There is more a mother can do to help ease her child’s MRSA symptoms.
I hope many of you can read this article and say you’ve never had to deal with your children having the pesky, painful, and persistent MRSA infection. You can tuck this away in case you or a loved one have to ever face it head on (pun intended).
First, this is not a medical article nor do I claim to have any medical experience. Consider this just some loving advice from one carpooling mom to another. If your child is suffering, visit your family doctor immediately.
Who is Prone to MRSA?
Children with dry skin or eczema are more susceptible to this infection. Be aware that it spreads if multiple children are playing or bathing in water without chlorine: think kiddy pools, or epic slip n’ slides on a summer afternoon. Sprinklers are a safer choice when it comes to non-chlorinated water activities.
MRSA seems to visit the same victim more than once. For those of you who’ve seen MRSA, you already know how to recognize it. Often, if caught at its tiniest point, a dab of bactroban over a few days will prevent its growth.
Often, doctors will prescribe medication to combat MRSA but there is more that a mother can do to ease your child’s symptoms and let the healing move along that much quicker.
Below are a few remedies that have worked wonders in draining the infection, thus bringing about quicker relief.
The Honey Patch
This homemade recipe never fails me. Combine a teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of flour in a small bowl. Mix it, and form a ball of dough. (Play around with the measurements if you need to, you want to produce a dough-like texture). Place a dab of dough on the infected pimple and cover with medical tape. This helps to draw the pus out of the skin. Allow your child to wear this for 12-24 hours, you can repeat this for three days or until the pimple drains. Once it’s drained, apply bacitracin or the prescribed version for another few days.
Other Remedies
Another remedy that I’ve had great experiences with is the 3-in-1 Herbal Power (purchased at a local health food store). Many people have had amazing results using this after bad burns. This kit is sold at most health food stores. It’s a three step process and bound to clear up your child’s MRSA after two to three days. After following the instructions, cover the MRSA with two bandaids for 12-24 hours. Once the infection has drained, use bacitracin or the prescribed version for a few days.
Although I’ve not used this personally, the health food store also recommended Nature Cue’s Nature’s Miracle Clay Cream. I’ve heard it provides instant relief as well.
The Bleach Bath
Our doctor also recommended pouring a quarter cup of bleach into your child’s bath for about a week after experiencing MRSA. Even if the smell may bother you, it’s proven to be effective in preventing the infection’s return. If your child is prone to MRSA, doing this weekly is advised.
Do not bathe children together if any of them have a tendency of contracting the infection.
Clear the Nose
Here’s one more tip; although I don’t fully grasp the scientific explanation, it seems that the MRSA infection lives in the nasal passage. Put some bactroban on a Q-tip and swab both of your child’s nostrils. I’ve been advised to do this for about a week after discovering the MRSA.
Be Aware
Warning: doctors worry most about MRSA when it’s located near a joint so please keep that in mind.
And again, if you ever suspect your child of having MRSA, visit your doctor right away and don’t ever try to do this alone. Still, hearing about what’s worked for one experienced mother may help in getting you through this quicker.
This is so helpful!! Thank you.
Can you please make articles like these downloadable to a PDF? I would like to send it to someone without internet access.
Thank you.
right click on the page and click print – then select save to pdf as an option.
What does MRSA look like?
Thank you for sharing, it’s so reassuring to know we’re not the only one going through this! My toddler has been on oral RX for MRSA skin infections too many times. Our Dr also recommended swabbing her nose with bactroban. Be on the lookout for infections that are hot, swell, or make the limb tight and swollen. Your child may need oral Rx
Thank you for this article. Just knowing that I’m not the only one dealing with this is already reassuring!
For the honey and flour can you use a bandaid instead of medical tape.
It doesn’t accomplish the same suction effect but I have done it and it’s helped. You can try. Some children have a rash reaction to the tape . . So for those kids use the bandaid – and of course if it looks worse see your doctor
Beware a Mrsa infection does not look any different than any other infection. Mrsa is just a kind of infection that’s resistant to some antibiotics. MRSA (pronounced “mur-sa”) stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. It refers to a group of staph bacteria that are resistant to common antibiotics.
The only way to diagnose it is by sending it to lab. Most infections are not mrsa
MRSA is a bacterial infection that can look like an abscess and can be painful.
I have been dealing with MRSA for many years, as some of my kids are more prone than others. I use a mixture of Bactroban and Mometasone and put it on the pimple. Do it twice a day until it goes away. Also, if you soak the part of the body that has the MRSA in hot water like a bath, it brings the infection up and drains easily.
Another thing I just discovered recently, was that Desitin diaper rash cream (The purple one) worked very well on stopping them in their tracks and from getting big. I shmear it all over them and they seemed to go away pretty quickly. That prevented them from getting worse, however if someone has an outbreak, and they keep coming back, the only thing that helped was going on Bactrum oral antibiotics.
Hi- yes, MRSA is just a type of staph infection that is just resistant to methicillin. So, perhaps the article should be renamed as a mother’s journey through skin staph infections. Staph is the most common bacteria found on skin, and is the general cause of impetigo. I assume the child/children who the article is written about, were cultured, and found to have MRSA. While treatment is generally the same, not all topical infections are necessarily resistant staph aureus.
