How Do I Get Rid of Cradle Cap???

Hi L.,

My daughter had the same problem! I got so fed up w/the docs telling me it will clear up with frequent shampooing. Six months later it was still there! I bought Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo and diluted it with water in another bottle and I shampooed my daughter's head/hair twice a day. Three days later....GONE! Let me know if it works on your daughter. Good luck! L.

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Hi! My baby had a brief stint of cradle cap and some where I read to use mineral oil. It is over where the medications for constipation are...it is super thick. I only had to use it a couple of times and it cleared up. It's super cheap too. Hope that helps!

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L.,
My daughter had the same problem at 3-4 months, and I tried everything. When I asked my DR about it he prescribed a medicated shampoo and mild steroid cream. I though that was a little too aggressive so instead of getting the medicated shampoo I got Head and Shoulders. I bathed her every other day and within a week her cradle cap cleared up. I was amazed! Some people can't believe I'd an adult shampoo one her, but I figure it couldn't be any worse than the medicated shampoo and steroid cream he wanted me to use. Besides it's sold over the counter so it can't be that bad, and it worked.
It seems like it shall never pass but it will. Good luck.
S.

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I had a hard time getting rid of my son's cradle cap too...I found a product by Disney just for cradle cap and it has removed it in just two uses...it is in the baby section

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my doctor says to use cetaphil cleanser.

I agree with the use of Selson Blue...I used that to get rid of my daughter's cradle cap when she was a few months old. We used it in combination with hydrocortisone cream that her pedi prescribed(very low dose), and scrubbing lightly with the plastic brush from the hospital. I hope you find relief soon! :)

My son got it. you just put baby oil on her scalp and let it soak in for 24hrs. then wash her head with baby shampoo lightly rubbing with a wash cloth.

Selson blue worked for me! It was gone in a week!

hope that helps!
H.

What I did for my 10 month old, was to rub a tiny bit a vasaline before her bath, use her comb to gently loosen the dry skin, then wash her hair using a washcloth. This seemed to help her a lot.
Good luck.

My daughter had cradle cap really bad at about 3 months. I used (and still use) Head and Shoulders for sensitive skin and shampoo with that about twice a week. I also used a toothbrush to help brush out the flakes; as well as baby oil.

The cradle cap went away after about two weeks.

I'm still following the same routine the same shampoo return 5 weeks later and her scalp looks great and her hair is soft. I no longer use the toothbrush for her hair but I still put baby oil on her head about twice a week.

the only thing that worked with both my kids is baby oil and a soft brush. i had to do it a few times a day for a week or 2

Hi L.,
Just get some aloe vera gel and after bath apply to head and face it helped with my sons. My husbands face very sensitive he uses it after he shaves instead of after shave. My son has a sensitive face also thats why we thought of it and it really works. Gerber has a cradle cap kit that works also which uses a gel at the end also. Good luck, K. K

With my daughter, I just put a bit of vaseline on the area where she had the cradle cap, and waited a few minutes and then sat down on the sofa with her in my lap and gently scraped it away with the edge of a fingernail I just had a paper towel with me to wipe the stuff off my finger. Might sound kinda gross...but that's what worked. and it was kinda like a massage for her little head. I just kinda worked it a little bit each day until it was gone.

try putting olive oil on her head, letting it soak in and then gently using a toothbrush in a circular motion to help loosen it. you may have to do it a few times. baby oil is mineral oil and doesn't soak in well like olive oil does.

My doctor recommended using a dandruff shampoo. I used Selson (sp?) Blue once, and it got rid of my son's cradle cap.

DEar L.,

Know what you mean about the 31 yr old kid.

Please make sure it is cradle cap and not something more serious. There sometimes is a need for a second opinion.

Hug the 10month old for me and yes, the 31 yr old.

xoxo A Grandmother who loves the little ones....

Walmart and Walgreens care this stuff called "cradle cap" I don't remember the name of the company who makes it but it has winnie the pooh on it. It works great on my son. Hope it works for you.

What worked with my son was to rub his scalp really good with olive oil and then immediately shampoo. Hope it helps!

Hi L.,

Make a very diluted mixture of T36-C5 Melaleuca Oil blended with Olive Oil. Combine thoroughly and apply to the affected area. Leave it on for several minutes before shampooing with the Koala Kids No Tears Shampoo. The other shampoo that were suggested have Quaternium-15 (formaldehyde releasing agent)in them. I would not use that on my child.

Let me know if this help. I can show you how to get the products.

L.
____@____.com

It should go away with regualr brushing.

