Cradle Cap - New Baltimore, MI

Try a little drop of dandruff shampoo. Also brushing it gently when you're washing it helps.

Don't worry. It takes time, but it'll go away soon.

My doctor recommended using Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo as cradle cap is a type of dermititis. It worked very quickly for my daughter. My doctor told me to leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing. Just be very careful not to get it in his eyes. Hope it helps.

Oh, I did try baby oil and a toothbrush, before talking to my doctor, and it failed miserably, so don't even bother.

Hi A.,

My daughter had cradle cap really bad! The doctor told me it would go away, but I finally gave up and did this and it cleared up and never came back .... I put baby oil on her head and massaged it in really good, then very very gently used my finger to carefully remove the affected cradle cap dead skin. (I actually spent a whole evening doing that while watching a movie.) Can't empasize 'gently' and 'slowly' enough. If it wasn't coming off in an area, I massaged in the oil better until it was ready. After this was done, I gently washed her head and it never was a problem again. Hope this helps.

K. H. - 3 kids

We tried Mustela, foam shampoo for newsborns. It worked for both of my kids, 26 months and 8 months. Same bottle for both so even if it is a little pricy. It lasts a long time. I just used for hair alone and my older child has very sensitive skin and never bothered her.

There is a thread on cradle cap dated 03/06. Check out those responses along w/the ones from your thread.

My son had cradle cap - as did all babies in my family. At 5 mos, he my sleeping through the night or for longer stretches at night. Before bedtime, put a generous amount of baby oil on his head and put on a cap on his head. When he wakes up from a nap and use a baby brush to remove the flaky skin. Continue for as many days as needed. If the cradle cap is really thick, apply oil a few times a day. You'll notice a difference in less than a week. If this tried and true remedy doesn't work, I suggest taking him to your Ped.

My son had the worse cradle cap ever. I tried everything. I was told by my sister to use head and shoulders shampoo. It worked great, it removed ALL the dry skin. You may need to rub the head with a washcloth to loosen the dry skin to remove it.Good luck

I use a soap free product called Cetaphil that I buy at the chemist. That really seemed to work with my daughter. It has two methods for wet and dry washing. I would wet wash her with the cetaphil, then after her bath I would rub more on her for dry wash and wipe off excess with dry flannel, it worked a treat, in days. Good luck

Rub baby oil on his head about 1/2 hour before you bath him. Then before the bath, comb his hair. That's what worked best for my two boys.

Since he is so young, I would try the baby oil that everyone seems to be suggesting first. If that doesn't work, go to a local beauty supply store and buy a scalp treatment. There is also a company called E C Mode, you can find it on the internet that makes a line of products for problem scalps.

I work for a wellness company that has a lot of products that would help. My son has not had an issue since we switched over to the healthy stuff! Shoot me an email with your contact info or visit my website. www.workinghousewife.com

When I had my first baby, the doctor recommended baby oil and a shampoo that you can usually find by asking the pharmacist at the locat Rite Aid, or I think I found it at Kmart.

I cannot remember the name, it comes in a green bottle. So, you wash the baby's hair with the shampoo and the baby oil and it is supposed to help. Also, Aveeno baby wash and shampoo really helps with that as well. Hope one of the two works. Sorry I could not remember the name of the shampoo. I think it started with a D.

Put baby oil on your child's head where the cradle cap is. After a couple hours, use an old soft toothbrush (a toddler one works well, if you have to get a new one) and just gently brush/rub away the flakes. Hair will be greasy for a day or two, but it works like a charm. * with really bad cases, you might have to repeat.

We rub a tiny amount of baby oil into our son's hair a little while before each bath and then wash it out when we wash his hair. It works great - his cradle cap was practically gone after the first time we did this. We continue to do it now to hopefully prevent it from coming back. Good luck! :)

I know of something that will help, email me at ____@____.com and I'll let ya know.

