2 Year Old with Athlete's Foot

If you can find some socks with silver in them, try them. Silver is an antibactierial and can sometimes clear that kind of thing up. I know they make them for adults ut dont't know about kids.

Lots of good advice---you also want to wash her socks in vinegar or bleach and dry them well. They could be re-infecting her. You can also try probiotic chewables. My daughter loves the ones from New Seasons---if you live in the Portland area.

First make sure her shoes breathe. Nothing vinyl, like cartoon character shoes. (My step-daughter had fungus that wouldn't go away because her shoes didn't breathe but, she just couldn't live without those "Lion King" shoes!) Have two pair of shoes, wear one on one day, the other the next and make sure they are put someplace warm and dry so that they can dry out between wears.
Next, eat a good yogurt, like Nancy's. I would eat it several times a day, maybe at each meal? Nancy's has all the right "critters" in it.
At this point if her feet are getting worse, i'd also look at allergies. Stop using any fabric softeners and make sure to use detergent that is Free and Clear. (also knew someone who, discovered that was their problem and their feet cleared right up)
Cotton sock are also great. I've heard so many bad things about cotton socks but, unlike wool or man made materials they are the most hypo-allergenic.
Lastly, don't lose hope. You all can beat this and when she starts to feel better, you can all rejoice!
Good luck!

Alternative treatment

A footbath containing cinnamon has been shown to slow down the growth of certain molds and fungi, and is said to be very effective in clearing up athlete's foot. To make the bath:

* heat four cups of water to a boil
* add eight to 10 broken cinnamon sticks
* reduce heat and simmer five minutes
* remove and let the mixture steep for 45 minutes until lukewarm
* soak feet

Other herbal remedies used externally to treat athlete's foot include: a foot soak or powder containing goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis); tea tree oil (Melaleuca spp.); or calendula (Calendula officinalis) cream to help heal cracked skin.
Found this on webmd.com Hope it might help.
Good Luck

Did this doctor take a culture of your daughter's foot? You can ask for one and might find out if you are dealing with a resistant fungus and what additional treatment options you may have.
If your pediatrician is at his wits end, see a dermatologist for a better diagnosis.

As for home remedies, a weak white vinegar solution (apple cider vinegar contains a lot of sugar) or food baths with epsom salt may help, but if the skin is cracked I would not do that to my child as it hurts.

Other than that switch to all cotton socks and let her go barefoot as much as possible. Fungal infections thrive in the moist environment of sweat, socks and shoes.

This couldn't sound weirder, but I suggest Vick's Vaporub. A friend recommended it, and I have to say it worked for me. I put it on pretty thick, then put on a pair of socks, right before I went to bed at night. Within a week or so, the itchy pain was gone, but I'd suggest using it for a week or so longer, until every little sign of the fungus is gone.

As to a systemic thing, I'd suggest yogurt, as long as it has active cultures. But if you do both, you can tackle the problem from both sides.

My father had a fungus infection under his toe nails and between his toes. His caretaker soaked his feet in a solution of chlorine bleach and water. Even the fungus under his nails cleared up. But that would hurt if her skin is cracked.

Warm moist environment does encourage fungus growth. Are her shoes plastic or of man made material? I mostly wear leather shoes because my toes will get scalded in shoes made of material that doesn't breathe. Scald is white and peeling skin that becomes sore.

Leaving her feet out to air may help. However, since this has gone on this long and you've tried several things I'd go to a dermatologist. I also recommend that the doctor culture the site.

I had cellulitis that cleared up from on my legs but my toes blistered and didn't heal. They took a culture and gave me a stronger antibiotic. I think it's possible that she now has a bacterial infection since her skin is broken.

I think that if her normal flora were out of balance she would also have yeast infections elsewhere, such as along the folds in her pubic area or even a vaginal yeast infection.

I wonder if she's kept awake at night because bedding rubs against her feet. Wearing white cotton socks during the night might help.

I don't know if this would be the right thing to do but I would be tempted to try heavily slathering her feet in an anti-fungal cream and then put on socks at night. If the anti-fungal cream dries out her skin I'd apply that first and then slather a heavy emollient cream over the top. Is it possible that the infection is gone but her skin has become so dry it's cracking? and/or it's become bacterial?

Hi J.,

I am somewhat an expert at this beings I was extremely sick of Candida/Fungus. Fungus (a form of candida) comes from being internal but may manifest itself externally. To get rid of it you have to take care of it internally. Topical cream will NOT do the trick long term and sometimes not at all since it comes from inside. Medicine does not help your liver so make sure she doesn't stay on it very long. What she needs is a pro-biotic and a strong one. I have lots of info on this subject so you may e-mail if you would like more.

