Plantar's Warts on 2 Year Old's Feet

Updated on March 08, 2011
R.C. asks from Saint Paul, MN
31 answers

Hello Ladies:

When our youngest was 18 months, she developed a plantar's wart on the bottom of her little foot. I took her to our Ped and he said he could freeze them off, which would be rather barbaric and tramatizing, or I could try OTC wart remover pads. I tried the latter. He also advised that I clean her bathtub at least twice weekly with harsh chemicals (not the kid-friendly organic cleaners that I use). Now, 7 months later, the first wart is huge and she has developed another wart next to the first and a new one is starting on her other foot. I tried the wart pads, but they would never stay on the wart. I even tried several different brands hoping one would stick. I have also cleaned her bathtub twice weeley with Clorox Cleanup with bleach.

I am at a loss and really want to get rid of them. She is starting to complain that her shoes hurt her feet and she even tells me her warts hurt. Does anyone have any recommendations as to how to remove these tough little buggers? My last resort will be to have her doctor freeze them off, but I am really hoping to find something less intrusive. Thanks in advance!!

R.

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So What Happened?

GREAT advice so far, ladies, thank you. I am going to try the duct tape tonight and will continue to welcome suggestions. I appreciate it!

Featured Answers

M.S.

answers from Omaha on

Duct tape is interesting. If that doesn't work, you should go the freezing route. Please take into consideration where the warts are coming from. Someone has most likely brought them into the house and uses the shower. Get to the root of the problem so they don't keep coming back. Worse, you don't want the wart germs in the tub and then you daughter has contact in her private area on the tub floor. The virus could be easily transmitted in that way. If anyone takes showers in a gym setting, wear gym shoes. Even in a gym sauna.

Updated

Duct tape is interesting. If that doesn't work, you should go the freezing route. Please take into consideration where the warts are coming from. Someone has most likely brought them into the house and uses the shower. Get to the root of the problem so they don't keep coming back. Worse, you don't want the wart germs in the tub and then you daughter has contact in her private area on the tub floor. The virus could be easily transmitted in that way. If anyone takes showers in a gym setting, wear gym shoes. Even in a gym sauna.

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M.P.

answers from Bloomington on

My sister had plantar's warts and mom took her to a dermatologist and had them burnt off, twice. It didn't work either time. An older lady in our church found out about my sisters problems and suggested we try taking a raw potato, cutting it open and laying it on the areas where the warts are for 10 minutes, then, soak feet in a warm epsom salt bath for 10 minutes each night. After a week, they were gone. And, they never came back.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.D.

answers from Boise on

I may as well throw in a response here. I don't know if it works on planters warts but this is what we do. Don't laugh it really works! Put Dandelion juice on warts. The milk from breaking off the stalk. It will turn the wart black and it will go away. You must do it several times. I had the kids do it while they were out playing. They thought it was fun. I have done it many, many times on all my kids. So much less traumatic that burning and they get to pick flowers. Especially easy to do in the spring and summer of course. I know there is one kind of wart it doesn't work on just not sure which one that is.

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K.B.

answers from Austin on

I'm know I"m a little late on this one, but I didn't see the original post or I would have chimed in then. My 5yo had a large plantars wart on her foot and our ped told us to use the duct tape method. Honestly the first few days were pretty gross, but within a week it was completely gone and looks like nothing was ever there! Who knew!
K.

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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have found that freezing is the best option out there. Leaving them alone for two long makes them grow big and multiply...NOT fun! Now a key factor in planters warts is breathing. Make it so they can't breath. Duck take works well on small warts. Not sure how big the "big" one is on her foot but anything bigger then a pea needs to get frozen. But for the little ones cover with duck tape make sure skin is dry and stick it well and then leave it there for weeks. Don't replace unless you have to and if you do replace it very quickly. You want to starve them from breath. Sorry she has to go through this...and remember if you ever take her to a pool sandles always....ALWAYS she will be more likely to continue to get them the rest of her life

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E.B.

answers from Duluth on

I am completely with you--my five year old had a huge wart, and it was on the bottom of his big toe, right where it starts to curve in--a horrible place to try to stick one of those pads! But we did...we got the ones with a medicated disc, and then they have a round moleskin piece to put over that. He LOVED touching the moleskin, which made it much less freaky. Then we put one of those kind of "H" shaped bandaids over it, and I told him NOT TO TOUCH IT. It was starting to hurt him, so he got it. We were 110% religious about keeping a disc on it for about a week and a half--we left the bandaid on and in place for up to three days; I think we only changed it occasionally. Then we forgot...and about two weeks ago, I was looking at his foot, and I realized he has a huge cavity where the wart used to be! It's completely gross looking, but the wart is gone! Your daughter is only 2, so it might be harder, but the bandaid really, really helped. There is no way the disc would have stayed in place without it. And, we worked hard to keep his foot covered with socks, so he didn't play with it! Good luck; I totally know the frustration of trying to keep it from hurting and not wanting to have to go to the doc!