If you are breastfeeding, I heard that breastmilk works! :)

I had the same problem with my son, nothing seemed to work. My doctor receommended that I try Head N Shoulders shampoo - just a tiny dab at bath time. After a couple of uses it tremendously improved and after a week it was completely gone. To this day I use it every once in a while when I notice if he starts having dry scalp. Just make sure to avoid getting the shampoo in your daughters eyes!! I always used a washcloth on my son's forehead to avoid any getting on his face when rinsing out. Good luck!

baby oil and gentle rubbing will take it off my lil one had it and thats all i did i would put baby oil and drush it with hte baby brushes and it came off in a couple of times that i did it

stop using the baby oil. I did that when my daughter was a baby and had to take her to the doctor and he told me to stop using the baby oil because it was clogging up her scalp pores. just shampoo her hair and comb it out as best you can but don't put anything in her hair, it should clear up.

Hi L.! We used Selsun Blue on our first daughter, so I would recommend that as well - it was the only thing that worked for hers. It was so bad it was like her entire head was covered in scabs. Hope that helps!

This is what my pediatrician told me to do and it works. Wash her hair with a wash cloth and Selsun Blue Shampoo. Scrub the head good with the wash cloth. Do NOT get it in babys eyes, IT WILL BURN. After the bath, slather babys head with Keri Lotion. NEVER use baby lotion, always and only Keri Lotion.

I am a foster parent of newborn, drug exposed infants. They all have nasty cradle cap. I have used this on lots of babies and have found it to work great. I hope it helps you.

With my 2 youngest ones, I used baby shampoo on their DRY heads. Rubbed it in, then washed the rest of their bodies before I went back to their heads. It took just a few times and the stuff was gone!

Hi L.,

I am going to quote from a book of a friend of mine, Dr. George Wootan, MD. He has a book that I would recommend for all mothers...it is a great resource in knowing what to do when you have a question about your child's health. The book is called Take Charge of Your Child's Health.

He talks about cradle cap on p.34. He says,
"Cradle cap is simply infant dandruff, or seborrhea, and is generally best left alone. If the flakiness really bother you, you can wash the baby's hear with a dandruff shampoo, which wil clear it up. I DON'T RECOMMEND this, however, because all those toxic chemicals in the shampoo will find their way into the baby's bloodstream, and they're not the best thing for a growing child. Another approach is to apply baby oil to the scalp to loosen up the scales, and then comb them out. Personally , I favor just leaving cradle cap alone.

Dr. Wootan has also done several talks for our website..called http://www.SmartMomsNetwork.net His talks are an open resource for health. Just go to the site and choose the tab Meet Dr. George. And underneath the picture choose Listen to Dr. George's Health Talks. He has several that you can either listen to on the sight or download to your MP3 player.

C. Heinemann
http://www.MomsGoNGreen.com

i have a two yr old and she was still getting cradle cap. i finally went to my hairdresser and asked her advice. she said dandruff shampoo. it works but you have to be very careful and try not to get in her eyes. you can by a shampoo made for cradle cap but i tried it and it did not work. i also tried the baby oil and it works but only as a temporary fix and is painful on their little scalps. good luck

Honestly, I tried everything with my son.. but just gave up and it went away on its own.
The oil with the brush thing-just made him extra extra oily and was a pain to wash out.

She will grow out of it eventually.

My ped told me to use a little of head and shoulders shampoo and wash the baby scalp very gentle and then after you wash her hair twice with it use her regular shampoo and do this twice a week it worked for my 7 month old.

One common treatment suggested for cradle cap is the use of oils, vegetables as well as mineral.the oil should be used liberally on the scalp and then left overnight to soak in. Leaving the oil even for lesser time is also not prohibited. Then, in the next day or after a certain period of time, the softened scales should be brushed away with something soft.
In this regard, a soft brush, toothbrush, comb or cloth can be used.
Using petroleum jelly e.g., Vaseline liberally is also suggested. The Vaseline may soften the scales that can be brushed away after sometime. Making paste from sodium bicarbonate, which is also known as baking soda is another way of treating cradle cap. The soda should be applied on the affected area and left for ten minutes or so. But the thing that is most widely suggested is shampoo. It is suggested that cradle cap affected area should be washed nicely with mild shampoo. This produces good results.

C. Safford
www.themomteam.com/anewlife
Moms Helping Other Moms to a brighter future..

I used Burt's Bees apricot baby oil and it worked for my little darlings. And I love the smell so much I still buy it, even though my babies are grown.

My pediatrician suggested Selson Blue shampoo for my son (3mo)because it was iching and bothering him. You just have to be careful to not get any in their eyes. It has helped him. I also wash his hair every couple of days.

