_________________
allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian

There is a soy yogurt safe for dairy allergic children however it doesn't contain the live bacteria or acidophillus like dairy yogurt as far as I know (my daughter doesn't really like it). I strive to give her the acidopholus (sorry about the spelling) supplements but have difficulty remembering ........

_________________
luvmikids

daughter allergic to dairy,eggs,peanuts, soy, intolerance for potatoes, whole wheat

I had trouble finding a probiotic that did not contain traces of dairy. Most of them are grown on dairy. Cal'dopholis (by Natural Factors) is dairy free...I take it myself and it put a sudden end to 8 years of re-occuring bladder infections (oh, why did I suffer so long ). It is in capsule form, you'd have to open a capsule and add it to something for kids...not sure how that would taste.

My kids eat a lot of soy yogurt. So nice DOES contain active cultures. I like to make smoothies with it for breakfast everyday.. 1/3 yogurt (vanilla is my favorite one to use), 2/3 soy milk, then add frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches etc.) and blend.

I've also heard that keeping ones diet low in sugar (and carbs that turn to sugar) can help to not feed the yeast.

_________________
DD age 9 1/2 -peanuts, nuts,
DD age 7 1/2 - milk, eggs, chicken, peanuts, treenuts, cats, dogs,
DS age 2 1/2
Husband- asthma, eggs, treenuts, fish, shellfish environmental
Self - penicillan, eurithromiacin, mild laytex allergy.

My3boys - my first instinct, even if the company has told you that the probiotics are 100% guaranteed dairy and egg free, would be to try a different probiotic. If that is the only new thing in his diet and it's causing him that kind of distress, I'd stop using it. It's not worth it, in my opinion.

I don't have a lot of experience with yeast infections - do you mean diaper rash, or is it worse than that? Is your doctor able to help? If you do see your doc, I would stress the dairy allergy, though, and make sure s/he understands that any possible solutions must be 100% dairy free.

Another thing, if you are starting to introduce new foods, and one of those might be the culprit, is to keep a food journal to help you see if there are other new things in his diet that might be contributing to these symptoms.

Good luck.

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond.

As usual I didn't take the time to give ALL the details I should have, so I'll reply to your suggestions here.

It is a yeast infection, much worse than regular diaper rash. It's been diagnosed once before by the doctor who prescribed Canesten to treat it. It happens every few weeks, though not as severe as the time I took him to the doctor. I was hoping to avoid using the cream on a regular basis since he's a feisty 2 year old who doesn't like me putting cream on his private parts.

I haven't introduced any new foods lately so I don't think that is affecting anything. I would love to be able to give him soy yogurt but he's soy intolerant. The resulting diaper rash from soy would be as bad or worse than the yeast infection.

I have stopped giving him the probiotic since it seems to cause so mmuch trouble. I will look into that brand again and will look into the Natural Factors brand too.

Again, thank you so much for the help. I don't post often but do read the forum almost every day.

_________________
Jan, mom to 3 boys
DS#3 - eggs, cats, dust, eczema, avoiding nuts as a precaution
DS#2 - seasonal allergies
DS#1 - no allergies
Me & DH - seasonal allergies

If you google "yeast infection in children" you find out all sorts of things - as I'm sure you know already...

There is a rather interesting article on medicinenet that provides a list of medications that are recommended for treating yeast infections in kids.

A couple of other things to consider, according to some surfing that I did:
- limit bubble baths - apparently they really do not help at all
- as far as trying to reduce moisture in the area - could he run around naked a bit more than he does now? I realize it's easier to do that in the summer than in cold Canadian winters... (Brrr!) Could it also be the type of diaper he is in? Maybe try another kind to see if that would help?

Sorry there is no magic wand...

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

When I just read the last post on diapers it triggered a memory that my children could only wear pampers and no off brands or cheaper brands as they would get rashes.

_________________
luvmikids

daughter allergic to dairy,eggs,peanuts, soy, intolerance for potatoes, whole wheat

about diapers causing yeast infections, my sister swears that changing to cloth diapers (not your grandmother's cloth they're pretty funky now) for her daughter cleared up the yeast infections my niece got, though at two it seems like it might cost more then you would save in the long run

_________________
allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian