Cradle Cap?

You have to soak his head with baby oil and then gently comb the cradle cap off the babyoil does all the work.Ive had this problem with my son. goodluck!

Have you ever heard of a product called Arbonne? It's a botanically based product and they have a Baby Care line that is amazing! Many of my friends have tried it and love the baby's products. Craddle cap, diaper rash and rosacea are some of the issues I have heard about with using Arbonne's products.

R.

Hi there T. ,im T. a proud mom of 3 girls and a boy and a proud grandma of 6 boys,,and i use baby oil on there heads and took a fine baby comb and comb it ,,but becarefull,ya make there head red ,,but it doent hurt it looks like it does ,,,,,try it let me know,,,,

T.: My name is M. Brunner. The company I represent, Arbonne, has a great babycare line called ABC. They have a body and hair wash that will take care of this. They also have a skin conditioning oil that works great for the flakes. The products are botanically based and very safe. You can order them through my website: www.melaniebrunner.myarbonne.com. Go to SHOP ONLINE and check out the ABC Babycare line. Hope that helps.

Massage baby oil into his scalp & then use a baby hairbrush to gently scrub his scalp. Mustella makes a Shampoo for cradle cap. I used the brush to shampoo too & it seemed to get all of the little flakes off. Now you know what those silly little hairbrushes are for! He will out-grow cradle cap - but it can get worse and it does look gross. You will need to use a bit of baby oil on his scalp for a few weeks and don't shampoo every day.
If you have Kaiser insurance - their website has great advice on minor ailments like this. I mixed 1 drop of dandruff shampoo into his regular shampoo bottle out of paranoia - but I think the baby oil was all I needed.

Being a Cosmetologist here is my advise- use oil te tree, baby, jojoba,olive, whatever. Put a small amount on your baby's hed and gently massge. Do not pick at it! The oil will slowly dissovle and loosen the cradle cap. Make sure when shampooing you massage the scalp. Most people only rub the hair. It will take awhile but it will go away. Just don't pick!
C.

Both of my girls had bad cradle cap. I would rub olive oil into the scalp about an hour before their bath. let it soak in. Then in the bath when you wash their hair use a soft brush (better, if you left the hospital with one of those plastic soft brushes they clean them with at birth, those work great) to scrub the area a bit. Lots will come out in the tub and when you dry them off more of it will flake off. It takes a feew time but worked great for me, cleared their little heads right up. It was lucky for me as both my girls didnt get hair until quite late. Hope this helps.

Hi T.,
Cradle Cap can be really ugly! I am an independent representative for Arbonne, swiss pure, benefical skin care for the whole family. Arbonne carry's a baby line that I've given out as gifts. The wash is super for clearing up the cradle cap. Please send me an email for more information; ____@____.com so we may set a time to talk. I have plenty of discounts available too. I have just started a website, still under some construction: http://KarenWilkie.myarbonne.com.
Mom owned business, Mom to two sons, two daughter-in-laws and Grandmother to 4 wonderful children! I am truely blessed

Hi T.,

My daughter had cradle cap a little bit and I have a great product that worked to keep the skin mositurized without having to put a cream on it.
It is called Jojoba Oil, you can google it, but basically it is an oil that is very close to the oil our skin naturally produces, it is very moisturizing, but doesn't leave your skin feeling oily.
I use it on both my daughter 1 1/2 yrs old & my son 6.5 mos.
If you want more information about it let me know, and I can help you get the product as well.

Also, check your baby wash/shampoo and see if it has SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE or SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, these ingredients are a foaming agent that are really harsh for your babies skin, it dries out the skin too much. You want to be sure to use something that is going to moisturize the skin as well as cleanse :)

-A.

Hi T.! I don't know if you have heard of Arbonne, but it is a 27 year old company that sells premium botanically based products for babies all the way to old age. They have something that treats cradle cap and has been shown to give results within the first 3 days of use. I wish I had known about this when my three kids were babies. All the products have a 45 day money back guarantee and can be purchased through an independent consultant like me. Check out my website at www.mariathompson.myarbonne.com or you can email me at my personal email ____@____.com

Hi Tracey:
My daughter has Downs with a very challenging ezcema skin condition. I mention both of these because she has ultra sensitve and dry skin and "nothing" I tried on her skin worked! Until I found products by Arbonne. I exclusively use a botanical-based skin line that has a specific ABC Baby Line in it. I use this (WITH SUCCESS) on her precious skin! I loved this products so much for her,myself and my whole family that I rep these products. Let me know if you are interested in trying them. There's a guaranteed 45 day money back guarantee, no questions asked. You can email me directly at ____@____.com
Congrats on your little prince and princess!
xoRene

I have a couple of products that help and they are the safest out there on the market. They are from Arbonne - pure safe and beneficial products. They are botanically based made from natural resources. The results are amazing. I could swing some over if you need them let me know. You can look up more about them on ____@____.com. I promise you they really do work.

The cradle cap is not painful. It can only be irritating if you try to scrub or pick it off. My daughter had it 5 years ago, the Arbonne conditioning oil helped on her. However, my friend had great results with the baby line.