I got rid of my son's cradle cap by washing him with his own poof...it is slightly abrasive just enough to get the cradle cap to be gone but doesn't hurt his skin at all. That is what worked for me.

L.,
We used pHisoDerm after many other products and it seemed to work the best. It is a skin cleanser. You just wash the hair with it daily. It takes a couple of weeks to get rid of it with daily use. We even tried dandruff shampoos that worked but they do not recommend them daily on little ones because they are so harsh in smell. I got pHisoDerm at Wal-Mart. I asked the pharmacist about it and they ordered it for me. $3.50 for the bottle. You only use a small dab so the bottle lasts a long time. Hope this works!

try baby oil. Just a little. Massage it into her head. Don't get too close to her eyes, or try the ceamy baby oil. Works well. I did it will both my girls.

Hi. I am new to this site. But, in response to your question...I have 3 children, one being 9 months on the 15th. I never really dealt with cradle cap thankfully. I am a nurse and have found that many people while washing their baby's head are afraid to thoroughly wash the soft spot, which is generally were the cradle cap is. I always wash my baby's head with a wash rag or with the tips of my nails (not roughly but as if I were washing my hair). But you could use her baby brush and scrub the area with swirling circles daily. The soft spot is a very firm membrane that is meant to protect and his tougher than you think. I have a friend that has a baby girl and when she tried what I told her, and finally got over her fear of the area, was able to get rid of the cradle cap and her baby was 9 months old at the time. I hope this helps a little. Good luck to you.

Both my boys had cradle cap, someone told me to use Dove soap, not the shampoo or body wash ,but bar of soap. When you take her a shower use Dove instead of baby shampoo, it worked for my boys.

Dandruff shampoo and olive oil. Baby oil clogs their pores, so does lotion. If this doesn't help its probally some other skin condition. Thats what happened with my nephew. All our babies cleared with dandruff shampoo and olive oil but not him he had some other skin ailment.

Hi L.

1% Hydrocortisone works like a CHARM..Gone in 2 days! And you can use it daily. You probably have it in your medicine cabinet. I used the lotion version instead of the ointment. Recommended by my Pediatrician Ari Brown, MD (she co-wrote Baby 411).

Best wishes

My son was 8 when he still had that crusty stuff (cradle cap) on his scalp. He has very dry hair and we just tried everything to get rid of it.

When I started shopping with Melaleuca.com, I started using the Melaleuca Oil Shampoo on him. It cleared it up in a matter of a couple of shampoos and has never returned! Melaleuca Oil is the most amazing stuff and Melaleuca has almost 400 products for your home and body that work better and cost less.

More information? Just let me know. Melaleuca is like a buyers club, such as Sam's or Costco, except the membership is not a yearly fee. It's just a $1 to join through March 20th (cancel anytime) and you get $100 in free products when you shop for the next five months for those things that you are shopping for now; you are just getting them somewhere else. All of these products come with a 60-day, empty bottle guarantee, so if you try them, don't like them, just return them and get your money back.

I wish all the stores I shop at gave me the kind of loyalty rewards Melaleuca does. I didn't go into the whole list of them here.

J.
www.livetotalwellness.com
www.melaleuca.com
www.saferforyourhome.com

We have used Selson Blue and it seemed to work pretty good. Also my now 2 year old had it so bad till she was about 18 months old and her pediatrician prescribed her something called Luxiq. It's a foam that you rub onto their scalp and it worked some too. Good luck!

Pine tar soap. I have never used it but my sister in law swears by it. She used it on all 3 of her children. Try a health food store to see if they have it. Sorry I can't remember the brand name.

Hi L.~ Neosporin!!! I don't know what your baby's schedule is....but, I put neosporin on my 4 mo. old's head after bathtime at night when I first noticed. This helped like you wouldn't believe! I only did this for about 4 or 5 days consecutively, and it went away. However, it will come back..it did for my little angel~ sooo, I did the same thing. Worked~ I hope this helps!

katie

My pediatrician told me to use Head and Shoulders and it really worked for all 3 of my kids.I wanna try Selsun Blue now cause my daughter is 6 and she has dandruff real bad.Good luck on what you decide to do.

My oldest son had cradle cap so bad for 18 months that it would bleed. I tried everything with no success--most treatments actually seemed to make it worse. I finally tried Selsen Blue and it worked after only a few baths. I held him under one arm with his head tipped back over the sink--like they wash newborn's hair in the hospital, just to make sure it didn't get in his eyes. I let it sit on his scalp for a minute or two before rinsing to let the medicine have a chance to work. Good luck!

