6 month old baby with puss filled green finger

[StaircaseAtTheUniversity]

Hi all

Would appreciate any advice.

My daughter is a week off 6 months and- as you would expect- has her fingers in her mouth all the time. Since this afternoon her ring finger nail has come up with a greenish puss filled sore, I think either from where she's bitten the skin or where I've cut her nails and nicked the skin and then it's got a bit dirty. It seems like it's sore to the touch but she doesn't seem im agony.

She's a bit poorly with a runny nose and cough but not off her food or anything. I don't think that's connected or relevant as she's been a bit off colour for a couple of days, but perhaps worth mentioning.

I took her to the pharmacist this afternoon and she said to bathe in salt water and antiseptic wash a few times a day and then at night to cover the area with savlon and a plaster and then put her hand in a couple of socks and her scratch mitt on her babygrow over the top. I've followed these instructions.

I just wondered if similar had happened to anyone else and if I should be more worried or taking her to the walk in centre tomorrow for oral antibiotics.

Many thanks.

I'm not medically qualified, but if it were me I'd do another day of what you're doing and if it's no better, see a doctor. I'd see someone sooner if she deteriorated at all.

I would give it till the morning and if it didn't look remarkably better take her to have it looked at. Babies that small get serious infections quickly. I'm not a doctor, however. Hope she's better soon.

You probably need anti biotics. My sons finger got infected in a similar way and GP gave us ABs.

Similar happened when DD2 was about 8 months. I waited until she was asleep before cleaning it in warm flannel and I pressed gently to release the pus was very satisfying indeed. I remeber doing this several times before my bedtime before finally cleaning with antiseptic and binding it with lots more cream, bandage and sock. We managed to avoid AB's I think by doing this, but I wouldn't hesitate to take her to OOH's gp if you think she has an infection as a result. Nip it in the bud quickly.

Keep a very close eye on it. If the redness and swelling start to go down the finger,it gets hot or you get any red lines tracking down the finger seek medical attention immediately as that can be a sign that the infection is spreading

DD 4 had similar and needed antibiotics to get rid of it, but you can try what the dr said overnight to see if there's any improvement

Please watch the underside of her wrist for tracking. This happened to me when I was a child (my thumb) and my parents cleaned it out but I ended up in hospital with blood poisoning for 4 days.

Poor thing.

Agree with other posters. Keep a really close eye.

Don't know how keen I'd be with a plaster tbh. But that's probably just my choking phobia. The mitts and socks obv keep it on.

Hope she feels better soon.

My daughter recently had the same type of abscess infection on her pinky finger caused by her biting her nails too low. Took her to GP and I was told by the nurse to soak for 20 mins every few hours then plaster/fucidin cream in between. It's to soften the skin so the pus can be coaxed out. My DD Is quite a bit older though so was easier to get her to do it. Took about 2 days but got it all out. I'd persevere with this way, as the alternative is for them to lance it to get the infection out.

Sorry, meant to add that I think the nurse called it a paranichia infection

I'd lance it if I could, but if not, the docs for sure. I think one of mine was given a cream for this years ago which did the trick.

Thanks all for advice. I have thoroughly washed and cleaned the area tonight and covered it with antiseptic cream and a lint dressing, two socks, a scratch mitt and the scratch mitt on her babygrow (so she now has a giant hand!) If it's in anyway worse or not looking like that's helped tomorrow morning, I will take her to the walk in centre.

Regarding "tracking" will this be obvious if it happens, ie redness moving clearly up the finger?

You can measure tracking by marking the edge of the redness with a permanent marker.

I'd get her seen by a GP at a walk in clinic. Not worth the risk of leaving it.

Do also make sure you've not restricted the blood supply with all those things on her hand. I would take off some of those layers.

Just wanted to update in case this helps someone else at some point, apologies for lateness, I caught a horrible cold myself and have been in bed :

The next morning I took dressing off and redness had gone down. A gentle squeeze with salt water soaked lint released all the pus and gunge (lovely!) so what was left was just a kind of empty blister. I soaked her hand in salt water for 30mins and when I took it out and cleaned the wound with a cotton bud and antiseptic wash, the empty blister came away from the finger. I put savlon on the now exposed but healthy looking skin underneath and loosey put a cotton sock and her babygrow scratch mitt on top.

Took her to the walk in centre that morning and doctor said that I had done the right thing and that the finger looked good. He recommended that I continue to clean it with antiseptic wash twice a day until it scanned over (which happened about 24hrs later).

Scabbed not scanned!