how to get rid of cradle cap on todlers?

Fit2BMe - posted on 11/23/2012

Since seeing this thread, I have tried one of the remedies on my 3.5 year old who had significant cradle cap that I had just given up on, and it worked! In one try!! Unfortunately I don't remember who recommended it, so I apologize for not giving specific credit.

Here's what the trick was though:

While DS was in the bath, and his head was soaked with plain water, we added oil to his hair (we used what we had on hand which was a JoJoBa with teatree oil blend, but I've heard any oil can work--tho baby oil has not helped us in the past, it may using this method.).

We added an ample amount of oil to his very wet hair, an used a regular comb (the finest close together teeth side) and combed his head/hair gentle going from front to back. Boy did that stuff come out! And way more easily than we expected!! Though we did spent about 5-10 minutes combing over and over while he played in the bath.

I've never seen his scalp so clear!!

So a BIG THANK YOU to whichever mom recommended this method!

Autumn - posted on 11/23/2012

Without going and spending extra money, im sure you have baby oil at home. and if you still still have her soft brissle first brush this is what i did.

I put oil on my sons head (he had cradle cap for a while too) and i lightly combed his scalp. little circles with a generous amount of baby oil. i did this before his baths for a little under a week and it was gone! you need to make sure you wash all the oil off with a light baby soap, but it worked like a charm for me!

Loretta - posted on 11/13/2012

None of my kids have had cradle cap but my sisters' kids kad it pretty bad. She would put about a tablespoon of olive oil in their hair and massage it around for a few minutes. Leave it sit on their scalp for the whole day then wash it out before putting them to bed. It does make the hair smell kinda funny but that's what she found that works best.

Good luck in finding something that works for your dd :)

Fit2BMe - posted on 11/10/2012

My son is 3.5 and has this problem. Thankful someone posted it and for all your replies!

Kendra - posted on 11/09/2012

I bought the homeopathic cradle cap lotion with brush @Wal-Mart and let me tell you....IT DID NOT WORK!!!



My daughter had awful cradle cap and when the more we washed her hair the worse it got. And you have to wash their hair after using the stufff because it makes their hair super oily...even with shampooing its still oily. I was so embarrassed every time we went in for her check-ups because her doctor would constantly comment on it and tell us that we needed to get it taken care of before it started to spread. Finally, I think she was six months- I decided to try something new and after tons of internet research I decided on olive oil. I massaged a very generous amount of it into her scalp and waited about ten minutes and then took a beard comb (it was really tiny with tiny bristles) and gently combed her under the crud on her scalp- jut to warn you a few strands of hair might come with the crud. Afterwards I put her in the bath and washed her hair and after shampooing I combed her hair so she didnt have any flakes.I did it every other night for a week and she is now 14 months and it hasn't come back.



Hope this helps(:

Misti - posted on 11/09/2012

Put baby oil on the scalp and work it in. Use a soft fine baby comb and work it through. It will make it come loose. You have to do it everyday and then it should go away.

Amber - posted on 11/08/2012

I am a hairstylist and have a 5 year old that has had small patches of cradle cap off and on. I have a great tip for removing the patches of build up. At the drug store (I found it at Walgreens) pick up a Lice Nit removing comb, it is very fine much smaller teeth than any other comb and the Egg & Nit combing gel (that will loosen it up and make it easier to remove). Rub a dab of the gel which is slippery not sticky on the affected areas and then using the Nit comb start at the scalp scooping under the waxy flakes to pull them from the scalp and comb outward, wipe the flakes off and repeat until the area is free of build up. It is amazing and removes it better than anything else I have tried. The comb is plastic and has no sharp edges so it is safe and gentle. My very tender headed son did not bat an eye and let me work on the 2 areas on his scalp until I got it all which amazed me... bribing with a prize helps too :) The scalp may appear red, it is not from what you did, but from the Seborrhea and will go away.