HI T.,

My 9 month old had really bad cradle crap and I used a baby wash and baby oil by Arbonne on it and it cleared up in two days.

I am an Independent Consultant for Arbonne so I have samples that you can have for free. It should clear up just by using the sample. If you want to contact me directly and give me your address I can put one in the mail or drop one off to you.

No pressure to buy...just use the sample. I know how frustrating cradle cap can be and I just want to help get it cleared up.

R.

____@____.com
###-###-####

Hi T.:

I have three beautiful girls and when my first was born we had the same thing. After taking her to the doctor three times (worried first time mom), I did my own research. I found that changing her sheets every day helped and also just a little "kids hydrocortizone cream" helped a lot. Just put a very small amount and should clear up within days. Make sure you are bathing him every day and washing anything he wears on his head every day too.

Sally

My daughter had it really bad as well and I found a great natural product at Whole Foods. Unfortunatley I can't remember the name but if you go to the baby section you will find it. We put it on and then used her baby comb and it worked like magic.

Good luck!

When my son was a baby he had cradle cap as well. They say it doesn't bother them - but I always imagined it would be itchy. I used to rub some oil on his head (I had been given some Bert's Bees apricot oil along with some other baby items - it smelled wonderful. I'm sure any baby oil would do.) and let it sit for while. Then I would gently brush his head with a very soft brush. I seemed to do the trick.

Kind of strange but, olive oil works. Once a day a little bit and it will clear up.

Try working in some olive oil or avocado oil about an hour before bath, comb through the cradle cap gently just before washing and then use a very mild baby soap to wash it all out. Cradle cap generally doesn't bother the baby as much s it bothers you!

Hi T., I'm a stay at home mother of two little ones and know for sure that the cradle cap doesn't hurt or bother the babies. Both of my children had it extensively with large greasy flakes. With my first, I went the "waiting" route and saw that the flakes slowly came off when we bathed her. It took awhile though. With my son, I thought I would try a product that a friend used. It worked and it worked really well! I believe I found it at Target and it had Winnie the Pooh on the front. A couple of baths later and the majority of the cradle cap was gone.

I had also heard of using regular cooking oil, baby oil, etc. but none of those worked for us.

The best thing for cradle cap is make a baking soda paste- use some baking soda and add just enough water to make a paste. When you give him his bath, simply rub a little of the paste on the areas where the cradle cap is- don't rub too hard. I usually make little circles. Do this each time you bathe him. It sometimes takes a few baths but it works and it's cheap (don't need to buy anything over the counter)and doesn't hurt his skin or hair.

I have been a hairstylist for 23 years. I have 3 kids and have used this technique with each of them. Good luck, T.

My 1st son was born with cradle cap. It wasn't bad at all, but enough to where you want to pick at the dry pieces all day. My docotor recommended to use Johnson & Johnson baby bath. You pour some on his head and either use your finger nails gently to scrub his head or a soft brush. THis will help get alot of the flakes off. Continue to do this everyday for 1 week. This helps tremendously. My son's cradle cap was gone after doing this for a little bit. It's safe and effective for your newborn. Hang in there........it won't last for too long. Hope this helps!

My daughter had the same thing and what her Ped. recommended was Head and Shoulders. We used a little bit on a wash cloth and rubbed it around and then used a soft brush to gently scrub around the shampoo into the really dry spots. It worked amazing. We did maybe two-three times and it was completely gone. Good luck!

I suggest using some baby oil (I like burts bees) and a small comb in the bathtub. Just rub some oil on and gently comb it out. Then wash the oil out with baby shampoo. It might take a couple different sessions. It worked for both my girls!

I am a children's hairstylist and I have seen lots of "Cradle Cap". I believe it's a combination of shampoo and natural scalp oils. Try not to put shampoo on child/baby's head. Put shampoo into your hands and wash the scalp and hair, then rinse well. Just like your hair dresser does you. I always tell my clients to get off all the crusts as I have seen severe cases where the crust led to eventual hair pulling out leaving little bald spots. The best way is to have baby in tub with shampoo in hair. Take a fine baby comb and lay it flat against the scalp and start moving side to side getting under the scales. Keep rinsing and combing the flakes out. If you want to "prime" the area the night before with oil, that works in severe cases where the build up is thicker. You should be able to clear the scalp the first bath. I think moms are "to gentle" with their babies scalps. I use a little soft plastic scrub brush from the hospital every bath to scrub the top where cradle cap occurs, from day one. It gets the oils off the babies head. Even baldies get the crusts! Good luck!

We used Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Care and it worked really well.

Hi T.- your doctor is right- it will go away. This is a good time of year to keep your baby in his cosy knitted caps, and that should handle both the problem of unsightliness, and over time, the problem itself, as the flakes will probably just fall off when the caps come off. But there's nothing wrong with anointing his princely head with some very gentle oil after his bath. In the meantime, happy baby to you!-R

Hi T.!

