Oral Thrush in Babies

Oral thrush in babies and young children is a fungal infection in the mouth that’s usually harmless and easily treatable.

Signs of oral thrush in babies

The main sign of oral thrush is a white coating on your baby’s tongue, although there may also be white patches elsewhere in the mouth.

This coating may look like curd or cottage cheese and usually can’t be rubbed off easily.

If your baby has a white coating on their tongue that does rub off easily, it’s more likely to be milk coating the tongue and not thrush.

Babies may not seem bothered by the patches, but they may be reluctant to feed – or keep detaching from the breast during feeds – if they’re sore.

There may also be associated nappy rash caused by the same infection that needs to be treated as well.