Hello Kristen, My name is Danielle. I have 2 girls 8 and 3. My kids never had it but my nieces did. I takes a while to get rid of it. But u need to keep it moist and comb it all day. Put baby oil on it after she get out of the tub and comb it for at least an hour at a time. It will take some time but if u stay at it, it wil go away. If problem persits ask doctor if there are any medical creams u can use. Good Luck
My daughter had horrible cradle cap from about 3 months to 9 months, basically until her hair started to grow on top :)
I would brush (with a soft bristle brush) baby oil in her hair 2-3 times a day. If you keep brushing it the oil won't get too messy. Then after bath I would use baby oil with a comb. Don't just pick out the flakes with your fingers, and definately don't scrape it off. You will make it worse and more irritated. Keep up with the oil everyday and before you know it it will be gone. If it doesn't go away consult your ped, as it may be eczema.
Our pediatrician suggested just using regular dandruff shampoo. We used it on my daughter, and it worked perfectly (oil never really worked that well for us). Just be extra careful when rinsing that it doesn't get in her eyes. Avoid baby shampoo, since it is harsher & more irritating that one would think. Baby wash seems to be much milder - and fine for their hair. Someone suggested tea tree oil shampoo to me when we were working on my daughter's cradle cap. I didn't try it, but it is worth a shot.
There are a few products on the market specifically for cradle cap - don't waste your money. What I did for both my kids was what grandma did years ago and my friend who is a hairdresser still recommends today. Rub a bit of Johnson's Baby Oil on her scalp and comb it through with a very fine tooth comb (the baby comb from the hospital always worked best). It will lift the dry skin right up without scratching and it will also keep her scalp moist. Follow up with shampoo. Do that a few times a week when you bathe her and you should notice a difference. Although it seems like it will never go away, cradle cap is temporary. Good luck!
Hey Kirsten,
Start with this:
Before her bath - taek some olive oil in your hands and massage her scalp. She will be oily (but is a great moisturizer). Then, when her scalp is saturated, take a baby comb and gently scrape a few layers of the cradle cap off. It will flake off into her hair. Just do as much as you can without her wigging out. I sat my daughter in her busy chair with a few toys to distract her while I did it. Then, give her a bath, and shampoo her hair 2-3 times to get the oil and flakes out. This method will not get everything the first time, but it is gentle is proven to be a good first step.
I've used Apricot Oil (Burts Bees makes it- their baby line) - I'm assumin it works like olive oil, but it smells really nice, too!
I would go for the gentle naturals for cradle cap too. My daughter had it really bad and I tried that twice and it went away and never came back. I had tried other over the counter products,but they did not work. If you cant afford it,I heard baby oil and combing will work. That was going to be my next resort,so good luck.Personally, I would try olive oil over baby oil first(more natural and less ingredients).
Thank you everyone for the advice. I applied aura glow oil a little while before her bath. When I got it wet I then used her baby comb and it all came right off with very little effort. Now it is all set. I wish I had done it sooner but she seems no worse for the wear!!!