Another Multiple Question Request

For cradle cap, rub a little olive oil on his head 10 min or so before a bath. Let it soak in a little, and then while in the tub, use a washcloth or a baby hair brush to get the skin off.

My daughter had cradle cap pretty bad. I would spend a lot of time trying to scrub it with a washcloth and it didn't seem to get better. My mom came over one day and rubbed baby oil all over her head and massaged it for a few minutes. After about 5 min of letting it set on her head she used the baby comb and worked it all out. After she combed it out, I went back and washed her hair regularly. I am not kidding...I never had to treat her for cradle cap again. It was gone and stayed gone. So, I have to recommend baby oil!

As far as burping goes, I think I burped my daughter until she was four or five months old...but I think as long as he is burping, you are okay. Maybe he doesn't need to be 'burped' but just make sure that he's moved around enough to burp when he's done feeding.

The only remedies for cradle cap that I know of are washing the hair, putting oil and massage it into the hair/brushing it or just letting it be. My daughter had it and still has a little bit from time to time. When I see it, I make sure to wash her hair very well that night.

As far as bathing, I think 2-3 times a week is good. Remember, other than peeing/pooping, your baby is not getting 'dirty'. You can use a warm wash cloth to wash him more if you want to. I remember when I started bathing my daughter every other than when she was like 5-6 months old, she got very dry skin, so I had to cut back to 2-3 times a week. Now at 21 months, she only gets one every other day.

Good luck!

I used Disney cradle cap shampoo on my daughter and it worked really well. I just applied a small amount to her scalp and massaged it with a soft bristled tooth brush and within a few uses it all cleared up. You can purchase it at Wal-mart or CVS.

Good luck!

My oldest, now 11, had cradle cap. I was told to use a little baby oil on her head and then wash her hair/head with a dandruff shampoo. I used a teeny bit of Neutrogena dandruff shampoo. Probably not every day but I can't remember. The acceptable treatments may have changed since then, but that's what I remember doing. Also, I used the soft brush that I got in the hospital with her when I washed her head.

I'm sorry but I do not know the average age to stop burping your baby. My daughter started burbing on her own at about 9 months. I suspect that it's different for each individual child. Use baby oil on the cradle cap. I see another mother has repsonded and explained how to do this. Bathing tends to dry out babies' skin even if you use the best, most gentle baby soap on the market. My dermatologist told me that Dove (white beauty bars) is the only soap that doesn't dry your skin and leave a residue behind. (I have skin issues, fortunately, my daughter hasn't inherited them from me)! Until your baby gets active enough to actually sweat and get dirty, keep the baths to a minimum and you'll also keep skin irritations, including cradle cap, to a minimum.

Congratulations on your bundle of joy and good luck!

Burping: yes, they do learn to burp independently - but usually at an older age. I would recommend continuing to assist him in burping.

Cradle cap: saturate his hair/scalp with baby oil. This will look yucky, but will soften it up & then you can remove it. He'll probably lose a little bit of hair with it, too. Also, your pediatrician will have ideas on how to deal with it....they're used to calls from new Moms!

Bathing: there is absolutely nothing wrong with bathing every couple of days. With my oldest, the Dr said every other day. He swore that daily bathing stripped little bodies of much-needed skin moisture. & if you think about it, it's not just the bath...but then you usually rub on lotion. It's like the opposite of The Karate Kid movie: wax on, wax off! In a twisted sort of way, the Dr was right!

With my youngest, his Dr (different city) said only once or twice a week. This was due to excema, skin allergies. The Dr said his normal recommendation was 3-4 times/week. He said that daily bathing does not hurt most children, but that there was really no need & that the skin would be healthy & better hydrated if we only did every other/or every couple of days.

Sooo, different Drs - 9 years apart....& telling the same story!

well my daughter was around 7 to 8 months when she started burping really good on her own. I still sometimes had to burp her especially if she fell asleep while eating.

As for the cradle cap I found gentle naturals cradle cap care very useful and it is cheap at walmart. I would normally give our daughter a bathe at least every other day. But now that she is 16 months I have to give her one daily since she likes to make a mess eating.

When my kids were little, there was a product called 'Cradol' for cradle cap. I don't know if they still make it. It was kind of like baby oil. You had to use it for 3 days, leaving it on all the time. Then I'd brush it out. It was great. My grandson had cradle cap and the doctor told them to wash his hair with Selsun Blue. It worked great. I always bathed my kids daily. Then, I'd use Mennen Baby Lotion on them, after their bath, giving them a massage with it. Oh, they smelled so good! Just smelling it on my grandkids now, brings back the memories!

1. My son still needs to be burped at 9 months because otherwise he spits up. My older one, though, didn't need to be burped after about 3 months.

2. Cradle cap: olive oil or vegetable oil works, too. Just rub it in, let it sit for a few minutes, and use a baby comb or brush to brush it all out. Then wash with baby shampoo. You may need to repeat once a day for a few days, but it works!