When my middle son was an infant he too had cradle cap... It's pretty gross, I know... Our pediatritian suggested T-gel from neutrogena and it worked wonderfully! It's much more gentle than head and shoulders, but it does have an icky smell to it.... It cleared up my son's cradle cap pretty quickly! Good luck!

gentle washing with a wash cloth during his bath and a little olive oil on his scalp

Hi T.~

Not to worry, besides the cosmetics, cradle cap is no big deal. It's just really flaky scalp which is common in most newborns. 2 things that will help are a nice gentle shampoo that is easy to rinse. And then occasionally apply a small amount of baby oil and comb through it to scrape at the cradle cap. It's quite messy but you'll be amazed at how much just lifts right up with the oil! Don't be afraid to scrape at it--it won't hurt, trust me! I recommend doing the oil treatment BEFORE washing.

I'm a distributor for Shaklee, a fabulous eco-friendly company that manufactures "Small Wonder" Shampoo & Baby Bath as well as "Small Wonder" Creamy Baby Oil. These products are gentle, pH correct, tear free, biodegradable and wonderful for protecting your baby's skin. Both products are regularly $7.95, but I'd be happy to extend my discount to you, which makes it just $6.75.

Congratulations on your little prince! Mine is almost 4 and my little princess just turned 1 on the 16th.

May a restfull night's sleep find you again soon!
Be well,
A.

My midwives had us use olive oil and it worked like a dream, just rub a few drops gently in. I'd bypass the creams and so on, it doesn't need "healing", it's just a little cosmetic thing that soon goes away. Good luck!

Cradle cap doesn't seem to bother babies, it's just yucky looking. You can put oil on his head which will soften it up so you can wipe some of it off with a washcloth, but you won't get it all. Considering that it's only bothering you, and the rubbing might bother him, I would try to just leave it alone. It's hard not to pick at it though, I know.

Oh, cradle cap can make a mom nuts but it does NOT hurt the baby at all!
How is your nutrition and are you still taking prenatals? At a good health food store you can get a probiotics called bifidus and maybe even one with a combo of probiotics in it. The one your baby needs through you is bifidus. Probiotics are the GOOD bacteria that support our immune systems and they need to be reinstated regularly. If a person has had antibiotics then they need probiotics all the more. Also after you give your little one a bath you can gently rub a little organic olive oil on the babies head and with one of those VERY soft baby brushes stroke the head. This will NOT get rid of the cradle cap but it will help the process. Hope this makes you feel better! Have a great day and don’t forget to breath ;-)

I bought the stuff BRU sells and it worked wonders!! I would put it on while I gave DD a bath and combed through her hair with a comb. Then I would shampoo as usual and it took care of it pretty quickly! I had a couple of occurrences of Cradle Cap and this stuff worked each time! My only complaint was the smell but you know what -- it would use it again to get rid of the flakes!

Many times cradle cap is a strong indicator of dairy intolerance. If you are exclusively nursing, then try eliminating milk products from your diet for two weeks. No milk, butter, yogurt, and check the ingredients list of foods you eat.

If you are bottle feeding, then be careful of formula based on cow's milk. Although there's not really a good alternative, as soy-based formulas are horrible, especially for little boys....they are full of phytoestrogens.

Anyway, I have seen great success with eliminating dairy. It worked for me as well with my second baby, plus it got rid of his painful colicky tummy pains.

As he got older he was able to tolerate small amounts of dairy, and I could eat it again, but I still don't drink milk. I can now eat cheese and butter though. But actually, I feel better not eating so much dairy too. I ate a TON before and I am not as congested now, plus my digestion is better.

I noticed after doing this that my older son (4yo) would get a crusty scalp after drinking a lot of milk. Even at his age! And my husband was having flakiness and dandruff too. When he stopped milk on his cereal, it went away!

So now, after being a dairy-loving family, we have discovered that we all feel and look better without it. Almond milk is good on cereal, Earth's Balance from Trader Joe's is an awesome butter sub. Unfortunately, there is no good substitute for cheese. But when I crave it, I think of my baby's crusty yellow, oozing scalp, and that helps me avoid it.

Hope that helps! Worth a try, can't hurt. I know many, many people with the same issue, and the cradle cap resolved after quitting dairy.

L. Hamilton
http://www.theportablebaby.com

Hi...
Cosmotologist and mother of five here...You must be gentle, but here is what I did...take a warm wet wash cloth and let it set for a minute or two on his scalp...then put a thick coat of conditioner on his head...let soak a minute or two...use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub his scalp...no pressure...and do this daily until its all gone...to maintain do once a week...just don't pick...or apply pressure to his soft spot...Good Luck...T.

Hi T.,
My son also had cradle cap when he was a baby - it was really bad! I used a really soft brush, when shampooing his hair and gently scrubbed his head. After about a week, it stopped coming back. When you have the shampoo in his hair, you can also use a comb to get the loose skin out. I hope this helps.
L.

A nurse told me (while bathing baby) to use a very soft tooth brush with a little bit of baby soap. Brush in a circular motion and rinse well. This worked really well with my daughter. Before I knew about the tooth brush, I used a very fine tooth comb (the baby ones) with my two sons, but the tooth brush seemed to work the best. Hope this helps!