Hi A.,

My first daughter had cradle cap terribly. Hers was very noticable and bothered me a lot. I kept putting off trying to do something about it but I finally tried something that a friend told me to do. I rubbed baby lotion on her head for 5-10 minutes then used a fine tooth comb and all that junk combed right out. I had a towel right by us to continually wipe the comb out - it gets kind of gross. Anyway, that is what really helped us. I thought the lotion would be messy and hard to get out of her hair but it wasn't - it easily washed out in her bath. I repeated it a few times and within a week or so it was gone. My doctor warned me it could come back but it never did. Good luck to you!

Sherry.

You can try a little mineral oil, let it set to soften it and then gently comb out the loose flakes. You will need to shampoo after words because his hair will be really oily. If he gets it around his eyebrows or ears you can use a little hydrocortisone ointment. Make sure you get the ointment and not the cream.

My pediatrican suggested using Nizoral (anti-dandruff shampoo) every other hair washing. She also suggested that while washing her head, to use a fine comb and comb the scalp to try to bring up some of the scales. I used a very little amount and it worked wonders. Be careful thou, because this is not anit-tear and it could really hurt the eyes on a little one. Good luck to you!

When my daughter was little she had cradle cap really bad and my hairdresser suggested baking soda.... when you wash his hair sprinkle some on his head, it's' all natural and safe and rub it in. It loosens the cradle cap on the scalp and makes it easier to wash away. It took a couple weeks but really worked well.

Dear A. K.,

We raised our two older granddaughters and the youngest who did not live with us had a terrible case of cradle cap because her mom did not keep her very clean. I would rub baby oil all over her head and let it set for a while to soften up the scales and then wash her head and body in the bathtub and scrub it as harshly as you can without harming the little one. I had to shampoo her head several times after letting the baby oil soak in for a couple of hours, but then she would smell sweet. It takes more shampoos when using baby shampoo because it is so gentle, but at least it does not burn the eyes if any gets in them.

I would also pray that God give you new ideas if this one doesn't work; He is the master mind with ALL the brain cells and He has ideas that sometimes seem strange, but have ALWAYS worked for me. I go with whatever comes to mind first after prayer (unless it is confusing or cruel; that always comes from Satan).

L. C.

In the baby section at Meijer's, there is a cradle cap remover. It is called gentle solutions or something like that. I know it has Gentle in the title and it has Winnie the Pooh on the box. I used that with all of my kids. Put it on, let it soak in and then use a comb or brush to gently peel it off. It worked wonderfully. I don't know if that is the same thing that you are using. I didn't find it stinky and it worked well for us.

I used baby oil leave it on for a little bit, then take a come and gently come it off and wash with baby shampoo works like a charm

We use burt's bee baby bees buttermilk lotion which cleared up the cradle cap and the eczema on the rest of her skin. Little expensive 8.99 at Target

D.

Hi A.!
My daughter had the same problem and what I did was slather vaseline gently over her head a couple times a day, than in the morning take a washcloth a wipe off the softened flakes. I also just purchased Red Cross brand soft baby bristle brush (Babys R Us) and that seems to kick up a lot of the flakes as well. This will make your baby a slimy greaseball mess but it does work! My peditrician told me you can use Selsun Blue on the baby too..I wasn't comfortable with that and growing up Vaseline was a remedy for ALOT in my house so I've carried on the tradition:) Hope it helps, it probably bothers us more than the kids:)

Hi A.,
My son had cradle cap pretty bad. But found things that worked ... first don't have your child where the little hats and message her head often. As a treatment -- olive oil. Rub olive oil into in scalp and the key part ... find a tightly toothed comb. We took the one from the hospital because really they are the best and couldn't find another that small and tightly together. After you message the oil into her hair comb out the pieces by literally scraping them off with the comb. Just do a little at a time and you can feel it coming up. Don't worry about hurting her, you can feel the amount of pressure to use ... just enough for the yellow gunk but not enough to scrap her skin. Really it was all about the comb for us. As far as how long it takes ... it won't come off all in one treatment, it will be a few. But it will work in the end. Good luck!!

