Cradle Cap Insight?

My children had this sort of problem to varying degrees. It's normal. Gently rub baby lotion into it a few times a day and after baths. It will go away eventually. I was told that it's perfectly normal. Babies have all sorts of pimples etc. the first year as their skin adjusts to life. I was also told to use one of those soft baby brushes. If it's also reddish, like someone else suggested it could be ring worm. Which isn't actually a worm at all, just something similar to athletes foot. Lotromin will take care of that. That's what the pediatrician gave me when my son got it on his leg.

If it's raised w/ a red outline it could be ring worm. (just an infection... it has nothing to do w/ worms.) You may want to try an anti-fungal cream. If it is just cradle cap, Bio Oil worked wonders for my son. It smells heavenly also!

Did you get one of those little soft baby hairbrushes when you left the hospital? I used that (extremely soft bristles!!) when I shampooed my babies' hair (yes, they both had heads full of hair from birth). It made a big difference. Don't overscrub.. .but it does help it flake away. You can use the baby oil on it a half hour or so before the bath, then scrub very gently with the brush when shampooing.

And yes.. sounds like cradle cap. :)

baby oil, olive oil, castor oil, all soothing, even Aloe gel. Hope your Ped. gives you some sound advice.
But don't fret. He's growing and perhaps even "shedding" as he grows into a new skin. Don't mean to be facetious; but that's what babies do...esp that first year.

If it is cradle cap it will be like psoriasis (sp) kinda red and flaky. I was told with mine not to moisturize it but instead to use a dandruff shampoo on the area (I think we used something called sebulex it is in a green bottle) only use it on the affected area and keep the area dry.

My daughter has had problems with that since she was about that age. She will be 2 in March. What the doctor told us was to put unscented baby oil on the parts that are dry and use a fine tooth comb to remove the dry skin. Wash her hair less frequently. If that doesnt work for us to try using Head and Shoulders to get rid of it. Before using Head and shoulders consult your Pediatrician. Not all with have the same answers. I hope that helps.

Try some olive oil. That should help it.

The only thing that worked on my baby's cradle cap was olive oil! We got special shampoo and even used Head & Shoulders, but the olive oil helped the most. Put a little on when he's bathing and let it soak in; brush with that little brush Victoria mentioned, then rinse with warm water. Some oil will stay on the scalp and help with the dryness.

Hi, L.. My son had a really strong case of cradle cap. Baby oil isn't always the best remedy. I tried vaseline, and it worked better. Olive oil would probably be better, though. You need to gently rub a bunch of the oil into the area, let it soak in for at least a few minutes, then gently comb the area to loosen the flakes. Then you need to wash his hair with baby shampoo. You will want to do this for a few days in a row, as long as it takes for the cradle cap to go away. It's not something that will hurt him, but by 6 months, it should have gone away by now. Baby oil can clog the pores in the skin, which will not help. Olive oil is much, much better for the skin. Combing is necessary, since the flakes need to be loosened in order for them to come off.

Peace,
Syl

Hi L.,

Cradle cap is simply baby eczema. Eczema is systemic and caused by a lack of nutrition or a lack of absorption of nutrition. If you're breast feeding then your prenatal is probably not absorbing correctly. If he's on formula then the processing of the formula is probably inhibiting the absorption of the nutrition the formula says it has. Don't know how old he is so I can't give further info. If you'd like to get back to me I have a lot of experiencing in curing it.

Baby oil won't help, it will only clog pores and exacerbate it.

Regards,

M.

Stop the baby oil, if it is cradle cap that can make it worse, not better. Cradle cap tends to look like a waxy build up on the scalp. Whatever it is, it will not be an emergency thing and the doctor can best advise in a week.

Try getting some Calendula cream and putting on it. You might also try California Baby Tea Tree and Lavender Shampoo & Bodywash. Hope that helps!

B.

My son had cradle cap since birth. Our doctor recommended the olive oil and brushing treatment and it seemed to get a little better. He did have one particular spot on the back of his head that did not seem to go away. At his 6 month check up, our doctor told us to use a dandruff shampoo 2-3 times a week to help. Again it got a little better, but was still there. About 2 months after that, my son was having some "asthmatic issues" and was put on steroids to help. By the time he finished the steroids, his cradle cap was completely gone and so was his mild eczema. Now I'm not recommending asking for steroids, I was just letting you know what it took for our son to finally get rid of his cradle cap. After the steroids he never got it again. Good luck.

It is nutrition, or lack there of
Check out Dr. Bruce West at Health Alert- they will hook you up with what his body needs.
best, k

Ditto what Victoria said-- she said it before I had a chance to!

Forget the baby oil and put aloe lotion on it. Any lotion with aloe will do. Aloe and cucumber is really good. Put it on his head three to four times a day. Also right after shampooing his hair.

I agree 100% about using the baby hairbrush when washing his hair. Just got rid of it in my 5 month old son. The best shampoo I found that made a difference with just 2 washes was California Baby Tee Tree & Lavender. I seriously helped right away. You just need to do it every night or every other to start so you can keep his hair from getting oily. That is the first sign I noticed when the cradle cap was getting bad!