Both my sons had cradle cap. My oldest, who is now 7, didn't have it as bad as my youngest, 1 yr. 5 months. With my oldest I used baby oil, massaged it, and then washed. It eventually went away. With my other son, they (3 doctors) said it was just cradle cap. So the advised me to do the same as I did with my oldest except to use mineral oil. It just seemed to get worse. So I brought him to my sisters boss who is a dermatologist and as soon as he saw him, he said that it was infected eczema. The doctor said that most other doctors say that it's most likely cradle cap, but when it was as bad as my baby's it was infected eczema. I felt so bad that I put my baby through the oil, massage, and wash all the time. He hated it. But it did go away after I visited the dermatologist.

rub olive oil on his scalp and let sit for 20 minutes. You can then use a soft baby brush to gentaly remove the scales. Sometimes it takes a few treatments. Both my kids had it bad, but it never seemed to bother them, only me.

Hello T., I hope i can help, Baby oil works very well for cradle cap and so does the baby oil gel. This is what i would suggest, it worked well for my son when he was a baby.

there are some great kits and shampoos at the drug store now. my doc said to use that little soft scrubber sponge they use at the hospital, one of those that they use to clean their hands i think.. but they use to get all the sticky stuff off in their first bath.. to use that to sluff off the dead skin.. it's just their body shedding the skin from being in womb. it gets better i promise! :)

HI ,
The only thing i used on cradle cap was baby oil.just put some baby oil on his head and do that through out the day and he should get rid of it..good luck..

Hi There,

Sorry if this is repetive- didn't have time to read other responses. This happened to my son as well and I used olive oil. Let it saturate for about 5 min. then take a soft brush and go around baby's head in circular motions. It tokk a couple times for us and it was gone. Hope this helps.
~D.

Hi T. ~
Before you give him a bath get some baby oil and put a good amount all over his head and let it soak in for about 10 minutes. Take a soft brush or baby comb and then just comb it through softly. When you give him a bath wash his hair good and again use a soft brush or comb with the shampoo as well then rinse. It might take a couple of times during bath time doing this but it definitely works. My son had a bit of cradle cap and my doctor suggested this and it worked. Good luck!
D.
PS
Yes, it can get a bit messy but it is worth it!

This one's easy. Get any kind of oil, I like olive oil, and put a generous amount on your kid's head. Rub it in. Let it sit for a while, maybe 1/2 hour to an hour. Massage his head some more. Then wash with shampoo a couple of times. This may take two or three times, but it really works!!

Try rubbing about 1-2 tablespoons (enough to saturate scalp and hair)of mineral oil all over his scalp and let it stay for about 15-30 min then shampoo with very mild baby shampoo and rub the flakes off with towel while rubbing to dry. Do not pick or scrape off flakes with your fingernail as that could cause an open wound that could get infected.Good Luck.

Hi T.!

My son too had a horrid case of cradle cap! I asked my pediatrician what I could do, and she gave me the best advice in the world! Olive oil!

So I would let him nap on his boppie so his head was on the big part like a pillow. Once he was asleep (and this is key because he probably won't let you do this otherwise) massage a liberal amount of olive oil into his hair and into the spots that are cradle cappy. Then use his baby comb and gently comb out what you can. I had to do this this over the course of about a week, because as I am sure you have noticed, some of it is really thick and stuck to their head. So you want to make sure to not pull it off and cause bleeding or scabbing. Plus if he woke up, game over.

But it did work, I would just rub the excess oil off his head with a towel and then when I washed his hair it would of course clean right up. He is now nearly 4 yrs old and has a beautiful head of hair. No scarring, and no scalp problems.

Good luck!

E., mother of nearly 4 yr old boy.

Try putting some tea tree oil into your baby shampoo. Use it until you see the flaking disappear, then just use it once in a while for management. It is a great antifungal, good for athlete's foot too. My twin daughters had horrible cradle cap and I let it go until it got so bad I couldn't stand it and they were super itchy. The tea tree oil did the trick. Don't use head and shoulders (or if you do only use it once a week as it is toxic). The tea tree oil has a strong scent so keep it away from the face as much as possible. Good luck.

Hello T.,

My daughter had very bad cradle cap, and I tried a lot of things, but in the end what worked for me was massaging untoasted sesame oil into her scalp to loosen up the cradle cap, and then comb it out. It took a number of times for me to get rid of it all, I had to work on one small patch at a time( because she was so wiggly) Afrte that, then the maintenance of massaging the oil in before bath. The sesame oil is very good for the skin and is completly natural. L.

Dear T., We used a soft toothbrush with Johnson's baby shampoo and warm water and slowly brushed the flakes off my daughter's head. It took a few times to clean it all, and she lost a little bit of hair with it. Some have recommended olive oil to moisturize the dry parts. Happy to say, cradle cap is not a chronic issue, and does stop at some point. Our GI doctor told us it is a symptom of some kind of allergic response.
K.

My 3 mo old little girl had it. About 30 mins before his bath put olive oil or baby oil on his head and let it set. Then give him a bath and wash his hair with baby shampoo. When the shampoo is in use a soft brush on it and that will help it a lot. Won't completely get rid of it, that comes with time but it will get a lot of the ucky flakes off. :) This advice was from my little girl's ped.