When I had my first son (nine years ago) at woman's hospital, they gave me a little brush that looks like a scrub brush for your fingernails. The bristles are a soft plastic, not the more "hair-like" bristles on a scrub brush. They told me to gently rub baby's head in a circular motion with the brush during baths. I used that method on all three of my babies and never had an issue with cradle cap. It might be worth a try....

We call it cradle cRap in our house. :)Try massaging some oil on the scalp and with a find toothed comb, gently comb the crusties up. It doesn't hurt the baby.
Good luck,

K.

Hi,

We had the same problem with our last child. Her Ped. suggested that we wash her head with a pea size amount of Selsum Blue. Three weeks later her cradle cap was gone. Just be real careful not to get it in her eyes. Put a dry washcloth on her forehead while you are shampooing and rinsing her head, it is so much easier if your husband helps.
Good Luck!!!

Vaseline and daily washing. Lay on something to absorb excess
and massage from head to feet, preferably just before nap or
at night.

Hi L., My daughter had it really bad up until 11 months. I did use the baby oil but did not use a brush. I purchased the little comb and brush pack at walmart, the real simple one that was something like 97 cents. Use the comb with the oil and comb her hair backwards, also use the motion as though you are itching her head with it, it will start flaking out. I hope this helps

Olive oil. It works quickly. My pediatrician told me about it & it worked great!!!

My son had cradle cap pretty bad UNTIL is found this amazing product by Gentle Naturals Disney Baby "Cradle Cap Care" at CVS $9 worked in just a few treatments!!! You just rub it in and work thru with a little brush. It was gone.......I had to use it one other time months later and it's all better!!!!!

S.

L. ive learned that cradle cap is its own process and it take time.No matter what you do it will not go away unless its time,sooner or later it will go away.B. F.

At one time I had a scalp fungus and I went to the doctor several times but the meds he gave me did not work. I went on line and I put in my symptoms and thats how I found out I had a scalp fungus. They recommended using Tea Tree oil and it worked for me. One of my symptoms was dry scalp that itched. I recommend tea tree oil its found at Walgreens, CVS and all beauty supply stores. Try it.....

Hi L. :)

Both of my children had REALLY bad cradle cap. The only thing I found that got rid of it was to rub olive oil into their scalp and wait for 5 minutes. Then take a comb (like a hairdresser would use) and comb the scalp gently but firmly for about 15 minutes. The comb will come away with this yukky yellow clumps, which you can wipe off on a paper towel. Shampoo a couple times afterward to wash out the oil. You can repeat the treatment whenever it's needed. Cradle cap gets a kick out of coming back every so often.

Good luck!
M.

my now 4 month old son had cradle cap, and it is so yucky looking. I used a clean nail brush and softly and quickly rubbed it over the dead skin to get it off. After the following 2 baths it would come back a little bit, but less and less after each bath, and I would just rub it off with the nail brush and by about the 3rd bath. Oh and I checked with the doctor at his appointment and she said that was a perfect thing to do.

My daughter had cradle cap and our pediatrician told me to use the plain Head & Shoulders shampoo. I just had to be really careful not to let it get in her eyes when washing her hair, but it worked great.

I agree with everyone who said use a brush while washing. I did with my daughter and within few days it was gone. I just brushed it in a circle while washing her hair. Good luck.

scrub her scalp with a soft brush and mild shampoo daily. do not use lotion or oil, this will make the problem worse. it will take a little time, but it will go away.

My daughter had it when she was only a few months old. A friend told me to use a little Selsum blue, and rub it in with one of her soft little brushes. It worked! Made her hair stink like the selsum blue...but it worked.
Good luck.

My daughter's pediatrician prescribed her ketoconazole cream to rub on her scalp twice daily, which helped a lot. Good luck!

Craddle cap is dandriff for babies....my son had it & his pedi told us to use a dandriff shampoo....we got TGel from Neutrogena....sounds crazy I know but it WORKS!!! only use and small amount and really massage it in and rinse...using baby oil and olive oil only makes it worse...good luck......

Hi my name is J.
I know this will sound terrible but I did it on my sons head as a baby and it works well. it will not hurt the baby Infact it will condition her hair. But put a raw egg on the babys scalp comb it with a fine tooth comb a baby comb is really good to use. let it dry and then wash it out with warm water. Do it a couple of times according to how bad it is. Good luck

My cousin had luck with a dandruff shampoo. You have to be very careful not to get it in their eyes since it is not tear free. Good luck!

We have been putting baby oil on his head. Then we bought Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Care. Once we put it on we massage it in with a separate baby brush. This seems to working very well.

The baby oil, that is causing her to have cradle cap. You can shampoo her hair with Head and Shoulders shampoo! Sound strange, but it worked on my grandson cradle cap.