My girls never had it too bad, but I would cover their heads in olive oil and let it soak in for at least 30 minutes. Then slough it off with a washcloth. Tea Tree oil shampoo (Paul Mitchell makes one) works really well after the olive oil treatment.

When my daughter had cradle cap we put baby oil on her head and let it sit for a little bit and then we could scratch it off pretty easily

A.,

Arbonne's baby shampoo can help- botanical-based, with no irritants that can make cradle cap worse. My cousin and my girlfriend used it on their babies- it was the only thing they changed and it cleared up. If you don't know anyone who sells Arbonne- shoot me an email and I'd be happy to order it for you. Good Luck!

T.

Hi A. ~ when my daughter had cradle cap the only thing that worked was baby oil. I'd massage it into her head and use a small tooth comb to comb out the dry skin. It's a little messy, but it worked for her! Good luck!

Hi A.,

We used Selson Blue Shampoo on our son's cradle cap. Cleared it right up. Be careful not to get it in your little guys eyes. Good luck!

I used baby oil too. Just rub it on with a cotton ball and let it soak in for about 5 mins or so then gently comb it out. It worked great for us.

Hi A., my 4 mo. daughter has a slight case of this too and I didn't want it to get worse. At her 4 mo. check up at the doc's, he said to use head & shoulders or selsun blue shampoo just once a week. We've only done it 3 times so far and it's already looking better. And better than other suggestions I've heard like using baby oil and a toothbrush, etc.

My daughter had that, and the doctor told me to use anti-dandruff shampoo and scrub it a little more than just washing, but not too much that it will be irritated.

Our kids really struggled with cradle cap, too. (Honest, it does go away eventually...). We used Head and Shoulders (Our doctor said almost any dandruff shampoo would help) and were really careful not to get it in their eyes. He also recommended baby oil, but I found it almost made it worse. Some baby lotions were OK too, but nothing seemed to really clear it up. We found olive oil seemed to help more than anything. Good luck with it!

I put baby oil on my children's scalp. Then I would gently massage their scalp with a brush o scrape, gently, with the teeth of a comb. It came right out.

I agree with the other moms. Use a comb or brush to get the dry stuff off. I bought a traval size bottle of Head & Shoulders and rubbed that on my son's head in the bath like normal shampoo. I let it soak for a minute or so and then used a fine tooth comb to try and loosen it up. It took a few weeks, but it went away in the end.

Good luck!

My daughter had this at that age also. At target they sell a cradle cap brush (rubber bristles and a sponge on the other side) use that or a regular baby comb like the one they give at the hospital and lather w/johnsons shampoo then keep coming the scalp, it will take a few days but it will work. Also at night put baby oil on the babys scalp this will also help. Good luck!!

A.:
Did your doctor prescribe the shampoo to use to clear it up. Head & Shoulders will temporarily help somewhat. I know of a great shampoo and its natural that works for very dry scalps...email me ____@____.com oil is not the answer...it caused the problem. It blocks the skin because its an exclusive oil...made from gasoline. People are not educated on this...I used baby oil for years and it is not good for you.

My son also had cradle cap when he was about your son's age. He just had a small patch and it does smell awful. I got some advice from my hair dresser actually who said that she learned at her school that baby shampoo dries out the scalp more than normal shampoo so she recommended that I use my shampoo and it worked!!! She said the only thing about baby shampoo is that it is ok if it does get in their eyes and that why it is "baby", but it dries the scalp more. Hope that helps it worked for us!

My son had it and we tried Neutrogena Healthy Scalp shampoo. I tried the oil option that people talk about, but my son had hair and then his hair ended up oily. This shampoo has ingredients for dandruff and other scalp conditions, yet there is no fragrance to irritate your baby. I used it a few times a week and it cleared up in about 2 weeks.

Try putting baby oil on his head multiple times throughout the day. That is what worked for my son and daughter. We also fired up a humidifier and that also helped some.
Good luck.

Hi A.,

I know everyone is saying what worked for them so I thought I would put my suggestion in the bucket too! I used Head and Shoulders with my son after my peditrician recommended it and it worked like a charm. I only did it twice as week and put it on with a washcloth and rinsed with a washcloth to help not get in his eyes. He started to get a small case again in the early winter and one shampoo with Head and Shoulders and it was gone. Good luck!

