Anne,
I'm with you.  Gentian violet may work, but it stains!  Here in Israel,
we hear the exact same reasons for using other meds... g.v. is an old
wives tale, it will burn the baby's mouth, it doesn't work etc.
I don't think as a mom I would use it, so I couldn't recommend it to
clients.  (Maybe some of us still have fears left over from being
painted with some horrible stinging purple stuff in the school nurses's
office?)

Susan Nachman-Srebrnik
Ranana, Israel