Pantyliners for a Little Girl to Prevent Infections?

This doesn't address the problem. She needs to learn to wipe better not have pads on. Get her the wet wipes and start teaching her how to wipe. My son would get "skid marks" on his undies. I would make him wash them and I explained that if he would wipe his bottom better he wouldn't have to do this. I also got him the wet wipes and that really helped. I J. don't see this as a good idea. If she can't wipe her bottom how can she take care of the pad?

I think that is more important to teach her good hygiene and to wipe thoroughly and properly. If she's wiping back to front (as many do), teach her front to back - keep bacteria where it belongs. I also agree that an unclean liner may be more of an issue and may block airflow. If she's not wearing cotton, change her to all cotton and as much cotton for pants as possible. Also, don't let her linger in baths with soap or shampoo. Wash her last if she likes to play. No additions to the water - no bubbles. If she needs help, get some flushable wipes so that at least at home she is able to clean herself more easily.

If she continues to have an issue, see her pediatrician. Also, do these breakouts follow swimming time (extra time in a wet suit), going to the beach (sand) or a particular food? My great-niece had problems when she had too much juice.

I've never heard of this and honestly it isnt dealing with the real problem. Teach her to wipe front to back and maybe use those flushable wet wipes for kids. J. my opinion but you don't want her using pads for the rest of her life, you want her to learn to do what she needs to do to solve the problem. Good luck!!!

I don't think a panty liner is going to prevent infections and, if anything, it is going to possibly cause irritation. Panty liners do not allow for air flow and trap heat and sweat/moisture. So, unless you are going to have her change her panty liner frequently (every few hours), I think it could cause more harm than good. Is there a physical impairment preventing her from wiping? If not, she needs to be taught to wipe properly to prevent irritation. Good luck.

I wouldn't suggest doing that. The pads can hold in odor and cause more irritation as they're not breathable like cotton panties. I would suggest working on her wiping better. There's also flushable wipes to use at home. And as long as she's bathing every night that will help as well.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

J. keep reiterating the importance of wiping well. As a grown woman I get irritated by panty liners sometime, so I don't think putting them on a little girl is a great idea. Plus, they're not made for a girl as small as a 5 year old -I would think they would be very large in her underwear.

I think it would be worse. The dirty pantyliner will be spreading the bacteria. I would get the flushable wipes and show her how to clean.

never heard of it, nor do I see how it would help. Infection comes from being unclean, not from her underwear being unclean. She needs to clean better or have continuted help. The bacteria on her body is what is the risk. This sounds crazy to M..

Hi JM -
I don't think pantiliners would help. Perhaps it would J. trap the moisture against her skin. Panties breathe and pantiliners don't. I agree that she J. has to learn what happens when she doesn't wipe enough.

It's so hard for little girls to wipe properly, too! Even if they get themselves clean, they can end up with a UTI if they haven't wiped from front to back.

I hope it gets better soon for her!
Dawn

I wouldn't go ahead with the panty liner idea.
Keep teaching her about wiping.
Look for and eliminate other sources of irritation.
Some girls get irritation in response to bubble bath.
Instead of bubble bath, you can add a cup of plain yogurt to her bath - it's very soothing to the skin.
Is she drinking enough? - Dehydration can be a factor in the problem. If her urine gets very concentrated it can be very acidic and can burn skin.
Does she hold it too long and wait till the last minute to get to the bathroom? - She might need to drink more and go more often.
Does she react to different laundry detergents? - Make sure her clothes (or at least her underwear) gets double rinsed before drying.
Does she react to chlorine in a public pool? - My friend was getting horrible repeat UTI's from spending so much time in her own pool.
I hope she feels better soon.

My daughters and I suffer from very dry skin. When they were little sometimes that area would get red or chapped I always assumed it was from the actual wiping. Every so often we would need to put some desitin on that area. Usually in the winter when the dry skin is at it's worst. J. a different angle to think about.

Every girl is different - we have this issue with our 5 year old and my friend said her oldest did, and youngest didn't. The doc says they might actually be wiping TOO hard (irritates the skin) and/or the winter clothing could make it more irritated. It's not so much dry skin as moist skin - undies with even 5% of spandex in them can trap moisture, as well as wearing tights/leggings/jeans, and adding snow pants. Plus, most jammies are polyester blends, so the area doesn't get "aired out". Our daughter has less issue with this in the summer (more cotton clothing and sundresses), so I honestly think the clothing has a lot to do with it. We do baking soda baths often, plus a little triple paste if the area is really red or the skin is broken. Good luck!