I use to put baby oil on my son's head and lightly scrub it with a clean toothbrush. After doing this two times over a three day period it was completely gone!

You may want to try Johnson & Johnson baby oil. Just put some on a cotton ball and gently rub it on his head to take out the dry patches. Some may come out and some may not. Don't rub too hard or force it to come out.
Hope this helps!

There's no need to use any products. I tried the waiting route, and all the oils, which seemed to just cement the cradle cap even further on my daughter's head. It became this thick dried crust all over the top of her head. Finally my pediatrician got a chance to see it and told us to just scrape it off -- she demonstrated by scraping with her fingernails. We'd been so exceedingly gentle with her, since we were new parents, so it was a bit shocking to see her do that. But we realized that scraping it off didn't hurt her at all (it was all dried up and came off in chunks). So I started to pick away at it each time she nursed, either with my fingernails or a brush or comb, and before long it was all gone for good.

T.,
Baby Oil will help remove the cradle cap...put the oil on a cottonball and gently it will come off. It's natural for babies to get cradle cap.
Pat

Hi Iam a mother of 4 the oldest is 27 now and the youngest is 13 ,I have delt with this also when my kids were babys the best thing that worked and this was per my kids dr , get a soft baby hair brush and when you bath him scrub his head with it (dont push hard and go in a cirular pattern)you can use a Small amount of mild soap this will clean and lossen any flakes. Make sure if you us soap get it all out and then towel dry his head fully

Gentle Natures has a wonderful wash for cradle cap and while the soap is in his hair use a soft baby brush and gently rub his head to loosen the flakes. That is what the doctor had me do when my boy had it and it worked.

my advice is to put baby oil on it and it will loosen it up. my son had it and that's what i did and it work. Try not to pull on it but put oil on it and massage it in there and it will loosens up then you can gently remove it.

My daughter had cradle cap and her doctor told me to wash her hair with a dime size dose of Selsun Blue dandruff shampoo. I treated her hair with it every five days or so and it cleared up in about three weeks. Remember, it's not tear free, so be careful not to get it in his eyes. Moisturize the scalp with baby oil once hair is thorougly dried.

Hi,
Cradle cap is such a bummer. This advice from my doctor really worked for my son. She said to rub in olive oil, or an olive oil based baby oil, onto his scalp and massage in very well. Do this at night and in the morning use a baby brush or your fingers to rub off the cradle cap. The oil sort of works itself in and then everything sort of rolls off in pieces. Hope this helps.

You can rub some nice thick oil into his head at night before sleep. I like coconut oil best. And in the morning you can actually comb out pieces of the cradle cap, this is somewhat dependant on how much hair he has too. The more hair he has the more easily you will be able to comb it out. Otherwise just thoroughly rubbing the oil into his head will help as well.
Hope this helps.

J.
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com

I hated cradle cap, too. My older son got at a bit later than most, closer to 10 months or so. I found this GREAT product that I swear by. It's made by Mustela & it's their infant shampoo. It's great cuz there's one step, wash their hair w/it! And it's quick! The cradle cap was gone w/in about 8 days! Other products have 2 steps &/or messy stuff invovled or take longer to get rid of the flakey stuff. The Mustela is a bit pricey but it lasts a long time. I swear that shampoo lasted us a year! It's a foam shampoo & all you need is a couple of pumps cuz little goes a long way. I know Nordtroms carries it as do smaller baby stores & some Babie's R Us sell it, too. Hope this helps & good luck!

Right before a bath, i would put a little olive oil on my son's scalp and then gently comb his hair with a baby comb while nursing him. He's a year old now, and it's all gone. But that worked wonderfully.

Looks like you've gotten some good advice. I used the method of oiling my son's head and then ex foliating it gently with a washcloth. Definitely do something about it though. I wasn't too worried about it until my son learned to use his hands and then he started scratching his head all the time, it was so sad and pathetic!

i have been dealing with this with my daughter since she was six months old. it doesn't seem to hurt her, but she sure itches it alot! i found that at bath time if i just massage her head with a little olive oil, run a comb over her head and hair to loosen it up and then wash thouroughly...that does the trick. she doesn't wseem to mind it too bad either. good luck, wish i could tell you more

hi, try not to pick at it, I did that and left a little red patch on my baby's head, it did heal and hair eventually covered it up, but what worked for me was rubbing some olive oil on the spot and letting it rest for 15 minutes and then washing it out with shampoo in the bath, it took a few times of this treatment, over a week, to get it to heal some stubborn spots, but it works
good luck

Try using baby oil on his head and gently pick it out!

Olive oil rubbed on the scalp works well. Then take a soft comb or tooth brush and brush it off. Cradle cap is a fungus that the baby hasn't yet learned how to fight. He will eventually.
Good luck.