Something even simpler than the honey dough: a slice of potato. It works the same way and can be used for any skin abscess. Put a slice of potato over the abscess and cover with medical tape for 24 hours. Check to see if pus has pooled and/or started draining. If it hasn’t, repeat with a fresh slice of potato for a other 24 hpurs. Once the pus starts draining I squeeze to get as much pus as possible out. Sometimes I’ll put a fresh slice of potato for another day and squeeze again before I start applying mr cream and powder (health food store).
During covid I had a large abscess on my neck. After going for scans it took a long time for me to get a telehealth appointment with a surgeon. I experienced a lot of pain and decided to give potatoes a shot. By the time I sat down at my computer I showed the surgeon the abscess was gone (it was very large so the process took a few days. I kept squeezing and reapplying fresh potato). I told him what I’d done and of course he and the nurse enjoyed a hearty laugh and told me off and also included a warning about how dangerous that was and to never try something like that again. In short – the potato is dangerous for his business. I understand. I never ended up seeing him again bH (nor any other medical professional about this issue).
As well as swabbing the nose, we were advised to swab the belly button. What gives my daughter the biggest relief is when I just squeeze the abcess and then apply mupirocin cream. It’s good to know other’s going through this too!
As a fellow MRSA mom, (including a hospitalization with an infant) I can say the advice is sound! My pediatrician is a fan of the honey-flour method, and I’ve seen complete overnight transformations with the Herbal Power 3-in-1 kit. But please please see a doctor! If you’re new to this, now is not the time to DIY especially if the abscess is located near a joint, not improving with your intervention, or the child gets fever. Left unchecked or not properly treated, MRSA can spread lightening quick and wreak havoc. Better some terrible tasting antibiotic than a hospital stay!
I struggled with numerous MRSA abscesses, and had to have them drained which is so so painful because the lidocaine isn’t effective because of something with the ph in your body. I wish I saw this advice then.
Mrsa is a bacteria that lives on your skin but is colonized in the nose. So any treatment should come along with mupirocin in the nose 3x a day as well as other decolonizing methods- whole family takes a bleach bath, linen, towels washed every 2 days, all laundry washed in hot water because the dryer alone is not enough to kill the germs. The reason people with excema are prone to MRSA, is because it will rush to a tiny break in the skin and set up shop there. So it’s so important to keep excema under control so it doesn’t develop into a MRSA infection or abscess. For all those struggling, just know that there is an end to the tunnel, just keep doing hishtadlus and davening.
When my child got a MRSA infection my pediatrician advised me to try alternative methods first, and BH we never needed medication. I soaked her multiple times a day (for sure 5+, maybe 10 initially, less as the infection went away) in an Epsom salt bath, then squeezed out as much pus as possible. Then we rinsed with Hibiclens and alternated putting on a honey mixture or bactroban. (I used Menuka honey which is supposed to have healing properties) We’ve used this protocol a few times when this child got other MRSA infections. BH she has been clear for a few years now.
I’m so glad to read all these great tried and tried tips thank you fellow mommies
I’ve had MRSA since 12th grade and I likely caught it from shaving. The shaving would cause tiny invisible cuts in my skin and that’s how the infection entered. I took bleach baths for 3 weeks, stopped shaving and bh saw great relief. Over the years a MRSA pimple pops up here and there. However, I have a discovered something that works amazingly for me – the Paulas Choice Spot Treatment. It’s actually meant for use for pimples on the face, but I was desperate and I tried it – and by morning the swollen red lump was reduced to a half pea size! It’s been a miracle cream for me and can be purchased on Amazon or Paulas Choice website.
https://amzn.to/4bEi36R
My doctor recommended using antibacterial body wash (instead of bleach in the bath, she was concerned that the children would drink the bath water) for the whole family when my 1 year old had a mrsa infection. We continued using this body wash for a few months after the infection cleared up. Most body soaps are not antibacterial, it needs to say it on the bottle or bar soap.
You are so right. My allergist recommended this soap for my eczema kiddies and it’s a game changer. https://amzn.to/3xVujlA
Please – if your child is prone to staph or Mrsa – stay away from water fun that isn’t chlorinated. One example is slip and slides that day camps often to in the nine days. Sprinklers are safe, but any bodies of water that aren’t chlorinated are full of others germs and if your child is prone to infections, or has open skin due to cuts or eczema , you’re asking for trouble . Stay safe and have fun
second CLN Soap for eczema prone kids !!!! Had not had a impetigo breakout bH bH Since started
i got MRSA from shaving as well nothing got the infection to drain besides ICHTHAMMOL ointment i put it on within 24 hours mostly drained!
Tea tree oil is extremely effective against mrsa. Using tea tree oil soap and moisturizer helped dramatically reduce the number of infections my kids had.. about 11 years ago my daughter had her first one and for many years our two oldest had infections regularly. I found that applying the tea tree oil moisturizer after swimming made a huge difference! Just make sure that the product you order contains real tea tree oil. You can also buy it pure at a health food store.
Yes one PA told me to apply tea tree oil to moliscum twice a day for two weeks and it really disappeared thanks for telling me it’s good for MRSA too
May we all have a healthy sun and safe summer
So now fast Farward a few month later . I used bacitracin/ bactroban it really helped to fully get rid of the Mersa that she had for months at a time
Also a big one that helped and for some reason not spoken much about that pple don’t realize is very important . I gave my daughter vitamin D . Drops to ingest. That really wakes up immune system to keep viruses away. She had worts by her lip and molescum. And Mersa on her legs it switched off or kept coming back. I was by the Dr with her several times …. Bh since she is taking vitamin D (some other basic vitamins as well) it all went away.