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My mom and sister use it for their babies' thrush so by extension, I've used it when caring for their babes. It is seriously wonder-worker.

Depending on the baby, we've used it for a week to maybe 2.5 weeks. Definitely works. It was the sole treatment we used at the time, no combination with anything else. Stains do NOT come out! My sister accidentally spilled some on her taupe carpet and a baby wipe did take it out, but we've not found anything to get it out of clothes. We just use old onesies and blankets while we're using the violet.

We've probably used it for 6 babies over time without any overdose or ulcer issues. Pretty easy.

Hope that helps.

Yep. I swear by it. I'd only apply it to myself though, not swab her mouth ( taste it and you'll figure out why). It worked like a charm! If it doesn't work for you, a friend recommended acidophilis (sp?) To me, but it never got that far.

@miranlee: You poor thing Thrush is awful.

I fought a 9 week battle with thrush. I'm of the belief that you should try every remedy you can until something works, so gentian violet is definitely worth a shot. That said, GV did NOT work for me. I did a 3 day course of GV, applying it to my nipples with a Qtip twice a day prior to feeding LO. It may have worked if I had tried another 3 day course, but I was worried about using it too much as well. It is very staining. I would strip LO to just a diaper and put a spare towel over my lap and nursing pillow before using it to avoid staining clothes, etc. Have rubbing alcohol on hand when putting the GV on to a Qtip - it will remove GV from skin and from hard surfaces, like a sink. I never got it on clothes, so I didn't ever have to fight that stain battle. If it works for you, though, the staining is a very minor price to pay.

The treatment combination that ultimately worked for me:
- Heal cracked nipples by pumping and bottle feeding as much as possible. This was my OB's recommendation after a 21 day course of diflucan with a loaded first dose didn't work. It's very difficult to eliminate the yeast if your nipples are damaged. Make sure to sterilize, not just wash, all of the pump and bottle parts after use, and don't freeze any surplus milk that you pump because it can contain yeast.
- Alternate applications of monistat cream and virgin coconut oil after every feeding/pumping session. This was my lactation consultant's recommendation. I'm so afraid of thrush that almost 8 weeks after getting rid of it I still apply coconut oil as my lubricant when pumping, and I put one application of monistat on my nipples after LO has gone to bed for the night. That's probably all mental at this point
- Take a probiotic and give your LO a probiotic. I took acidophilis and gave LO BioGaia drops (recommended by my lactation consultant). You can also just break open a acidophilis caplet and apply the powder to your LO's mouth with a moist finger, but the drops were easier for me.
- Sterilize everything that touches LO's mouth, your nipples, and your milk. Wash your bras and shirts and LO's burp cloths and bibs on your washer's hottest setting. You can sterilize plastic, silicone, glass, etc with a solution of one part vinegar to one part water or boil everything.
- Don't use lanolin, and don't use nursing pads that aren't 100% cotton. I found that reusable nursing pads worked best for me (washed on hot with bleach after each use), but if you use disposable, make sure they don't have a plastic backing. Lanolin can form a moisture barrier, creating a perfect yeast breeding ground on your nipples. If your nipples are cracked, use virgin coconut oil or a non-lanolin salve like Mother Love nipple cream.
- Try to limit your sugar intake. I'm not sure how important this was, but again, I was willing to try anything.

I never tried GSE because I read that it's the chemical preservative used in making it shelf stable and not the actual grapefruit seed extract that's actual the active ingredient. The chemicals weren't high on my list of good things to give baby, so I put GSE on the back burner as a "last resort" remedy.

Also, my LO was on nystatin for the first 2 weeks of our thrush treatment. At that point, she stopped showing thrush symptoms, and her pediatrician didn't want to continue treating her with it. I was crazy worried that we would pass it back and forth, and we possibly did, but she never showed symptoms again. That was also the point when I started giving her a probiotic.

I hope some of this helps! Thrush is one of those things that you can't truly understand until you've experienced it yourself. I shed many, many tears over it, and I nearly stopped breastfeeding because of it. Hang in there! It will get better!