Try Burt's Bees Apricot Oil. Massage it into the scalp with some warm water and let it sit while you are bathing him. It smells great and it worked great for both my boys.

put some selson blue (dandruff shampoo) on it when you wash it. then when he's out use a comb to loosen it up. this was pediatrician recommended.

A., When my daughter had cradle cap I would rub baby oil on to her scalp and let it sit there for a few minutes to moisten the dry skin. Then I would take a fine tooth comb and brush through her hair. It would take a little while to brush through it to try and get it all out. I usually would place her in her bouncy seat with a towel behind her head and do it while I was watching tv. When your done you just need to go wash out the baby oil with shampoo and it should last for a while. J. O

Wow you have recieved alot of advice but I still need my 2 cents worth!
I use Aveevo lotion on my daughters head, then a couple of hours later I will gentely scratch at it!
Works for us and her head isn't all greasy

Hi

You can use olive oil rub it in let it sit for 15mins comb through, then wash out with Baby wash, remember the more you wash the hair the worse it can get.

Good old fashion Vaseline & a comb. I was horrified when shopping with my then 4 month old daughter and a lady working at WalMart suggested I use it.......well, I did and it worked like a charm ~ immediately!!!! I had tried a couple of different style shampoos before that and nothing seemed to be able to penetrate it! I believe that the old fashion remedies are sometimes the best now!!

Good luck!
M.

Hi A.,
Back in the day, we used to use johnsons baby oil. You massage it into the scalp gently then use a soft tooth brush to gently scrub the scalp in small circular motions to get the cradle cap off. you may have to perform this several times to get rid of it but it used to work well. I would maybe do it once daily. It's worth a try and it's a cheap fix.

Sincerely,
Cecilia Collard

Hi A.! I haven't read the other posts but what I did for my son was use baby oil (rub on head, let sit for a couple of minutes) and a fine tooth comb to loosen. Then wash his hair. It took twice for my son to get it all out.

Good Luck!

I used baby oil and a soft brush. I also recommend not using shampoo or soap every bath. The shampoo seemed to make it worse for my son. Hope it helps.

A.,
Been there, done that. Okay, here goes. Take some hair conditioner and massage the scalp. Then gently comb the scales away. THEN shampoo, after you've removed the scales. You'll possibly have to rinse your comb a couple times if it's a real heavy case. But I was given this advice when my kids were babies and it worked like a charm. you might also want to consider the ingredients in your shampoo/conditioner. I'd get as natural as possible products, like at Better Health or Whole Foods.
Good luck!

My son has eczema on his head so it's always super dry and flaky. We use Aquaphor...it's the ONLY thing that works.

brush or comb his hair to get th flakes off and wash his head with regualr baby shampoo.

Well like alot of the others I used baby oil. It worked the best for me. Both of my kids were blondes and they seem to get it worse. All I ever had to use was the baby oil.Just let it stay on for a few minutes and use a baby comb. It lifts it right off the scalp. You may feel like you are hurting them, but you really arent. My kids are now 31 and 34, so they survived it...lol

Hi A., my kids all all bigger now, but I remember this problem as well. It is ugly huh?...lol I use to rub baby oil on their little head and let it set for a while and I rubbed it in with my fingers then combed out the little flakes before washing away the oil. Sure it can make the hair a little greasy looking, but it washes out and is worth a try. Let me know if it helps you.
M.

My daughter had it. We just rubbed some baby oil on the area with a wash cloth, then combed out the flakes. It only took a couple of applications and it went away.

Hi A. our little guy that problem really bad as well and what we found that worked well was just Huggies soap but with shea butter and all we did was rub it into his hair and let it sit for a little while. Like if we where given him a bath we could put the soap on his hand and then wash the rest of his body and then wash his hair.
Good luck D.

