New Born with First Time Problem

Updated on July 26, 2007
N.P. asks from Fort Sill, OK
22 answers

My little baby boy (month and 1/2 old) has really flakey dry scalp and nothing seems to be working baby oil, lotion noda? So please tell me your remedies cus he has it bad. Thank You N.

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A.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I always just took a warm, wet baby washcloth and rubbed all the dry skin off, then put vaseline all over his head. It made his hair look funny, but then I could spike it, and the dry skin was gone. You should be careful putting hydrocortisone on very young babies. Never do it more than twice a day and only for a week or so at a time. It can thin and weaken the skin permanently.

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S.P.

answers from Kansas City on

My baby boy had cradle cap really bad so I took him to his pediatrician and he prescribed a mild steroid cream which wiped it out immediately.

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S.

answers from Kansas City on

Rub olive oil into the scalp.

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J.H.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My baby had this problem to. I used Baby Oil Gel and brushed her her reguraly. It worked.

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B.M.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter had really bad cradle cap when she was little and her pediatrician told me to use her regular shampoo but scrub her head with the soft brush they send home with us from the hospital. If that didn't cure it up...it did...to use the cradle cap stuff from the store I think it is called Natural gentle (green bottle). I never had to use it. After washing her hair only every other day we had to use a fine tooth comb to get all the flakes out with...that was much easier to do when she was asleep. Hope something works for you. Good Luck!

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A.P.

answers from Tulsa on

my son had bad cradle cap when he was an infant. I rubbed a little olive oil in his hair then brushed it very gently and washed it out. It took a few times but eventually it worked.

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N.W.

answers from Kansas City on

Our son went through the same thing when he was first born. Our doctor recommended that we use Selson Blue as his shampoo. We would put in on his hair/head and then leave it on for three minutes while we washed the rest of him. Then we'd take a soft bristle brush and scrub it in to get the flakes off. It worked wonders! The only issue is that you have to be extremely careful with it as it will burn their eyes. Good luck!

M.A.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi N.,

I had a similar problem with my little one too.
We found that products from Melaleuca cut the problem once and for ever. I buy everything from them now and I do reffer people to the company if you would like some more info.

It was a relief, also for my husband's allergies, we have been blessed finding this company since all our products are naturally based with no harsh chemicals and many of them to treat eczemas or dry scalp. I get them at wholesale price too!

I don't do the business since I don't have the time, but I do recomend people that needs it.

Let me know if you want more info, I'd love to help.

Hope it gets better soon,

Mariana

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T.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Hi N.

My son had dry skin as a baby too. Baby oil made it worse in the long run. When his skin was really dry like in the winter I used creamy vaseline. There is one w/ a baby powder smell, I just used one w/o any smell. I guess you could regular vaseline I just think it would be hard to rub in and kind of a mess. The creamy vaseline worked great. When his skin was not too dry but needed extra moisture I used origanal Curel. That's what worked for us. He is 8yrs old now and we are past the need for creamy vaseline, the rougher and tougher skin is at this age I guess is a good thing (it makes you more of a boy). But I still put the curel on him (when he lets me) in the winter. I also did not use a very drying soap in the tub, I used aveeno and/or unscented dove.

Well good luck

T.

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A.

answers from Kansas City on

How often are you bathing him? I know they say that they don't need a bath almost every day and they don't but we did it just as party of the routine and none of my 3 boys ever had it. So I just always attributed it to the fact that they got baths almost every day.

We also used the surgical scrub brush that they gave us at the hospital to scrub his head with.

good luck

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K.D.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Instead of Cradle Cap, I have always called it Cradle Crap. LOL

What I did was, when giving a bath, wash his hair and take that little soft bristle brush you got in one of those baby kits and wash that area good, scrubbing the flakes off as much as you can, then put either Vitamin E oil or Olive Oil, or some of that really thick lotion in the tub for dry skin. It will go away for a few days and maybe come back but not as bad, if you keep up the routine, it will eventually go away. He'll be alittle grease head for awhile, but just tell people he's going through his "John Travolta in Grease" stage.

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J.T.

answers from Kansas City on

My best advice is to use the little fine scrubbie brush that most hospitals send you home with, and scrub his little head pretty well every time you wash his hair. Baby oil will make the cradle cap worse. Just scrub and put some baby lotion on. Best of luck!

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A.Z.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My daughter is over 2 yrs old now and has had that problem for a while also. Thank goodness we were finally able to manage it some. Have you tried using dandruff shampoo? The doctor said it was ok to do just be careful not to get it in their eyes. Another thing that worked somewhat for us is some sort of stuff we bought from the store that was made for cradle cap. I guess you could give that a try. Also, be sure you're giving them a bath on a regular basis that seems to help out some too. Good luck finding a solution to your problem that actually works. You might also want to talk to a doctor and see if there's anything they can suggest.