Kim - posted on 11/06/2012

Use head and shoulders... Totally safe and a soft brush while shampooing I did this with my 2 month old advised by my dr.. All gone intantly no harm done:)

Morgan - posted on 11/05/2012

BABY OIL!! and lots of it!!....saturate the hair and let it sit for an hour, then brush her scalp firmly, then wash. After her bath, brush hair again, then blow dry :) repeat for a couple days :) She will have greasy hair for a bit that will go away :) My daughter had it also! :)

Michelle - posted on 11/05/2012

i used olive oil on my son..once a day

Michelle - posted on 11/05/2012

i used olive oil on my son..once a day

Amanda - posted on 11/04/2012

All 3 of my girls had cradle cap. I don't know if you have it in your area but Arbonne baby products work great. Worth a try. I have also been told that baby oil is terrible for skin and you are better off using extra virgin olive oil.

Stephanie - posted on 11/04/2012

My daughter doesn't have hair at 5 months and had it bad. I got told to smother it in olive oil, vigorously brush it with a soft baby comb after a couple hours and wash her hair. One apication and it did the trick

Iliou - posted on 11/04/2012

my baby had it when he was12 months . i put some olive oil on his head and then combed it gently until it comes out . i repeated this twice a week. it worked very well . my mum told me to use olive oil as she used that for me when i was a baby . i have used coconut oil one time and it works the same . its safer i think to use olive oil . this is just what i did but if you dont feel like using oils go to doctors and they prescribe a cream thats excatly for crudle cup .

Tiffany - posted on 11/04/2012

My daughter had cradle cap BAD when she was a baby, all the way through her 2nd birthday (shes 2.5 now and it is finally going away). I would sit and pick it off just so it didn't stand out so much. In my experience, oils made it worse. Washing her hair daily made it worse. The only thing to do is wait it out. Theres no medicated shampoos you can really use on it until they are older. Keep in mind its not harming her and its just an annoyance to us since it does look pretty gross. Typically its gone by age 4, and if its not, you can use head and shoulders on them at that time which helps.

Diana - posted on 11/04/2012

I used to warm some olive oil and rub it into my baby's hair and scalp, leave it there a while to soak into the cradle cap, and then comb through very gently with a baby comb, being careful not to scratch, or rub with a soft dry wash cloth for behind the ears. I thnk it would help if you cut her hair until it clears up . Shame to have to do that, but it would probably help you get at the problem.

Anya - posted on 11/04/2012

After months of dealing with it on my little girl, someone recommended using HEAD & SHOULDERS (dandruff) shampoo... it worked! Almost immediately! I used it just twice and it was GONE and never returned. Just be careful because it's not a "no more tears" shampoo so you don't want to get it in her eyes. GOOD LUCK! : )

Kim - posted on 11/04/2012

These mamas all have great ideas, but do talk to the ped if it just keeps coming back. Many recurrent cases of cradle cap can actually be Tinea, a yeast infection on the skin, similar to ringworm. It looks very similar, but I went through it with my middle child. Just something to keep an eye on!

Leann - posted on 11/04/2012

Baby oil works well. Just coat the head, leave it on for a bit and wash it off. Worked good on my niece but she had little hair. So, we didnt worry about it making her hair oily

Amanda - posted on 11/03/2012

My son is going to be 5 and still has it. I bought a lice comb and once a week use it to scrap his scalp and it doesn't hurt, but be prepared for a mess. Once you start using regular shampoo it goes away cause baby and two in one doesn't help with it. I found the special shampoos made it worse as my son has very sensitive skin. It is still there but each week I notice less and less. Good luck, it really doesn't do much to them so I wouldn't worry.

Ashley - posted on 11/02/2012

They actually have lavender scented oil gel at dollar general that works really well for cradle cap, we used to use it on my son every night before he went to bed and it ended up clearing up quickly

Vickie - posted on 11/02/2012

Talk to your Dr. about trying some Benadryl or children's Zyrtec. Cradle cap can be a form of eczema and when I started my son on Zyrtec it cleared up within a couple days.