3. Bathing: We only give our kids baths about once a week because they don't stink (unless they have accidents). We do it because their skin dries out easily. Our friends bathe their kids every day, and they are three years old and six months old. I think it really depends on your preference.

Good luck!

I have been told to use a regular dandruf shampoo; yet, couldn't bring myself to put something that harsh on my babies head, even in small quantities. I have; however, found a Gentle Naturals (Disney babies) Cradle Cap Care. After washing my babies hair with it, the cradle cap "seems" to get worse for a few days - the hair will remain greasyish and flaking terribly. The good news is that it is all peeling up and then will be clear underneath. :) I have only done this twice. When it builds up again, we'll do it again. There was probably......3-4 months inbetween treatment. You could probably do it a little more regularly and keep it under control. My baby just has lots of hair - pain in the butt ;)
As for bathing, I reserve that for "as needed" also. When they're stinky, sticky, visibley dirty - they need a bath. Otherwise, I don't happen to be one of those "ritual bathers" that we Americans have seemed to adopt as 'normal'. Taking the natural oils from the skin and replacing with/ introducing numerous chemicals to baby skin just doesn't seem like a good idea. *shrug* I am sure you will find / decide what is good for you and your baby.
God Bless you too..........

Even though our daughter started being able to burp on her own, I always burped her after nursing. It was habit, and I was doing it "just in case." Plus, it's a nice cuddling time. :)

For cradle cap we massaged a little baby oil into her scalp and let it set for a few minutes. Then we very gently used a soft brush to comb through her hair. We rinsed it out, then waited a few days and did it one more time. After that it was cleared up. With cradle cap, try not to wash his hair too much. You don't want to dry it out. I've also heard that olive oil works too and much more gentle on baby's skin. If it's severe, a call to your doctor is in order. You might also want to call and see what they recommend to treat it. Do NOT use selsen blue, or other adult products on your son without first consulting your doctor. Babies have very sensitive skin, and those products could really hurt him.

As far as bathing goes, babies don't need to bathe nearly as much as you do. Once every 2-3 days is plenty. Even then, you really don't need to use soap. Just a nice soak in warm water and a washcloth is good. Babies don't need lotion either. The less you do to their skin, the better. Of course, if baby needs a bath, give him a bath, and "spot treatments" as needed. After they start eating more solids, and when they start toddling around and getting dirty they need more baths, but you have a while.

My son, now 23 months old, also developed cradle cap. Our ped. told us to start using Cetaphyl soap on him. It cleared it up within a week. I still use it on him. The liquid may be used as a soap or a lotion so we would bathe him in it then leave just a slight film on his head to moisturize. (The also make a bar soap which I use on trips on occassion but it seems to sting his eyes a bit so I like the liquid more.) I have gone old school and given my son a bath every single night since he lost his umbillical cord. He was a very fussy infant and the nightly baths helped soothe him. I sleep better when I'm clean so it makes sense to me. He has never had a problem with dry skin as a result of the baths and he smells much better than a baby who has pottied and spit-up on himself for two or three days...to me that's a bit ridiculous. Congratulations on your newest addition!

Hi Susan,
Just one more comment on the cradle cap - my daughter had it and the ped recommended baby oil as well. BUT, he also assured me that picking it off is totally fine. I wanted to try to peel some of the larger pieces off and my husband said not to - that it would be like picking a scab. Ped said to go ahead and get it off if she'd let me, so during and after feedings, I'd gently scrape her scalp with my finger nail. Funny thing is, now she loves to have her scalf rubbed and her hair played with. :)

Hi Susan! I have a suggestion for the cradle cap part of your question. We tried a lot of things, but what finally worked was something my cousin suggested (ped. with five kids of her own). She suggestion we gently scrub our baby's head with dandruff shampoo a couple times a week (being careful to avoid eyes, nose, and ears). We started using it every Wednesday and Sunday at bath time. We saw an improvement almost immediately and it was totally gone within a month. Amazing! Good luck!

We had these same questions with our son (9 months). Our pediatrician said that you can stop burping a baby whenever he is eating most of his food while sitting up. So I think we stopped around four months or so.

As far as cradle cap, the pediatrician suggested rubbing a whole bunch of baby oil or mineral oil on his head and using a really soft brush to brush around in circles to loosen the cradle cap. Generally speaking, we do it right before a bath, so we don't have to deal with a greasy head all day!

Oh, and we give our son a bath about once a week, although we're going to step it up soon since he's getting so messy crawling around and also because he loves it so much!

Hope this helps!

Good Morning Susan, I don't really recall what I did about the burping thing, I am guessing when they are old enough to sit up on their own that burping is less necesary, I am guessing it is one of those case by case things. Cradle cap on the other hand I have had plenty of experience with and what has always worked for me, although a bit messy is baby oil...I massage it into the scalp and let it soften up the cradle cap then I use a baby comb gently...yes, baby will have a greasy head for a short bit but it has worked better for me than anything else. Lots of luck to you.
B.