hi ladies,
i have a question about cadle cap, i recently started babysitting my parents neighbors little girl, who is four. her parents have been neighbors with my parents for six years or so. but they very seldom do her hair, it is very curly and frizzy and tangles easily. i have the same type of hair she does. she has cradle cap really bad, so bad infact that when i comb her hair the comb or brush scrapes up big chunks of nasty yellow junk! gross! plus she yells ow alot. last thursday she came with her hair done the same way i did it tueseay. so i washed it and put it in a pony tail and braided it. friday it was still done that way. but i didnt get around to doing it. this morning it is still done in the same ponytail and braid, with loose strands hanging down every where. i was thinking that of washing her hair everyday, and doing it neat. but is it ok to do that since she is not mine? she is only four and has no say really in the matter and i dont want to see her like this when she starts school next year or even worse as she gets older. she has two older sisters that have straight hair so it is easy to manage plus they are old enough to take care of themselves. help i only have boys and the have never had cradle cap. what should i do?
thanks everyone, i know that they dont mind it if i do her hair. when they dropped her off today she still had the same pony braid, so i washed it really good and she complained a lot. but didnt fight me. then i let it dry some and combed it and straightned it. she was so happy with it after she said she had to go and show miss Eve (her preschool teacher)! i hate to do my own hair given the curl and frizz so i pony everyday. but i love to do her hair and i plan on doing it every day i have her and i am going to try the baby oil and see if it works for her. her mom says she wont let them do it. when she whines that it hurt i tell her that it is not that bad and to sit still. thanks again every one. K. d
I say you keep doing her hair for her. Maybe it will make a difference for her. You would hate to see that poor little girl grow up without ANY direction on personal care. Do what you can with her, you can't just leave it.
Have you considered talking to her parents about it? I know it is hard but maybe they don't understand why the cradle cap is happening.
Good luck and take care.
Not to be gross but I would be careful that she doesn't have lice. A friend of mine had a similar situation and what she thought was cradle cap was actually excrement deposits from the lice! Children that old really don't get cradle cap, I was told. Just something to rule out!
IF it is cradle cap, Walmart has a Disney brand of shampoo that worked really well, although seemed to stay in for awhile. I thought that cradle cap was only in infants? But first, I would talk to the parents. If they aren't doing her hair, they may not know. She should really go to the doctor to determine what it is rather than self medicating. Then when a diagnosis is made, I'm sure that they would welcome you taking care it/helping them out.
K.,
How nice of you to do this for this little girl!
I would ask the little girl's mother if she minds your doing this and, if she doesn't, to continue to do it.
The little girl's mother may not know how to handle the problem and may not have time - since she, presumably, is working and that is why you are babysitting - to do much about it, and may very much appreciate your efforts.
Talk to the parents and let them know you are concerned, both about the flakey-ness and that her hair is staying up for days at a time. They may not understand that it is important to take care of her hair. Let them know you love doing her hair, but that ponytails, braids, barrettes, etc should be taken out before she goes to bed (if nothing else, it could cause damage and breakage to the hair). Then show them her scalp and let them know that this is not normal for a child her age, and that it could be a medical issue (don't tell them you think it's because they aren't taking care of her hair, they'll go on the defensive!) and you think it might be wise for her to be checked by a doctor, just to rule out anything (and then the doc can suggest the hygene part if necessary)
Don't wash her hair more than every other day; too much washing could cause overstimulation of the oil glands, making the problem worse. Go ahead and keep an eye out for lice (as one poster suggested), comb through the back of her hair, lifting it in layers all the way down to the base of her neck, and look at the scalp for bugs - they aren't too hard to see if you get the layers of hair separated and can see to the scalp. But lice prefer clean hair and scalp, so I doubt they are hiding under the cradle cap.