Hi A.. My boy had a bit of this too. When I bathed him, while shampooing, I would take one of his hair brushes and brush the area while the shampoo was in his hair. It helped to loosen the scales. Then I would rinse as normal. This helped and it went away on it's own. Check with your pediatrician, but they usually say it's not to serious if it's confined to the head and will go away soon. If it spreads or is obviously bothering your child, take your boy to the doctor for something stronger than home remedies or over the counter treatments. Good luck and congratulations on your baby boy!

~N.

HI A. -
Please if you get any advice I think I could also use it. My daughter is 3 and although it's better she still has this since birth, nothing seems to work that I have tried.

Thanks
T.

A.,

My son also had craddle cap, his was so bad that he had to see a dermatoligist. It was on his head, back, armpits, and chest. The smell is any soap or oil under the cradle cap. The best thing I can tell you is stop using lotions and oils, it will only make it worse. My dermatoligist had me put Hydrocortizone (0.5%) on his head, just a little bit at a time after his bath. It is amazing how fast it works, in just a few days I noticed a huge difference. He also told me not to pick at it with a comb, just brush it lightly with one of those soft brushes and it will start flacking away. You will notice as the craddle cap comes off you will see liquid seep from there scalp. Nasty I know but it will happen (that is what the smell is coming from). Good Luck and let me know how it turns out.

T.

Hi A.,

If you just put a little baby oil or better yet Jojoba Oil (I actually sell that - it is a natural oil that is most like sebum the oil that our bodies produce naturally) on his head and let it sit a bit, then slowly and gently with a soft brush or even a comb (with rounded edges) swirl it around a bit it will lift. Then just wash hair and most if not all of it should be gone. I remember my mother doing that for one of my siblings and it worked.

T. V

A.,

My daughter has had cradle cap for a long time and what works for us is 1% Hydrocortisone Cream.

I have had two babies with this, the only way to get rid of it is to gently remove it with a fine tooth comb. Good luck doing that w/ a 16 month old boy! This is how I delt with it in my 6 month old, but he did loose a little hair in the process. The hairs in the cradle cap are not rooted all that well, so it was not like I was ripping the hair out when I combed the cradle cap out. Also, I did it in a few sessions and always after a bath. With a 16 month old you should try it when he is content to sit or fast asleep.

My son had the same problem and I was talking to a friend who's pediatrician gave her hydrocortisone lotion for her son's cradle cap. I called my son's doctor, and he prescribed it over the phone for my son. Within 2 applications, his cradle cap was completely gone!!! We had tried everything before that, including dandruff shampoo and cradle cap lotion, but this was the only thing that worked! If your doctor will prescribe it, I hope it will work for you! I know how annoying cradle cap can be! Good luck!
J. F.

Hi A., my son (now 19 months) had it too and I had read to rub baby oil onto his head, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, wash it out, then comb it with a baby comb. It seemed to work well. The process can be repeated if it doesn't get it all the first time. Good luck!

Try baby oil. Just rub it into the hair and leave it overnight wash next day at bath time. You may need to do it a couple of times if it is really bad. With my eldest I only needed to do it once.
Good luck.

I don't have personal experience with cradle cap but my hair dresser said her oldest son never had it and she bathed him daily. Her daughter (2nd child) had it and she didn't bathe her daily. When she started washing her hair daily it went away. She said that most people think the washing will dry the scalp out more but she said in her case it helped. If you don't wash your babies hair daily, it's worth a try. I hope you find something that works for you and your baby.

My Mom used to use baby oil after a bath which should soften it and then comb it out.

T. V

Hi A.,
I am a mother of three, all of whom had cradle cap. The only way that I found to get rid of it was to put a small amount of baby oil on the child's scalp and then using a baby comb, continuously comb at the dried out areas. The oil conditions the scalp as well as loosens the dried skin. After doing this, gently was the baby's head with johnsons baby shampoo. I hope this works for you.

My son had a mild case of cradle cap. My Dr recommended using some head & shoulders shampoo (they make a sensitive one). It helped after just one use and after a few times using it, it improved dramatically.
Hope this helps.