EDIT: I see some moms are recommending taking the air away; the bandaid seems to do that, and the assistance of the medicated discs helps. If she is in pain, I don't know that I would just let her immune system handle it--it will; they've gone away when they're mine, but if they're big and they hurt, they can really be awful.

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M.K.

answers from Houston on

freezing hurts - i know because i have had it done, and because i was the podiatrist doing it for around 7 years - then a study was done which found it was pretty ineffectual against warts - the childs immune system will overcome the virus after 2 years, and it was found the warts would regrow several times after freezing, requiring refreezing, or a different treatment track.

the hospital i worked for introduced a no treat policy for plantar warts, and so for the rest of my time there, we did not treat any at all.

the other lady is right - there is something about occlusion with duct tape - or any kind of tape which appears to make the warts regress a lot quicker, it is worth a try.

my son developed several at your daughters age - i did not treat them and after almost exactly 2 years they vanished within about a weeks - like a miracle! unless your dd's immune system is compromised in some way by a medical problem, she will get rid of them, then will never have them again because of the immunity the body builds up against the HPV virus

dont pick them, dont cut them, dont emery them unless the skin is thick and painful as they will spread like mad

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K.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Hi R.,

You've had a lot of advice on this topic and I'm sure you're well on your way trying to figure out what will actually work. When I was about 8 I had a planters wart on the tip of my big toe and the roots were at least to the knuckle of my toe. It was VERY painful and I remember not being able to wear a shoe with comfort, or sock for that matter. If ANYTHING touched it I was in terrible pain. My parents took me to a dermatologist and he froze it off. It was not really that painful as I remember it (and I HATE pain) but was a scarey thing since I didn't know what to expect.

On a brighter note, I partner with a wellness company and have a toxin free home. We have the best concentrate of tea tree oil available and my mom read a doctor's Q/A in a local newspaper where a father had used the tea tree from our company on his son's planters wart and it was the ONLY thing that worked, to include all the RX remedies given by the doctor. My mom commented how she wished we'd had that when I had my planters wart.

Just an FYI, I'm not a sales person so I'm not interested in selling you anything but I will be happy to give you the info you need to get what you're looking for. Just let me know if you're interested.

BTW, Clorox and Clorox Clean Up is a known carcenogen and is harmful to you and your child. Stay with your non-toxic cleaners. The non-toxic products I use clean better than any of those name brand, store bought items and are safer for my family. My son hasn't had to use his nebulizer for asthma for 3 years now and I attribute that to our toxin free home, as well as other healthy choices we have made for our family.

K.

J.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

Duct tape did not work for my daughter's warts. However we did injections at a dermatologist for several months, it was slow progress but we did see great results. We only ended up having to burn the last one off. And no one can tell where she had the warts. Definitely try the duct tape method though, it was sort of working but she was having a hard time leaving it alone. What was told to me is that when you try over the counter stuff and other remedies then it becomes that you have to get rid of them by taking meds or injections, to get rid of the virus that causes them from the inside out.

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K.D.

answers from New York on

My daughter had them on bottom of her foot too. Tried duct tape, it doesnt work because her foot would sweat and the tape would always slip off. You need to put the medicated pad on there, a little tiny piece of the pad just big enough to cover the wart. then tape it down all the way around her toes with surgical tape. The trick is taping it on there so good that it cant move. you do that everyday and every 3 weeks go to the doictor to scrape off the dead layer on top and eventually it is gone. First go to podiatrist, and he will oversee this treatment, tell you what brand is best. It is OTC now but you need him for the scraping. My podiatrist told me that the freezing is painful and could do more harm that good especially in that area on bottom of foot. The process with applying the pads and the scraping took 3 months and it is gone now and hasn't come back. Good luck!

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S.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

Duct tape. In a well-publicized 2002 study, duct tape wiped out more warts than freezing (cryotherapy) did. Study participants who used "duct tape therapy" covered their warts in duct tape for six days, then soaked their warts in water, and gently rubbed warts with an emery board or pumice stone. They repeated this process for up to two months or until their warts went away. Researchers hypothesize that this unconventional therapy may work by irritating warts and the surrounding skin, prompting the body's immune system to attack. Today, duct tape is commonly used to treat warts, especially for children who may find freezing painful or scary. My mom swears by this treatment as well. If you find that the duct tape still isn't working, I would say that you need to use medical intervention. If is isn't able to walk "normally" because of the pain, she will alter her gait to compensate for it and that could cause other issues such as back pain, knee pain, and planter fasciitis.