Tricia - posted on 11/02/2012

You are very welcome. hope it clears up for you. I have always had great results.

Alison - posted on 11/02/2012

Tricia Karst



thank you i did not know about the bath water, but it dose make sence so i will change that with all three of my kids. And just to let you know i have good respect for har dressers. they now some things that dr. night not consider. and it will work. so we do have tea tree shampoo and soap in the house amy hubby uses it. so will try that. thank you.

Alison - posted on 11/02/2012

Thank you all for your replies. They are very helpful. I am able to get a few prducs that you recommended like tea tree shampoo( i ready have that at home) Baby oil we can get and head and shoulders. but some of the others they do not sell in Canada so i am not able to try them. thank you very much and she is doing much better. Alison

Sarina - posted on 10/31/2012

http://www.mustelausa.com/mustela/conten...



My daughter had it really bad into her toddler years as well. This was the only product that worked for her.

Amber - posted on 10/31/2012

My daughter was 5 before I completely got rid of it,,I had to let baby oil sit on her headand pick it out with a soft bristle brush,,and it does pull out hair when you do this,,and I also used dandruff shampoo once a week just be really careful not to get none in her eyes,,

Dayna - posted on 10/30/2012

as a baby my son kept getting cradle cap. my Dr suggested washing his head with diluted head and shoulders. it worked so fast, i noticed results within a day or so. you just need to be careful not to get it in her eyes.

Melissa - posted on 10/30/2012

You can use Selson Blue shampoo. I used it every day for about one week and it went away! I just rubbed it on and let it sit for about 10 seconds and rinsed it off. My daughter had super sensitive skin so I didn't let it sit long on her scalp. I used it on her when she was 6 weeks old. My pediatrician suggested it. He wrote the book Eat Poop Sleep by Scott Cohen. Awesome Dr.

Try it and I'm sure it will work!

Melinda - posted on 10/30/2012

When my son had cradle cap really bad. We would use head and shoulders shampoo, and then we would use a mushroom brush. It took about a week and then it cleared up right away.

Tricia - posted on 10/30/2012

I see this all the time in the salon. not sure what kind of shampoo you are using, but I would recommend a Tea Tree shampoo once a week be VERY careful not to get any in her eyes. I always recommend rolling a towel up and holding it over their eyes or laying them on the kitchen counter on their backs and let them hang their head back. the shampoo very cool and tingly feeling, dry her hair well and apply baby oil to her scalp. in the morning take a soft bristle brush, (The old granny kind) and just start brushing from the underneath working upwards in sections. this will work the build up loose.I don't like using a comb on little ones because their little heads are so tender and can cause irritation. Wash the oil and the build up out taking care not to scrub to hard on her scalp, it may be a little tender. Do this every other to every 2 days... I also recommend Baby don't cry shampoo, By Paul Mitchell, It isn't very expensive. It don't have all the unnecessary waxes and impurities in it. One HUGE important NO, NO, people make is using the bath water to rinse the hair. or they wash the child's hair first and then let them play in the water, as with most kids, if they are anything like mine, they like to lay down in the tub.. That just deposits dirt and soap scum back in the hair and scalp.. so I always tell my clients to wash the hair just before you get them out of the tub. It will take a good month if not a little longer depending on the severity of the cradle cap, but you should start seeing results within a week or two. I am not a DR. I am only a hair dresser, So take or leave my suggestions. When I set my clients up with this regiment, most of them have very good results. And a side note; Depending on the Tea Tree shampoo you get, some have more of a tingle factor than others. so if it seems to much for your little ones hair, it is fine to just stay with the Baby Don't cry. Good luck and if you try this please let us know how it worked..

Stacy - posted on 10/30/2012

I know you tried oils but have you tried just baby oil with a brush and gently scrub it? Maybe check with the dr, im sure they see this all the time and know good treatments ofr it

Gail - posted on 10/30/2012

I use baby oil to help no matter what the dr says it is best plus it soften the scalp at the same time. It took time as it was worse when my son was only 9 months but when it went away it came back so I did it again and now he is 5 going on 6 all clear. It like have old wives tales which does really worked. Your daughter may be 2 and half years old and long hair it doesnt matter all kids get them boys and girls no matter how long the hair is. Baby oil is best.

