Cradle Cap

Erika - posted on 02/21/2010

ya my baby boy is 3 months and has cradle cap ive tryed everything and he still has it. putting oil on the baby's head and brushing it works but it still comes back. id just go to a dermatologist or go to the emergency room and see if they have anything that will help

Lynh - posted on 02/21/2010

My baby is now 4 months old and had cradle cap when she was 1 month as well, I was told to scrub using baby oil but baby just got upset and looked really uncomfortable. Nothing seemed to work and it made me feel as though I wasn't washing her hair properly! I found a cradle cap mit, brush and comb set for about $8 in Babies r us... used oil and mit to rub baby's scalp then used the brush to free up the bits and then the comb got it all out of her hair. it was great... her cradle cap was gone after 2 goes and hasn't returned. Baby didn't find it uncomfortable at all.

Sharilyn - posted on 02/21/2010

rube baby oil on the head and leave on for a while then gently rub off see how that works good luck

Jessica - posted on 02/17/2010

try rubbing her scalp down 1-2 times a day with baby oil i do that with my 7 month old since she was born and has never gotton cradel cap yet so from what i've been told and experienced it works

Jennifer - posted on 02/17/2010

Ethan has the same problem...his doc suggested putting baby oil in his hair before bath time. We let it sit for 5 minutes, then use a soft baby's toothbrush to help scrub away the scabs. The toothbrush seems to work a lot better than the hairbrush I was using. Seems to be working really well for him.

Jaimie - posted on 02/15/2010

My son had it bad too, and I was told to use head and shoulders every other day and when you get them out of the bath put lotion in it an comb it or brush it. My sons went away in about two weeks. I didn't think it would ever go away at first cause all I was using was lotion, but when I started the head and shoulders it was amazing how well it worked.

Marie - posted on 02/13/2010

ever tried dandruff shampoo, that's what cleared my boy up

Sarah - posted on 02/13/2010

There is an AMAZING baby shampoo called Little Sprout. You have to order it online at originalsprout.com. It is $19.50 for a bottle, but it lasts forever and it is well worth it. Plus, it doesn't make your baby's head greasy. Best of luck!

Becki - posted on 02/12/2010

i put baby oil on my sons head then combed it out n i did that everytime b4 i gave him a bath untill it went away

Trudes - posted on 02/11/2010

Hi, I can absolutely recommend Virgin Almond Oil (can usually buy at supermarket). The great thing about Almond Oil is that it is a completely natural product and chemical free (unlike regular baby oil) - this helps reduce any irritation to baby's skin. Almond Oil smells a whole lot better than ordinary olive oil and is still very reasonably priced. It works wonders, is silky smooth to touch. Also works beautifully on dry skin or in their bath for skin irritation. Don't be concerned about the possibility of a nut allergy because almonds are actually in the peach family (not a nut at all). Hope this helps! Good luck.

Laurie - posted on 02/11/2010

The lotion is good, I used baby oil and it worked WONDERS! But, when you put it on and you start to comb your baby's hair/scalp, sometimes it may seem like it is getting worse. We did that for about a week and it cleared it up. I am surprised that the dr. didn't suggest that!

Stacey - posted on 02/11/2010

Hi there, if you are talking about the scaly dry skin stuff, my suggestion is baby oil. Put in on every night and if you need to wash the hair the next day to go out then it is fine, and then just remember to put it on again. My son had it and he was much older and had lots of hair. It works great and it isnt something that is harsh to their skin. Depending on how bad it is will depend on how long that you need to use it for.

Katrina - posted on 02/11/2010

With my son I would take one of his combs and comb up most of the dry skin before a bath.. and then I lightly scrubbed his head with Baby Aveeno Shampoo.. after his bath i massaged baby oil on to his scalp.. I did this for a couple weeks and he has been free of cradle cap ever since. Hope This helps!

Jodie - posted on 02/10/2010

My daughter had a "mild" form of it and I just rubbed her head with baby oil before giving her a bath. I am giving her a bath everynight. I also brush her hair towards the back of her head (not towards her face because of the flakes). I hope it gets better soon, but from what I am told it could last for up to a year!?!

Kerri - posted on 02/10/2010

Both of my daughters had cradle cap. I used Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Oil shampoo with my oldest (which was very strong-worked 1st time I used it), but found that a dribble of olive oil and a close toothed comb worked the first time with my 10 month old. Baby oil would also work.

Melanie - posted on 02/10/2010

i use pure olive oil on my three month old and i find that works really well. i massage it in with my hands and comb through until all the dry skin is loose then i give her hair a good wash with baby shampoo. if she has to wear a hat i make sure i take it off as soon as we get inside so her head can breathe. i also only wash her hair a few times a week.

Kristin - posted on 02/10/2010

Actually, Alicia, your doctor is not totally correct regarding the cradle cap. It's actually scary how wrong they can be sometimes (not yours in particular, but generally speaking!) about symptoms that look like normal baby symptoms but are actually reactions to foods or dairy/soy. Eczema and cradle cap are two common problems with babies that MOST time clear up if the culprit of the problem is eliminated through mom's diet (which is in my case what I have to do since I am breastfeeding) or through changing to a hypoallergenic formula. Think about it, one post says her 6 year old still has it. If your doctor is correct, then she's still expelling hormones from birth...I don't think so! So, if you are sick of putting all those things in your babies' hair, give it a shot! Let me tell you, if you breastfeed, it's rough eliminating dairy, but worth it if you want to continue. I have never bought formula, so I don't know how expensive it is- I can assume it's pretty hefty- but try switching for a couple of months and see what happens! Good luck!

