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A round of antibiotics recently left wee Boris with a diaper rash that soon turned to a yeast infection. We went through this with Hamlet when the introduction of meat to his diet changed his gut flora. The solution: treat with an antifungal cream overlaid by barrier rash cream. It worked in 48 hours. Easy, right?

Well, for most people. I, on the other hand, must overcomplicate things.

For one thing, there was the ear infection that had necessitated the antibiotics. Hamlet never had one. Was I facing a future of recurrent ones? If so, what was the best way to prevent them, so that I wouldn't have to deal with stomach upset? The apparent answer: probiotics. However, Boris is still too young to consume yogurt himself -- and his dairy protein intolerance would seem to contraindicate either of us taking it anyway.

On the other hand, probiotic supplements are available in dairy-free (kosher) form. That's something I'll keep in mind, if I can manage to find a nearby store that sells them. I'm not sure I want to buy something off the Internet that will either arrive at the end of the 10-day antibiotic course, or cost more than the product to ship here overnight!

Given the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, which came about in part because of the drugs' overuse, I hope that I'll be able to avoid future doses. A friend who is in nursing school referred me to one of her textbooks, which told me ear infections in babies younger than 6 months are best treated with antibiotics. This is because of the underdeveloped immune system. After that age, doctors often recommend parents to give the infection a chance to heal on its own -- which most do.

Ideally this was an isolated case. But in case it isn't? I'll be checking out kosher probiotics!