Re: Gentian Violet
        Had to jump in to the fray - we have started using again recently, and
brought it "out of the closet" - it a few dozen times with good results. The
rare patient will find it irritating,so  we usually have them do 1/2 % twice a
day for three days. Some mothers report it to feel soothing with first
application.  Query to MD's out there - do you use it personally for infants? I
am not able to treat the babies except with one or two peds who use it - very
frustrating because we have found it works so well and am tired of dinking
around with nystatin until the millenium.
        and personally, if you're not going out in sandals, or just don't care,
it is terrific for athlete's foot.

Re:  boiling equipment: on the advice of our Milk Bank, we do not boil ever, we
wash in hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly and follow with a l% bleach rinse as
the final rinse when the infant is hospitalized.  For a well baby at home, we
don't boil, ever, and only use bleach rinse if the kit seems to need the "extra"
measure.  This is food, not surgery.  Boiling can leave undesireable mineral
deposits on the equipment, I am told. And burning plastic at midnight is no fun
to wake up to.

M. Ashworth RN IBCLC
Stanford Lactation
Ashworth_M. Stanford.Hosp.Edu