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M.

answers from Enid on

My little boy had a similar problem. He would get scaly, red patches on his face and he was diagnosed with eczema. Doc prescribed Elidel and he looks wonderful now. His scalp sometimes flakes so we put a little of that on as well. Aquaphor ointment is pretty good also for dry areas, but Elidel works wonders. I'm not sure if he may have cradle cap or not? Good luck with your beautiful boy! :)

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W.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi N.,

I use Gentle Naturals, it's cradle cap care, it's a green bottle and it has eyeore and winnie the pooh on it. You can find it at any store in the baby section. You just put it on his scalp rub in real good and comb or brush their hair a few times and then rinse and wash as normal. It will leave his hair a little greasy feeling but nothing to horrible, the more often you do it the faster it clears up. So instead of giving him a bath everynight just put him in the "football hold" wrap him up in a towel and just wash his hair everynight for a week and it will be gone.

I hope this helps you W. mom of 4.

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B.S.

answers from Kansas City on

we used Aquaphor when my son had the same problem as a newborn. it worked pretty well. you can get it over the counter at any drugstore or walmart/target.

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A.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I used Mustela Newborn Foam Shampoo and had wondeful results. The first couple of times leave it on for a few minutes and use a small tooth comb to loosen and remove the dry skin. I recommended it to a friend who had a son with a severe case of craddle cap. His head was starting to break open and bleed in places. After two applications the dry skin was gone. You can find it at babies-r-us or Nordstroms.

Hope it helps.

A.

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M.L.

answers from Kansas City on

My sister's baby girl has really dry scalp and the hair around the area is coming out with it. She's tried everything too. Her ped. told her to try palmolive dishwashing liquid and also try using some kind of hand lotion or something. She thought that it was a really bad case of cradle cap, but she's beginning to think that it may be psoriasis or something. It may not be but she's gonna take her to the dr. soon just to be sure.

I did a little research for you & here's what I found from the following website: http://www.associatedcontent.com (just did a search for dry baby scalp) You can also type in NATURAL REMEDIES FOR CRADLE CAP in a search engine and get all kinds of great ideas that may work for your little one -- hopes this helps. Have a great day!! :)

You can use lavender oil to treat Cradle Cap. Lavender Oil is available at your local health food store. Place a few drops of this natural oil into the palm of your hand. Then, gently rub it over your baby's scalp. Allow the Lavender Oil to soak in overnight. (This is a bonus because Lavender is also known to be a soothing, calming herb.) Then, in the morning, wash your infant's scalp gently with baby shampoo. If any oil flakes remain, repeat the process.

Witch Hazel is another home remedy for treating Cradle Cap. Witch Hazel is extracted from a shrub. It's readily available at your local drugstore. Pour a quarter cup of Witch Hazel into a sealable container. Dilute that with a cup of warm tap water. Then, dip a clean, soft cloth into the solution. Apply the solution to your baby's scalp several times a day.

You can also mix together some virgin olive oil and some Tea Tree Oil to make a home remedy for Cradle Cap. Tea Tree Oil is a natural antiseptic that will help prevent infections. Place a dab of the oily solution onto the affected areas on your baby's scalp. Massage the oil in well. Then, use a baby brush to loosen the scaly areas of skin. Shampoo his or her head with baby shampoo, then rinse and dry well.

Studies have also found, that, if you're breast feeding your baby, adding foods that are high in biotin to your diet can be helpful in alleviating Cradle Cap. Biotin is a B-complex vitamin that's naturally found in milk, eggs, green vegetables, cereal, liver, and nuts.

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S.G.

answers from Kansas City on

Hello N.,
The best thing I have seen in 8 years of doing daycare and alot of cradle cap is aquaphor and 1% hydrocortizone cream mixed 1/2 and 1/2. It was recently prescribed (but you don't need a prescription) for one of my daycare babies cradle cap. Rub this mixture on his head kind of sparingly, but so that it is rubbed in good about every 3-4 hours you will see a difference almost immediately. I have used the stuff mentioned and have had parents use it too. This mixture is the cheapest best thing I have every seen.
Good luck,
Michelle

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

My daughter has cradle cap and the only thing so far that has helped to get rid of it is the Foam Shampoo by Mustela it is in a pump and cost around $10 it is worth it and I also was told to use a cradle cap brush. It is a soft plastic bristled brush that I found at CVS or Walgreens. The one I purchased is made by the American Red Cross and has a sponge on one side and the soft brush on the other. It is also a dispenser, but I don't use it that way. It has help in conjunction w/ the Mustela Foam shampoo for newborns.
For the Shampoo:
I don't know where you live, but Babies R Us has this product as well as Bruce Smith Drugs in Prairie Village Kansas.

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L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Sounds like your boy has cradle cap. My son had it too. Saturate the flakes with baby oil and then use a comb or soft brush to gently scrape off the flakes. It also helps to use a clean rinsing shampoo, like Paul Mitchel. The flakes will come back, so just repeat those steps. He will eventually grow out of it. Hope that helps. Good luck!!!

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K.

answers from Kansas City on

My son had a similar problem. We used Selsun Blue shampoo which cleared it up in about 3 days.

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