Emma - posted on 02/10/2010

Hi im a mum in the uk and I used Dentinox cradle cap shampoo, its brilliant cleared it up totally after a few weeks, just make sure you work it into the hair and scalp well, I did try olive oil but it was just messy and made my daughters hair limp afterwards!! :)

Alicia - posted on 02/09/2010

Ugh Cradle Cap...my daughter is 7 weeks and had a terrible case of it from week 3. It was so bad it was on her forehead and all around her neck and chest. We are beating the Cradle Cap with this awesome treatment from my Doctor. First I let her soak in a warm bath with AVEENO BABY BATH SOAK...this stuff works wonders for any rash too! I drench her hair in good ol' Baby Oil, letting it soak in for about 15-20 minutes (none of that dabbing her head with a cotton ball...I SOAKED her in the OIL). During the soak I continually comb her hair (not too hard on her sensitive scalp). Then I finish the bath with a good hair washing (the secret is mixing the Selsun Blue with Aveeno Baby Creamy Wash). She has been getting a bath like this every other day for about 2 weeks and her Cradle Cap is hardly noticeable. In fact, it looks 100% better than it did 2 weeks ago.

And in regards to what a couple of people posted...Cradle Cap is not from Brestmilk or Dairy products. It is the Baby's Body's way of expelling left over Pregnancy Hormones through her hair folicles. Since the head is usually warm, it makes it easier for the hormones to ooze on out. They then dry up into the yellowish crusties that we see. This info was given to me by my Doctor, so I am pretty sure she knows what she is takling about (or so I hope!).

Well...hope my treatment works for your little one too...

Kristin - posted on 02/09/2010

Cradle cap can be caused by an insensitivity to a food you are eating if you are breastfeeding or the formula your baby is on. The number one culprit is milk or dairy and the second culprit is soy. If you are breastfeeding, eliminate dairy from your diet and keep off soy too. You need to do it for at least a month to totally clear out your body of dairy. If it's being caused by that, you will see a difference in within that month. This is what I did with my child and it resolved itself. A lot of doctors are not schooled in breastfeeding or even formula issues like that. They just say it's normal and clears up after a while....give it a shot. If they are on formula, you'll probably have to go to the expensive hypoallergenic formula. If you are breastfeeding, give it a shot, it's worth it! Good luck! Just remember, if it clears after you've changed formula or stopped eating dairy/soy, you are going to have to stop eating these foods for a while.

Tara - posted on 02/09/2010

My daughter is 6 and still gets cradle cap at times. I use baby oil. Scrub it into her hair, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then I use a comb through the hair. Most of it came off. Occasionally I would have to do it 2-3 times but not very often.

Rachel - posted on 02/09/2010

my daughter is a year and a half and she still gets it sometimes~ not near as bad as she did when she was younger but her doctor said it can happen til they are three years old. I was told to never pick it off but you can put baby oil on it and leave it only for a minute then wipe it off with a wash cloth and that will help some of it come off and not be itchy,.

Alma - posted on 02/09/2010

My son had that too. My mom told me to put baby oil on a cotton ball and just rub his head with it. Then i passed a small comb through his head (as if i was combing his hair back and it came off. I did this about 2-3 different times. I then gave him a bath to wash off any excess baby oil. Hope this helps

Julie - posted on 02/09/2010

my son had it bad we tried all the cream and oil and even the cradle cap shampoo then we went to France and got this great cream call dexeryl it was great it work well i would rub it into his hair and after a week it was gone and has not come back my son also has eczema and it was great on his skin try typing it in on the Internet

Tiffany - posted on 02/09/2010

Thanks for the suggestions

Janet - posted on 02/09/2010

Baby oil. Leave it on for a few minutes and then wash..you may have to wash her hair more thann once since the oil stays in pretty good. It seemed to help my little one. You may have to repeat one or two more bath times.

Kaelyn - posted on 02/09/2010

my daughter got cradle cap from me putting lotion in her hair. i bought some of this cradle cap cream that was made by disney at walmart in the infant section. it has winnie the pooh or one of those characters from the show on it. it worked extremly well. her skin was sensitive at the time. it cleared it up in about a week. it comes in a turquoise tube and is about .05 ozs i believe. it kind of looks like your desitin tube. oh and my mom also suggested a light coating of baby oil but the cream i bought for it worked well. i ran a comb through as soon as i put it on

Karen - posted on 02/09/2010

my son had it bad too - what i did was put baby lotion on his head, let it sit a few minutes then take a baby comb to it. the lotion would soften it up and the comb would lift it off. i did this a couple times a day for about a week. also, lotion her head after you comb (at first her hair will look greasy but if you brush it, it will look normal again) i also put baby oil on about five minutes before bath and then comb right after too. when combing it out her hair may be full of flakes, just keep combing at them, they will all come out. my son's cleared up in about a week doing this and has not come back. good luck!