5 Year Old and Itchy Butt Crack

Are you certain he isn't suffering from pinworms? Those can cause itchiness around the rectum. Especially if it's worse in the evenings, that would be my guess as to the culprit. When my neice got them, my SIL didn't see ANY signs. Her daughter just had periods of itchiness. She went to the doctor thinking it was a yeast infection. The doctor suspected pin worms and had them do a tape test (basically she put clear tape on her daugter after she fell asleep and they took the sample in to the doctor, who found eggs on the tape.).

My second guess is he is simply not wiping well enough or sweating and irritating the area. I'd have some wet wipes available and try that route to see if he gets some relief.

My first thought is pin worms. Easiest way to see is put a piece of duct tape near his anus before he goes to bed. If he has them, in the morning there should be small white lines stuck to the tape. A doctor can prescribe something to get rid of them. or just try putting some lotion on the area. Maybe the skin is just dry.

I'd try lotion or vaseline or diaper cream at night. See if that helps ward off the itch. Might just be dry skin. If he uses those wet wipes, try another brand. If he doesn't use them, try using the ones with aloe.

Ugh, pinworms. That's a possible, too.

If he has a yeast overgrowth/Candida (yes, guys can get them too), it will make his butt crack itch. There doesn't need to be any discharge and/or smell--in guys, a lot of times a Candida overgrowth will come out in the feces, which causes the itching. Try giving him a good probiotic like Florajen3. It should wipe out the bad yeast and replace it with good yeast. Everyone should be taking a probiotic, including boys/men.

If you tried the probiotic and he still has an itchy butt, then you'll need to have him checked for parasites. Roundworm (from undercooked pork) tend to make a butt crack itchy, as well as pinworms. If you have parasites, the itching can go in phases due to die off and new eggs being hatched (I know, sounds gross, but it is what it is).

Another thing is to check for allergies, like to bath soap/hair shampoo (if you wash his hair in the bathtub) or even the laundry detergent used to wash clothes.

He could also have a fissure (a small cut in the lining of the anus from straining/hard stools) or maybe even a small hemmrhoid, either of which would make a person itch.

Does it get worse at night? Could be pinworms. They are very common, and the doctor can help.

Like some others have said, pinworms was my first thought. The doctor can help with this.

Strep butt! Seriously! My son manifests strep in his butt. It's only causes itching, not a fever or any other symptoms. A quick swab at the doctor's office will confirm it. It is definitely a consistent itch, and does not go away on its own.

Oh, and another poster said that the doc wouldn't want to see him. I disagree. I had called the nurse line for suggestions the first time he had a consistent itchy butt and they're the ones that told us to come in and have him checked.

I thought pin worms too.......

My thought was pinworms, also. Check his underwear for what looks like white pieces of thread in the morning. They can also show up in the toilet he uses the bathroom. These are not that uncommon, as hideous as it sounds.

He could be allergic to something. Certain brands of toilet paper have fragrances. Or a new laundry detergent?

Does he wipe well? Get paper stuck in there? 5 year-olds are notorious for itchy butt cracks. You might try giving him a butt bath on the nights he doesn't take a full bath. Just put the water on in the tub and let him soak for a minute. Then wash his butt with a wash cloth and mild soap.

But in the meantime, I'd call the doctor and ask. They won't tell you to come in. What they might tell you is to wash the area and then put some sort of cream on (like a hydrocortosone).

My goodness - use clear tape - not duct tape! And only for a second - not overnight!! :)

Good luck!!

Could be a few things.. one, when you bathe him if you use soap on the area, it can mess up the skin's ph balance.. and cause itching.. coupled with warm water, it can totally dry out the skin.. also, detergents that you may use when doing the wash can be another culprit. Lastly, yeast can definitely be an issue. When my son was younger, he had those and while cream was helpful, drinking lots of water helped him even more. One, it helps to cleanse the system and two, it helps to hydrate the skin from the inside out.. I might also add that Chlorine in the water system is another irritant.. In our shower, we have a filter that takes it out and since using it for the last few years, we noticed a huge difference in that our skin isn't as dry.. I know some will say, ah that's crazy.. but I definitely think even if it's a small amount of Chlorine, the stuff is so toxic , you really don't need much to irritate one's skin..