My mom has been a pediatric nurse for 35 years, and she said just rub some baby oil on the scalp, let absorb, and then bath the baby as usual. Make sure to use a washcloth on the baby's head to wash off the oil and stimulate the circulation. Then, make sure every day to brush the baby's hair (or head if he doesn't have any) with a soft bristle brush. The brushing also stimulates the circulation, and it brushes away the dead skin cells that accumulate to cause cradle cap. At this age, the baby's cells regenerate at a very fast rate, causing a lot of dead skin to build up. If it builds up on the head, it clogs the follicles, oil builds up and then the oil and dead skin cells combine to form the crust we call cradle cap. My mom also told me to rub a few drops of baby oil on my daughter's scalp after each bath as well, but I only did that every other bath. My daughter had just a tiny patch of cradle cap, and following mom's advice, it went away quickly and never came back. Good luck!

Don't be afraid to take a baby comb to his little head. First rub baby massage oil on his scalp, then take the comb and gently scrape the skin up all over and then wash his scalp with some baby shampoo. After a couple of attempt it will be all gone. Don't be ashamed or afraid, just go for it. K.

I have not tried this yet, but someone at church told me that she would take the little soft hairbrushes for babies and use that to shampoo/massage her babies head. She said it worked great to help get rid of the cradle cap.

Hi T.,
Our son had the same thing, and our doctor said we could use head and shoulders shampoo; just be careful not to get it in his eyes. It cleared things up in about a week.

California Baby Calendula Cream is great for this. Put it on before a bath, let it sit for a few minutes, take a soft brush and massage it in, and then wash baby's hair (you'll probably have to wash it 2x to get the lotion out). You can do the same with calendula oil or even olive oil. Make sure they are organic.

Hi T.,
I think the worse part about cradle cap is how it looks. As far as I know, its much harder on the parents than it is on the baby. I'm pretty sure its a painless condition.

My son had moderate cradle cap - I definitely saw worse on other babies. One thing I did which helped some and my son seemed to like, is to mix one tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil with a couple of drops or essential oil of lavender. I rubbed that into his scalp (that's the part he seemed to enjoy the most) and let it stay there for at least 4 hours. Then I shampooed his head/hair (with Dr. Bonner's extra mild soap). It didn't make it go completely away, but nothing will, except time. It just your hormones and the baby's hormones dong their natural thing.

Good luck!
-L.

Greetings! Both my babies had cradle cap at that age, and what worked was to scrub the affected areas with baby oil using a Q-tip. The scabs will slough off gently and become sticky clumps you can pull off.

Then was the baby's hair well with soap. It may take awhile to get the grease out if they have hair, but it works beautifully.

Best of luck!

H.

I used a little olive oil ( enough to cover the patches but not as much as would run down their faces) and rubbed it gently onto my kids heads every evening after bathtime. I didn't use soap or shampoo for the first three days so that the oil could do its work. Eventually the dry patched soften and come off and the skin underneath is healthy.

Try rubbing a little vitamin e oil or calendula oil on his head. Don't pick at it, it will most likely go away. Does he have any allergies? Sometimes allergies make themselves known as cradle cap.
K.

Hi,
California Baby products, particularly the Tee Tree & Lavendar bath and shampoo worked the best for DS when he was little. They have a website, but I used to purchase it at a children's consignment store in Oakland called Crackerjacks, now I buy it by the half-gallon online (Amazon may have as well). California Baby is all organic, does not use sodium lauryl sulfate (very harsh chemical found in all types of baby products and soaps) and smells nice. Lavendar scent is supposed to be healing and relaxing, by my son just says it "smells good." Cradle cap can take a few days to a week to remedy, and the stuff works wonders. Good Luck.

Hi, I have been caring for babies for 35 years. Cradle cap is dry dead skin that has not fallen off the surface because the area has not been stimulated. Any cream or shampoo and cream rinse or baby oil will work. The trick is to brush or scrub with wash cloth gently to get rid of the dead skin. Grown men get this in their mustaches for the same reason. After the flakes are removed keep the skin moisturized with a good cream or cream rinse just as you would your own hair. Good luck, the skin may be raw and tender for a day or two. Babies get dry patches around their noses and eyes and behind their ears sometimes because new moms are afraid to wash them there.

If you are still having trouble with this...

I would use a fine-tooth comb, like those little black ones men used to use, and I would hold it at a slight angle and sort of brush my daughter's head in little circles. I would do this after her bath - let the shampoo sit there for a few minutes to soften the patches up. The good thing is the fine comb will also help get the "ickies" out of her freshly washed hair after loosening the patches. Hope that helps!

Vaseline - it adds moisture; there is a vaseline gel that works really great

Are you nursing? If so, take some Omega3 Fatty Acids. It will help you, too. Your doctor is right, the cradle cap will work itself out. It's only bothering you, not the baby. I put baby oil on it when my son had it. It seemed to "calm" it down a bit.

My son developed that when he was a baby and I found that brushing would lift and remove it from his scalp. I talked with his doctor who told me that that was fine to do so long as I wasn't brushing so hard as to lift up some that was not yet reading to be removed. That would cause bleeding. I used the every day brush that usually comes in the baby kits. It's definitely not appealing to look at, but the constant brushing will help it to go away soon. Don't load him up with oils and such as that will dry and cause more. Good luck.

he was born on my birthday!!! yeah! my ped suggested after i washed their hair to brush it gently with a soft bristle baby hair brush. it does go away on it's own, but i think the blood circulating at the scalp helped.