Shaklee's Optiflora pro-biotic goes right to the colon where the dis-ease started and puts the good bacteria back into her colon and normalizes the colon. It is a pearl and you can put it in applesauce for her to swallow or mashed veggies is better. She also needs Shaklee's Children's Multi-vitamin and Multi-mineral vitamins for the pre-biotic that is in powder form so she can get it from her mouth down to her stomach and beyond. Also, absolutely NO sugar - no juice and as little fruit as possible until you get this fixed. Lots of veggies and meat is fine as long as NO sugars.

I also might have her tested for lead and other metal poisoning. Costs around $100 and is called a Urine Toxic Test. Sometimes metal toxicity will bring this condition on.

Side-Note: A mother can pass this condition onto the child in utero so you may check to see if you have this condition. Also, If it were me I would get myself tested for metal toxicity.

Go to http://nutritionproducts.myshaklee.com

Good luck - as I know what it does to the body if this is not fixed and it is not good. I know - I lived it and it was NOT fun.

N.
Wellness coach

J.- Oh man, I feel for your daughter! I am her. When I was young my feet were always cut up, bleeding. They would crack and it was just so painful. My mom took me to a lot of doctors and skin doctors who would scrape the skin off my feet to try and get a better look. I walked on the outside of my feet so as to not crack open my feet again. It really is very painful.
So, i don't really have a lot of suggestions. I have just been living with this all my life. BUT, here's some things that I have done to make it better.
First of all, does anyone in your family have athletes foot? If you are all showering and bathing in the same bathroom you need to make sure to spray the tub or scrub the tub after every use. She is passing on the microbes to you and dad, and then it gets back to her. My husband has nasty feet, every time he gets out of the shower I spray the shower so as to not contaminate me.
Second, a nice thick lotion and socks for the evening. If her feet are really dry and she is walking around it will split open her skin. I use a cream, and am not at home right now so I can't tell you the name of it, that stinks, but it works great. I found it in the African American beauty section at my Fred Meyer, it's in a yellow tube with little feet, anyways, it's a god send. Again, it smells funny, but I put it on at night and then put socks on when I sleep.
Third, only cotton socks. No bare feet, sandles are awful for me, cutesy girl socks need to be cotton only.
Good luck! If you can find a solution now it will help her for the rest of her life. I know, since I am STILL looking for the perfect solution.
L.

It really does sound like a systemic problem with the flora. If you have insurance and can take her to a naturopath that would be the best to make sure it is only the pH balance of her body. If you don't have insurance that would cover the Naturopath then the supplement store with have "Probiotics" and that will replace the lost bacteria in her body and rebalance her pH. It will only take a couple days to see a difference and it won't do her any harm. Good Luck!
T.

Something is not right take her to a natural healer Dr so you can find out what is wrong and correct what is causing it asap. There is a reason MDs are called practioners ( treating the syptoms is not the answer). Sounds like she has suffered long enough with traditional medicine. Anything that is keeping her up crying at night is serious. I have had so many things resolved with my accupunture/ massage therapist. Please try and follow through and I feel you will be happy you did. I am an RN but I do not go to an MD unless I know what is wrong with me and know what I need like an Antibiotic. To be healed go to a healer.

Might sound weird, but rub purell (hand sanatizer) and it might sting a lil bit but kills the bacteria adn takes away the itch. Be better in no time.

Try virgin coconut oil mixed with garlic to make a paste. It totally works! Good luck!

My 2 year old daughter had the SAME thing! I am really into natural stuff so i tried tea tree oil (I read about it online) Tea Tree oil is an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. I put it on full strength and her skin (athlete's foot) healed within days! I also used it full strength on a fungal diaper rash and it healed that within days too, with no stinging! ( neither have returned either)I just HAD to share. It's definatley worth a try :)

See a naturopath, because it sounds systemic...and too severe to ignore. Katherine Zieman, ###-###-####, in Gresham is great!

If it IS flora out of whack, I would get some chewable acidophilis - kid friendly probiotic. I would also do tea tree oil and water on the feet. That is an antifungal agent. Mix it in a little spritz bottle and spray the feet.

I would also suggest stopping the rest of the stuff until you can talk to a doc, because maybe all three are playing off one another and making it worse. In that, I really suggest a naturopath. Way gentler on a kid's system.

Something that I've tried for myself and my 6 yr old son is plain Listerine. The agents in it seem to do the trick all the time for us. :D Can't hurt to try!

I'm a little behind on emails. I thought my 3yrd son as the same problem, Our Dr told me children this young rarely have athlete's foot but that his feet always being in shoes and socks were causing the problem, she told me not to let him wear crocs and go barefoot as much as possible. My son wears shoes most of the days as he doesn't like to go bare foot. Good luck