I have to agree with the others... pin worms? My oldest daughter had them when she was younger. If you look real close at the anus, you may see tiny white fibers that look like remnants of toilet paper or strands from a q-tip. But if you look closely, they'll be moving. You can pick them up with tweezers and inspect them.
The dr can give you a rx. Really not a big deal. Just sounds gross.

I would try giving him a bath nightly, instead of every other day. After the bath, sprinkle a little bit of Johnson's baby powder with corn starch in the backside of his underwear.

If that doesn't work, take him in. He might have pin worms.

My friend's daughter got them from using a port-o-potty at her brother's baseball game. Ewwww!

My thought is pinworms -
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/parasitic/pinworm...

Another thought, it is possible to get a strep infection there, especially if they have their hands in their mouth often or have recently had strep throat.

Pin worms, which someone else mentioned, become most active at night.

If it were me, I'd call the ped's office. I wouldn't assume he's perfectly healthy just because you don't see anything.

I would try some Anti-Monkey Butt powder first and see if that helps. I've seen it at Target occasionally, but you can definitely find it at Babies R Us. If it continues it maybe something more serious.

If my boys have something like that I use butt paist on them. It's probably really dry!!!!

Once DD was potty trained, we started doing daily baths, mainly for this reason. Little kids just don't wipe properly and get dirty pretty quickly in that regard. They also play hard and sweat a lot. I bet if you bathed him daily, the itchy butt would go away.

Have you tried hydrocortizone? It will take away the itch.

Maybe this is too simple and not it at all but I know if he sweats at all it can cause dampness and make it itch in that area that is so dark and not open to air. Try drying it often or telling him to get a wash cloth and wash it and then to dry it extremely well several times a day if he can. Try it at least.

Even if it's not a yeast infection, you can still preemptively treat with yogurts, or OTC anti-fungal creams for a few days and see if there is any improvement.

Does your boy sweat a lot? Then use baby powder?

I recall having to give my 5 year old's a nightly bath due to their poor wiping abilities.

The pinworms are a possibility, but that usually happens at night.

It could also be that it is just dried out. Every once and awhile our DD has to put a little bit of petroleum there and then she's fine for a long time. I think sometimes the constant wiping (as she wipes her butt after peeing too) causes the irritation. If that's the case, it will feel better instantly.

Do you use wet wipes for the bathroom? My son was itching and his bottom was really raw. It turned out to be the wipes we were using. We just use regular TP for him and avoid the wipes. Even the sensitive/kid ones irritate him. If you don't use wipes I'd have him looked at by the ped.

I would take him in are u sure its not anal strep or in the middle of the night go looking at it with a flashlight for worms. They only come out a night in the dark.

Updated

I would take him in are u sure its not anal strep or in the middle of the night go looking at it with a flashlight for worms. They only come out a night in the dark.

I will bet that he has pin worms, L.. Hey, it happens. My mom told me about this because it happened to her kids. How you know is to look at his anus at night time when he's asleep - use a flashlight. Evidently the worms crawl around in and out of the anus. The child scratches, doesn't wash him hands well enough, eats, and the eggs that the worms have laid end up in his digestive system, a pattern that cycles over and over.

Call your ped's office and tell them what's going on and ask if you can give him pinworm medicine. Go by their directions. Wash all the bed linens - they'll tell you exactly what to do, or go online and see what it says in detail.

Pin worms tend to cause itching at certain times of the day (I forget if it's morning or evening).
Since there is no irritation, I tend to think it's a sweat problem.
Not wiping well enough problem when he uses the bathroom could cause some irritation - you'd see it and he'd smell stinky - but he hasn't got that.
Sweat might work in combination with some laundry soap/softener residue.
You could try several things.
Bathing/showering every day might help.
Make sure he rinses soap/shampoo off himself well.
Avoid bubble bath for awhile.
An oatmeal bath and/or adding 1 cup of plain yogurt to his bathwater can be very soothing to the skin.
Double rinse his clothing in the laundry and/or try using a mild scent free detergent.
Does his underwear fit him?
If it's too tight maybe air can't circulate well enough so moisture doesn't evaporate as well as it could.

A friend of mine, her son had the same problem and it ended that he had worms. You may want to get that checked out.

L.,

Yes, my son is the same way!! He asks me to get a baby wipe and scratch his butt. I do, just to get rid of the itch, then I put powder on him. That seems to help alot! He will do what ever necessary to take care of that itch and it drives him crazy. My son, also takes a bath every other day too.

Good luck with that!! Poor little guy!