They sale cradle cap kits just for babies. What I did, was a old mothers remedy. In the bath I got his hair wet put baby oil in and used a babysoft brush to get the dead skin off, then I wash it out. The baby oil moisturized it and it went away within a week.

Two words - OLIVE OIL. Rub it into his scalp and leave on overnight until a bath the next morning, or rub it on in the morning and leave it until bath that evening. My mom suggested we do this and I thought she was nuts, then my doctor said she was right.... so we tried it and lo and behold - it worked! There really is some truth in those "old wives tales."

Hi T.,

When you give him a bath, try putting some baby oil on his scalp and gently rub it w/a warm washcloth. It will help get some of the flakes off and then you can wash his hair as usual. I hope this helps.

Patty

both of my kids had cradle cap. my son had it really bad. i used gerber's cradle cap kit that i bought at rite aid for about ten dollars and it worked great. sometimes the cradle cap will come back so you just have to repeat it a few times before it completely clears up.

baby oil and a baby comb helps. If your baby has it on his forehead aquaphore ointment works great!

When my son had cradle cap the pedi. told me to use Selsun Blue shampoo a couple of times and it would get rid of it--he was exactly right. I used it only once and it was gone!!

I have a twelve week old daughter. The nurse at the hospital said if she started to get cradle cap just use the soft brush they give you at the hospital and gently scrub her head every day with baby shampoo. We use the Grins and Giggles Oatmeal baby wash and her cradle cap never got very bad because as soon as it started we would do that and it would go away. I hope this helps.

D.

i have a little one with cradle cap, as well, and we recently discovered a product that works very well. it's by mustela and is called "stelaker," i believe. it's a cream that you just rub in and the cradle cap had been dissapearing. hope that helps!

I purchased a large snoopy baby brush (soft bristles. At every bath I would scrub her head with it using baby wash. My hubby was worried it might hurt her, it didn't hurt her at all!!! As a matter of fact she loved it! Anyway, I did it with both my girls and NEVER had any cradle cap. Might be worth a try but yo7u have to scrub with a little pressure, your baby will not break!!!!

Baby oil....my son got that and i looked in Dr Spock ...that was the only book around when my M. was raising kids and sure enough it worked wonders.

Hi T.!

I see that you've received some fabulous, useful advice from so many mamas out there. All very good advice, but I would like to share with you the difference with using standard baby oil, which is pure mineral oil & with using a healthful oil, like olive oil or something similar. After all, our skin is our largest organ.

Mineral oil based products (like Johnson's Baby Oil) have been used forever & it's just what most people use as a remedy for cradle cap. But mineral oil is a petro chemical & known carcinogenic. Not to totally freak you out, but I always encourage everyone to avoid petroleum based products. The molecules in mineral oil are too large to completely absorb into your baby's pores, so it does a great job of coating, but not fixing the issue. Mineral Oil literally inhibits the micro-circulation of our skin, which means that not all the good stuff can absorb into our skin & not all the toxins can be released, thus clogged pores & having to use alot of product to get the job done. Mineral oil is the liquid version of petroleum jelly.

I recommend to all my new moms that they pick up some apricot oil in the natural foods section at the grocery store. Spectrum Naturals is a great brand & all their oils are cold pressed, no preservatives. You can pay more for Burt's Bee's baby oil, which also apricot oil but with preservatives added & quadruple the price. For a 4oz bottle you might invest $7 or $8 dollars in the cooking section. You can use the oil as a full body baby moisturizer. It soaks in very quick since it doesnt contain any waxes/additives. AND the apricot oil also makes a FAB nightime facial moisturizer for maturing/sensitive skin.

For the cradle cap, you'd use the apricot oil in the same manner as everyone has suggested. A little extra never hurts & wash out if needed afterwards to avoid the high-pro-glow!

Hi T.,

My daughter had cradle cap when she was a newborn too; She is in her 20's now (so my advice might me outdated, but it worked). The doctor had me get a mild soap (ie Johnsons baby shampoo and even enema soap). I took a little shampoo and gentle brushed the spots with a toothbrush. It can be stubborn to come off, but the shampoo helps loosen it. Don't brush too hard.

Be sure not to get it in his eyes when you rinse off the suds. Hope that helps.

My neice had really bad cradle cap, luckly my mom is a cosmetologist, so she new exactly waht to do. . .First cleanse the scalp with either paul mitchell Tea Tree shampoo or Nioxin Shampoo (massage gently and leave sit for a minute or two to really clean and moisturize the scalp). . .then apply a light moisturizer. . .something that is natural ad doesnt contain fragrance or anything else that can irritate the skin. . .

If you still have the little hair brush they give you at the hospital, wet his head and put a little baby shampoo, then massage it gently with the hair brush. Rinse off and pat dry then apply a little bit of baby oil. It will go away but try not to pick at it. My daughter had the same thing.

With my son, I use vaseline applying every day 2-3 hours before bathing. Vaseline will soften it so that it comes out easily after you shampoo your son. It works very well for me.

Our pediatrician actaully recommended washing his hair with head and shoulders because the scalp is very dry and the head n shoulders help condition the flakes. If you still have the little brush from the hospital use this to gently brush through his scalp to reduce the flakes.

