Vaginal Irrataion

Sometimes when there is high ammonia content in the urine it can also cause irritation. Along, with eliminating any bubbles or scented soaps, I would give her lots to drink. My daugher doesn't drink a lot of liquids unless pushed, so I do popsicles, also.

It's good to keep some diaper cream around, even though she is no longer in diapers, because if she in uncomfortable, peeing will hurt, so a barrier is good. Something thick, like desitin.

If it makes you more comfortable, put it on some toilet paper and "wipe" her with it. You can even put it on the tissue and teach her to do it herself.

Hope this helps, and by the way, what a great dad!

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Does she take bubble baths? The bubbles can frequently irritate sensitive skin.....

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If eliminating bubble baths doesn't help, take her to a doctor.

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I would take her to the doctor to rule out any medical/physical problems. Hopefully the doc will also give advice like cutting out irritating soaps (bath soap, bubble baths, laundry detergent, etc), drinking plenty of fluids, etc. etc. That is a very sensitive part of a female's body and she is suffering, help her by taking her in for an exam.

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It could be a number of things, my first thought is she wiping front to back after she uses the potty each time. Switching to free and clear laundry detergent and eliminating scented soaps. Let her soak in the bath everynight so she gets clean. If she likes yogurt maybe let her eat some everyday to get probiotics in her. Lastly if nothing helps take her to the doctor.

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Take her to a doctor. that area shouldn't hurt and it's possible she has an infection. (It could be as simple as poop from her diaper getting into the wrong place when cleaning.) You will feel better having a doctor looking at her, especially if it's not this simple.

Just read that you took her to the doctor already.

My almost 4 year old tells me the same thing, although almost exclusively at night when she's trying to delay going to bed. She doesn't wipe very well, and I've caught her sometimes not wiping at all when she goes pee. My daughter tends to not want to interrupt her play time to go to the bathroom, so she holds it for a while,which makes me worry about UTIs.

One thing I've done is give her some of the toddler wipes moistened with witch hazel. If you check the ingredients for the Tucks Medicated Pads, they are just cotton pads with witch hazel on them. So instead of using the messy diaper rash cream, I let her wipe with the witch hazel. She usually wants to wipe herself. Most nights that resolves the issue. If the witch hazel doesn't work, you can try the diaper rash cream or corn starch powder. The most important thing is to make sure she's wiping well, front to back, to get herself clean.

My baby girl can have "issues" as well..usually it is just a cleanliness issue. Use only baby wash on her and no bubble bath when bathing. Encourage her to bathe daily and when washing her, you are going to need to make sure that she is clean in the folds. Use a baby wash cloth if you are uncomfortable with cleaning inside...my husband gets a little squirmish as well not wanting to hurt her or just feeling uncomfortable. She may be able to help you out with you putting some baby wash on her little hand and having her clean inside. Let her rinse it well in the bath...also make sure when you get out that she dries it well. You may want to change your laundry detergent to Tide Free or something with no perfumes..If this does not help, take her in to the doctor.
Take care.. :)

A yeast infection doesn't necessarily have any tell-tell signs other than pain. Id take her back to the doc again. She's old enough to know something hurts and it must hurt if she repeats it. My daughter is 4 as well and if she kept complaining I would keep bugging the doc! Good luck

Baths can cause UTI in girls so soaking in one would not be helpful. This is something that needs to be addressed by a pediatrician. She may have a UTI or there could be some other physiological problem that isn't an infection.

EDIT ---I saw your follow up response that you have already taken her to the doctor. If the pain continues you will probably need to seek a second opinion from either a gyn or a urologist. To be honest I'm not sure which would be better for a 4 years old but don't ignore it if she keeps complaining. That area doesn't hurt unless something is wrong.

Also, is she around anyone that could be abusing her?-no need to answer on mamapedia, it is just something to consider to cover all bases.

I didn't read all responses but make sure she is wiping front to back and that she is cleaning herself "back there" really good. She may be wiping too hard, causing an irritation. If the doctor can't find anything and you have tried the above, take her to another doctor, perhaps a "pediatric gynocologist".

You could try body wash that is made for sensitive skin and perhaps fragrance free--like Aveeno.

Of course--make sure that she is not being physically harmed by anyone--that should be clearly obvious.

You could have her describe the pain: sharp, dull, itching, intermittent, when does it hurt, when does it not hurt, is it more external--not internal, is it towards her behind or more in the front.

Is her mom in the picture or any female like grandma??

Also, I when/if my kids have messy BM's, I help them clean themselves with a washcloth in clean water as opposed to the chemically wipes. If I use a wipe, I rinse it "with water" first to get the chemicals out.

She shouldn't be having any pain or irritation. We know that isn't normal.

My 6 year old daughter has complained about this as well, and when I took her to the doctor the lab results showed no UTI or other infection. The one thing that does make her feel better is putting a little diaper cream on the irritated area. It does make a bit of a mess (since they're not in diapers any longer) but it relieves her irritation. The pediatrician gave me several samples of Desitin. Good luck.

Give her baths with baking soda in them and others with oatmeal bath (aveeno sells this and you can get in in the childcare area). I remember my daughter having something in that area years ago and our Dr., who is a little alternative, suggested the baking soda and the oatmeal bath. The baking soda worked fine. The oatmeal bath was great for diaper rash area things.

Check the softness of your toilet paper, rough TP can cause chaffing. Also try baby laundry detergent, or woolite to wash her underwear, it may just be the roughness of the chemicals. One more theory, are her underwear loose fitting, tight underwear can be uncomfortable at the end of the day. Try A and D, we think it smells much better than Desitin.

Good for you for asking and caring enough to keep helping her until you solve this mystery.

Good luck.

Take her to the doctor.