Good luck :)

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C.D.

answers from Omaha on

I would suggest having the warts frozen off... there is no pain when this happens. I have had several warts removed in this matter and it faster than anything you have choosen. Also if the warts get too big then they will need to be removed surgically... I would see your Ped right away and have them taken off.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

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S.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

As children my brother and I both had warts and our pediatrician recommended Preparation H - the hemorroid stuff! Our warts did all eventually go away but whether the Preparation H worked or they just went away on their own, I couldn't say.

I think Prep H has some kind of fish oil in it so if your little one is allergic to fish that would be a problem. I also heard that study about the duct tape being more effective than freezing - is there anything duct tape can't do? Good luck!

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K.G.

answers from Washington DC on

Contact a podiatrist before allowing any other doctor to freeze the warts on your two-year old. I had a plantar wart for over a year. My Internal Medicine doctor froze it two times. I went to a dermatologists he froze it two times. It got infected. I went to a podiatrist and was told that freezing the warts kills the healthy tissue and leaves the area susceptible to infection. She surgically removed the wart. Your two-year old may not be able to handle the injection that deadens the area. That was extremely painful. After that I felt nothing. Your two year old may need to be sedated but these warts need to be removed by a podiatrist and not frozen by a doctor who is not a foot specialist.. Also, freezing is very painful. The care after the surgery is to wash it with soap and water, be sure to dry it fully after washing, use an antibiotic cream that you will get a prescription for and cover it with a bandaid. After it heals for two weeks, keep it washed with soap and water, use the antibiotic on it and cover it with a bandaid during the day and not covered at night because it needs to dry out. The planar wart on my foot is almost completely well now. It takes about six weeks to completely heal after surgery and lots of care but then your two-year old will be cured and not have frozen tissue to get infected.

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C.P.

answers from Dallas on

Hi R.,

I had a huge wart on my big toe in my teens. I had it frozen off but it came back. My grandmother told me to use vitamin E on it. So, everyday for a few weeks I would take one vitamin E capsule by mouth and I would poke one capsule with a pin and rub the vitamin E oil directly on the wart. It worked. The wart never came back again. I guess grandmothers really do know best!

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M.L.

answers from Denver on

My son had 5 on his feet. I use young living essential oils and so I tried Oregeno oil and it worked. It took us about 5 weeks of applying twice daily. Also, I would never even consider using harsh chemicals in my house. Good luck. M.

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H.T.

answers from Detroit on

Two of my girls had clusters of plantar warts on their feet last year. We tried *everything*, and most things started to work, but didn't finish the job!! The thing that did it was a banana peel! We put a banana peel on the warts and covered with duct tape every night, and took it off in the morning. It was slimy, but after only a few days, the warts fell right off - leaving a crater in the foot where they were. . . They have been wart free since then, and the skin has all grown back great.

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A.L.

answers from Iowa City on

I sure feel for your little gal, R.. Two of my four kids have had warts, and I had them as a child too. They're caused by a virus. My mom had mine removed (freezing/burning/pads, etc) though they sometimes come back. I've chosen to equip my sons' immune systems so the body can overcome the virus. The warts have gone away. It's not a quick fix, but it is addressing the real issue (instead of getting rid of the symptom or manifestation of the virus) and has lots of side benefits (stronger immune system means better health in general). If you want to know what products I used for immune system support, feel free to write me a private message.
Blessings,
A.

J.P.

answers from New York on

Hey R.,
I've done the slice of potatoe remedy before and it definately works so try it really. But now after ready a response from a member about the duct tape I now know how to keep the slice of potatoe on my foot overnight. I used the potaoe on my daughter & my husband and now I'm going to use it on myself. Thanks ladies for the idea !

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T.P.

answers from Dallas on

Hey R.,
I had warts on the bottom of my feet just about a year ago. The dr told me to soak my feet in tea - I don't know how easy it will be to keep an active 18mo old still long enough to "soak" her feet but it certainly worked and they have not come back. I just went to the dollar store and bought the cheapest tea bags I could find with a "bucket" to use for soaking. The first week: soak both feet 3 times a day for at least 15min. The second week is twice a day, the third week is once a day and the fourth week is every other day. If it doesn't work, start over and that should take care of it. I know its sounds crazy but apparently tea has salycillic acid (sorry if misspelled) which make the "environment" of the foot difficult for the wart to survive. I just put a couple tea bags in the bucket then put hot water over them - when the water had cooled enough I would put my feet in. It actually felt quite nice but I'm not sure an 18mo old is old enough to actually enjoy a warm foot bath. Good luck!!