Rachel - posted on 10/30/2012

You can ask the pediatrician what else you can try. I was going to say try baby oil and let it sit for a little while to soften it then come it off but you said you've tried that already.

Marta - posted on 10/30/2012

When my kids were small we used baby oil, rubbed it in and then brushed out the dead skin. Now apparently the doctor recommends just leaving it and they will eventually outgrow it, but I never could stand to leave it in their hair.

Allie - posted on 10/30/2012

I used Mustela Foaming Shampoo which helps cradle cap on my baby. It went away after two uses. I love the shampoo and we still use it.

Maria Angeles - posted on 10/29/2012

One of my babies had this problem. I just put baby oil, massage it well into the scalp, then combed her hair with a baby or fine toothed comb and put a baby cap (the ones with little ties) and kept it on overnight. The next day I massaged it again and removed any loosened cradle cap with the comb then shampooed her hair and rinsed it well and it was gone. She did have lots of hair and that might be a possibility. If it does not completely disappear, repeat the same..

Christina - posted on 10/29/2012

When my kids were little i put little amounts of baby oil on it to soften it up and then brushed their scalp with those soft bristle baby brushes and pulled some of it off with my fingers when it came loose and that got it off. It took along time but it was gone.

Stacy - posted on 10/28/2012

All 3 of my boys had it and their pediatrician suggested I warm up not too hot some Johnson & Johnson baby oil rub it all over their head let it sit for about half an our to soften up then take the comb and go through their hair all the chunks will come out and the pieces that seemed almost done but were still a little tough you just add more oil and wait more time to soften up the area eventually it all go es away, they do say its due to the overuse of shampoo sometimes or putting them to bed with wet hair so I made sure to only use a tiny bit of Johnson's shampoo mixed with the oil and make sure their hair was completely dry before they went to bed. hope this helps by my 3rd son he barely ever had it I had my rituals of bathing down pat....lol good luck hun

Fatima - posted on 10/28/2012

It has to be treated, contact any homeopath doctor.

Ana - posted on 10/28/2012

When DD had it, I would use baby shampoo and gently scrubbed it into her scalp with a baby (soft bristles) brush

Brooke - posted on 10/28/2012

My daughter is 4 and still gets patches of cradle cap too. She has very thick long hair. First make sure u rinse her hair really well at each washing and brush and comb it well to help avoid it (soap build up makes cradle cap worse). I actually use my shower sprayer to do the final rinses for her. Also, use dandruff shampoo (I use denorex in the teal bottle) a few times a week. Scrub it in as good as you can. It feels cold to them and be careful not to get it in her eyes. Always helped us! Good luck!!

Rosanne - posted on 10/28/2012

My 4 year still has it too. We recently took her to our family doctor who sent her to a dermatologist. He proscribed a very strong lotion that we have to leave in her hair over night twice a week until the patches are gone. So there are other things that can be done for it.

Alison - posted on 10/26/2012

Thank you I will keep pluging away at it and hope for it to go.

Kim - posted on 10/26/2012

One of my daughters had it really bad. I would put baby oil on it and let it soak in and soften it, then I would use like a nail brush on it or a scrubby for dishes and just scrubbed it lightly. Eventually it went away.

Alison - posted on 10/25/2012

Thank you Stefanie I will have to try to fined it. I hope it works. :)

Stefanie - posted on 10/25/2012

I bought Cradle Cap lotion at Walgreens in the baby section. I think it is by the Little Noses people. You rub it in and let it sit there for awhile then wash it away. In about 2 applications it eliminatedmy child's cradle cap. Make sure you brush a little afterward to stimulate the scalp. The lotion smelled great so I didnt mind using it and she liked the little head massage. :) Good luck