A really good way to get rid of cradle cap is to have the child lay down with her head in your lap while you sit cross legged. Rub baby oil all over the hair and scalp and then come the oil through the hair. The oil will loosen the cradle cap and doesn't hurt the child. You will get tons of junk on your comb so have something to wipe it off on. You will have to do this a couple of times over a few days. After you a have done this you will have to wash the hair a couple of times to remove the oil.
Cradle cap can cause serious hair loss if not taken care of. I think you have every right to take care of it for the girl and her parents. If you don't she could go bald. I think they will thank you for it.
Good luck.
I don't think there is anything wrong with it, specially since they haven't said anything to you about not doing it anymore. Most likely they have no idea how to style her hair so they are grateful for your service in that regard.
Put some baby oil on her head and let it sit for a few hours. It loosens the gunk and its much easier to comb or pick out. It takes A LOT of time so hopefully you and her have the patience for it. I'm sure with her being so much older you can just scrub her head really good while you're shampooing it and maybe repeat it a couple times. Hopefully that will work it all out. I think its very sweet of you to do her hair for her. Its sad that her mom won't do it. She is probably saying ow just because she's not used to it. I'm sure she feels very special having it done. I say keep doing it if you're up to it. I don't know any little girl that doesn't love having her hair done. I'm sure they're out there but, again I think it's very sweet of you and if you know how to control it then why not? Maybe by the time she starts school her mom will catch on or she'll ask her to do her hair?? Just a thought! Good luck!
Hi K.,
More than likely she has a yeast infection that is showing up on her head. It happened to my son at 3. One bout with antibiotics can do it. It's a simple remedy, but it takes some time to clear up about 6 months. I picked up some chewable probiotic from vitamin cottage. For ten 10 days he had to take 4 in the morning and 4 at night and he has been on 2 and 2 since. Probiotic is so good for the gut and for keeping a healthy immune system, it was recommended to continue to take it.
I hope that helps!
L.
There's some great cradle cap shampoos on the market, or you can google cradle cap remedies. Do talk to the parents, but don't wash the hair every day. Kids really don't get that dirty and it is pretty harsh on their skin to wash that often. Google "how often should I wash my kids hair" for more info.
What if you suggest to the mom "hey, I've got this same kind of crazy hair & I know how hard it is to deal with sometimes. I'd love to help you figure out styles & show you some shampoos & such that I've found work great for my hair."
It's gross that she's still got cradle cap at 4. It could be excema or psoriasis or it could be that they can't figure out how to do her hair & just don't. Whatever her ethnicity, I have friends w/mixed-race kids who use Pink Lotion (I think that's actually what it's called) on their kids' hair-it keeps it more hydrated & as a result more manageable.
Poor girl! I hope your help is well taken. I wouldn't wash her hair daily though, they might take offense to it. Offer your help & if they don't take it, that's their choice. Brush & style her hair if you choose (I have a feeling you will) & leave it at that.
Baby oil and a very soft brush. Put the baby oil on the brush, very gently massage it in, let it set for 1/2 hour then wash in the tub with a very mild shampoo. My doctor recommended it, said not to spend money on the stuff at the store. It works wonders. Now when my daughter shows slight signs of it, I start the routine. For her with bad cradle cap, it may take a week or more to subside. Also, although this treatment is benign, you should check with a doctor to make sure it isn't some other skin disorder.
Lol, little boys can get cradle cap too. I don't think there is anything wrong with doing the little one's hair.
She probably will love the attention. If you need to, why not ask her guardian first? "I just love Susie's hair. Is it okay if I wash it and style it?"
I say talk to her parents about it, and see if they have any problem with you doing what you like to do. I do know some parents find it very hard to find time to do thier children hair. Or it could be they dont like hearing her say OW, I dont like hearing my kids say that. Wish ya luck.
No advice, but a couple people mentioned that they thought only babies get cradle cap, but that isn't right. It can remain for years, depending on how bad it is and whether it was ever gotten under control. My now 10 year old had it really heavy as a baby and toddler, and once in a while we see a bit returning. My understanding is that it is related to eczema in some way.