Hi A.,
With my daughter I used baby oil and it worked like a charm! I simply massaged it in her scalp, put on a cotton stocking cap and probably after a few hours I used a baby comb to comb through her hair, I would wash her hair and do it again. I think I did this for a couple days and it was all gone. Good luck!!

a little olive oil works great!

Hi A.:

I know this sounds odd, but try some plain old Olive Oil on his head - twice a week, message in after bath and be amazed!

The worse he can smell like is a salad! I used it all through my pregnancy and had no stretch marks with triplets! So I thought I would try it with my kids, as I do not like over the counter meds that perhaps may have chemicals in them. It really worked very well! The old natural stuff!

M.

I have run a daycare for 12 years and have seen some pretty bad cases of cradle cap. I have found the easiest way to remove it is simply to wet the scalp and hair and gently use a fine tooth comb to remove it. You will need to wipe the comb frequently. Do this as long as your son is happy and his scalp isn't getting too irritated. It may take a few days to get it all out. Do a little bit at a time. The cradle cap is already oily so adding other oil is not necessary. After each "session" you will need to wash his hair with baby shampoo a couple of times to remove the flakes that are still clinging to the hair. This works every time! Also, in the future, after you remove all the cradle cap be sure you are stimulating his scalp with your fingertips (not your nails) every time you wash it to be sure that the cradle cap doesn't return.

My pediatrician told me to rub some olive oil on his scalp...and it worked pretty well. We also used a comb every night which got the dry stuff off pretty well. I am sure there are other things you can buy, but olive oil did the trick for us:)

When my daughter was born she had cradle cap pretty bad. My doctor told me to put lotion on it and when in the tub use a fine toothed comb and brush the hair. Do this after the head has been wet and the skin has time to soften. It won't clear it up right away but you will be able to notice a difference. Hope this helps!!

A.,
I know this sounds a little strong to use, but Dial soap works great. Just rinse it well. My son had the same problem and nothing worked. My mother is the one who told me to use Dial. She had foster babies for years and dealt with this many times. She said it was the only thing she ever found that worked, and she was right. It did!

I know you are not supposed to do anything about it per doctors but I hated seeing it. All 3 of my kids had it bad.

After bath (while there head was still moist) I rubbed baby oil all over their heads. I than covered there heads for the night with a baby cap. When they woke up they had soft heads with not flakes. Their heads will look greasy in the mornign but just gently wash their hair and it will be all good. It may take a few treatments depending on the severity of the creadle cap.

Good luck:)

Baby Oil is good. It takes a day or two but it will sofen it so the scalp is clear.

Good luck.

Hi A.,
Four of my kids have had cradle cap, luckly none have been that bad. Gerber does make a kit that comes with a shampoo, a comb, some oil and something else, it's a 4 step thing. That really seemed to help as long as you stay on top of it. I finally gave up my daughter is almost 4 and still has some, you just can't see it because she has so much hair now. My twins that are 21 months had it, but not so bad and no longer do, then my 7 month old has it and we really just put baby oil on it and it seems to help too, plus it's not as much as the Gerber thing. Good Luck, but keep in mind that he may have it for a long time!

We tried the olive oil and cradle cap shampoo and neither worked. Head and Shoulders worked the best. Lather up his little head, use a soft brush or comb to work it in (softly) and then rinse. It took care of our son's cradle cap in just one use.

Well both my boys had that too! don't be afraid to scrub (gently) their head/hair. It is like a build up of dry skin. after a couple of really good washes (you will get used to using a little more pressure) you or your son will not have any more problems with it. Good Luck! J. V. in Michigan

We used baby oil in the bath.. combed it in and rinsed it out. Worked wonders!

L.
www.HealthyFamilyHome.com

My doctor had suggested first putting mineral oil on the spot and let it sit for a few minutes and then use Head & Shoulders...just a little on a soft brush and rub it around and then rinse it off. It worked well and I think I did it each day or sometimes morning and evening. Hope it helps.
R.

My aunt told me to try baby oil and comb, then wash the hair really good. Worked for my daughter.