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

I had the plantar warts when I was younger. My doc gave us a topical treatment that I put on and then soaked my feet and used some pad to "sand" it off. Try going to podiatrist instead of the family doc. They may have a less invasive way of treating them.

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L.S.

answers from Tyler on

I know you have gotten a lot of advice, but I just want to share with you that I had a plantar's wart when I was about 14 and it was VERY painful. My parents took me to a dermatologist and he gave us some medicine (some type of acid) and I had to put droplets of it on the wart every night and then tape (like the duct tape ideas). Then, I had to pull it off every night and, with scissors, cut away the dead skin from the acid stuff. It took about 2 weeks, but finally, one night when I pulled the tape off, the whole wart came out of the hole. As someone said, it left a crater in the foot. That healed up just fine.

But, my point is, the duct tape thing is NOT a quick or painless way to go for this. IF you can freeze it off or get rid of it quickly, I would go that route. I don't think your child is going to tolerate you doing something to her feet every night for weeks.

Good luck!
L.

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D.Q.

answers from Green Bay on

Wow, a lot of replies-and I'm going to add one more! My daughter has had a couple of warts, and we purchased an OTC wart remover. It was a liquid that you paint over the wart, and then we double dutied it with duct tape and a bandaid. We'd change the pads every day as everything got wet in the tub, and after a couple of weeks, we pulled the bandaid and tape off and the whole wart came out. It did leave a hole that bled for a bit, but it all healed up perfectly.

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T.S.

answers from New Orleans on

I had a planters wart on the bottom of my heel that started off being a little smaller than the size of a pea. I had it frozen several times with no effect. I put several diff. medicated creams and even some form of acid with no luck. The darn thing just kept growing! It got to be the size of a quarter and covered most of my entire heel!! I finally ended up driving an hour to see a specialist in dermatology who finally got rid of it after 5 laser surgeries!!! I don't want to scare you, but they will just keep growing. I'd do whatever you can now before it gets too big. It must be difficult with her only be two. Let us know it the duct tape works. I'm hoping it does. Good luck, my prayers are with you!

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

Our pediatrician treated planter warts for both of my children with a topical liquid (stronger than Compound W and other OTC treatments). I followed the instructions and the wart came off in 14 days without incident. One of my girls needed a second treatment but we have been wart free for about 2 years. It was not a tramatizing experience. I would ask exactly what the process is for *freezing* the wart. Good luck!

**The topical treatment causes a blister to form within 24 hours and eventually falls off. Gross but effective.**

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D.T.

answers from Portland on

I had a few plantars warts. Previously the foot doctor would cut them out. So with my last one I was really not looking forward to having that done again. But now my podiatrist perscribed an anti-fungal medicine. Even with the medicine you have to go in every 3 weeks to have the dead stuff scraped off. The scraping is not painful or tramatizing at all. Took about 2 months for it to go away.

I've tried the duct tape and like someone else said, foot gets sweaty and duct tape doesn't stay in place. Didn't work.

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A.C.

answers from New York on

R.,

Sorry to hear your little one has plantar warts. I belong to a working Moms group for a wellness company and the topic of plantar warts happened to come up as one of the products took care of the warts for several families. Most of the products I handle contain tea tree oil which was what was used to clear up the warts. If you can't find any products locally with tea tree oil as the main ingredient, send me a private message and I'll let you know how you can get purchase them. Good luck.

A.
www.DontPayDayCare.com

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C.M.

answers from Austin on

Take her to a podiatrist. They have a chemical they put on them now. It might hurt, but it will get rid of them. They will also be able to determine where she is getting them from. The over the counter stuff doesn't work too great.

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J.L.

answers from Tulsa on

I dont know if they do this anymore - and I know it sounds weird, but, it totally worked for my 2 kids. Our dermatologist put a drop of stuff from a jar that she called: blister beetle juice. She then covered the area with medical tape-the see thru kind so we could see when the full blister was formed. Ususally in 24 hours it will make a blister. When it does- you poke the bubble with the sterile needle she gave us. The blister area heals and the blister is just peeled off. Worked!!

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B.J.

answers from Kansas City on

My sister developed plantar's warts as an adult, and her pcp put her on Prevacid (yes--the antacid), and they went away. We were all stunned. I don't know if this would work for a child, or if they have a children's dose, but it may be something to ask your doctor about. Good luck!

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