Please keep in mind I don't know who bad it is so maybe you can ask your peditrician about this. I have also seen baby conditioners at Target and Walmart for cradle cap. You can look into this as well.

When my babies had cradle cap, I would put a little baby oil on the head before bath time. Then at the end, when I washed the hair, some would come off. I know it's gross, isn't it?

My son had terrible cradle cap, too. I found a "Cradle Cap Kit" by Johnson's for about $10 and it worked great. Our Dr told us actually NOT to leave it alone, but to use a dandruff shampoo like Selsun Blue. (Do NOT use Selsun Blue on your baby even if your dr says to~ P U!! He smelled like an old man!) The kit has a special oil you rub in, then comb out the flakes. Then you rinse w/ the enclosed shampoo and finally, you rub in a special cream to help prevent further flakes. It took about a month, but his cradle cap went away w/ this product. I think wearing hats can make it worse, so you might want to avoid that. I found the kit at Long's.

T.,
My son had the same thing. It was really flaky and looked awful. What I did was take a really soft brush and made circular motions with it on his head and brushed a lot of it off. It didn't harm my son at all!! I would stay away from any creams because it will clear up on its own. I actually got this advice from a girlfriend of mine who's husband is a doctor. So, I took her advice since her kids went through the same thing.
Just make sure that you don't press down too hard and it will come up.
Hope this helps.
T. G.

My daughter had cradle cap and her pediatrician told me to put baby oil on right before going to bed and in the morning wash with head and shoulders. Seemed to work pretty well for me!

My son had cradle cap till he was almost 1 year old! Yup! It usually lasts that long! One of my girlfriends who is a pediatric nurse told me to use mineral oil which I dabbed on his head with a cotton ball after every bath and combed(very fine tooth-for babies)his head to get rid of the flakes. Luckily my soon had a head full of hair, so you could barely see it unless you really look. Plus with the oil, it made him, look like he had gel on his hair all the time! Use a very mild shampoo also so as not to irritate the skin on his head. I used Aquaphor baby shampoo. It gets very tedious after a while, but it will eventually go away.

My son had that as a baby and I understand how you feel. My doc back then said get a fine tooth comb and put a wee bit of baby shampoo on scald and gently comb out dailey and make sure hair or scalp has no shampoo on it. Now they have teatree soap try that . ____@____.com

Hello T.,

You need to get some baby oil and rub in on his head. It will help to loosen the
cradle cap. Then get a fine comb and gentley brush up to loosen the crust from the
scalp. Then you will need to wash his hair probably a couple times. This really does help
I had the same problem with both my girls, but it was quite that bad. This way you
can pick it off his scalp and it won't hurt him.

Good Luck

T.

my son had really bad cradle cap and my stylist recommeded i use paul mitchells tea tree shampoo. i used a very small amount less than dime sized twice and it never came back. i let it sit a few minutes and massasged his head with a baby brush. you have to be very careful not to get any around your babys face because its not tear free. then just rinse it off with warm water. dont let it sit too long because it does tingle! good luck.

My youngest had this and I'd rub a little baby oil on it to keep it moist. His lasted about a month. Don't stress it.

My son had one not real bad but he did. I just kept giving him baths,and would massage his head with my fingers. Use baby shampoo. An, idea. Burt Bees, makes a conditioner with soy. SPD sells it in Nevada City, but I'm sure they carry it everywhere. It takes a little time, but it'll go away....Hope it helps.

My three year old had a bad case too. He was about 3 months and I was going crazy using different remedies but none worked. Finally, I met a dermatologies for a different condition my son had and she recommended Neutrogena T/Gel. And withen a couple of days POOF it was gone. Use a soft comb while the shampoo is on the scalp and brush softly. Your baby will lose a bit of hair but the out come is wonderful, no cradle cap in a few days. I also used it on my 1 year old when he was 5 months. I live in concord, ca and still have a full bottle if you'd like to have some.

Hey T.,

When my son's had cradle cap, I used babyoil on his head and took his baby brush and brushed his hair and it comes off really easy. Keep doing this everytime you give him a bath. After you apply it wash his hair!! I hope this works for you it did for me!

My daughter had lots of cradle cap too. I used Mustela Foam Shampoo for Newborns and used a toothbrush to brush her scalp in the bath. It cleared up and never came back (I still use the shampoo). The shampoo really works!

Both of my children had this. The best thing that worked for us was baby oil. When my children were sleeping (preferably in my arms) I would put a little baby oil on their head and lightly rub my fingers in a circular motion. Once the dry skin would come loose, I would wipe their heads with a warm wet cloth.

Hope this works!

i've heard olive oil works well - at least it's natural!

My son had it too -- it wasnt the worst case of cradle cap, but you can definitely see it! I did use any creams, oils or special shampoos....i just washed his hair normally with a lil brush and just let it work its way out naturally. it took about a full month for it to go away by itself.

Hi T.-
I have a 17 month old and when she was a few months old she also got a horrible case of cradle cap. The shampoo they have works a little to help moisturize the dry spots, but doesn't really remove them. I used a brush and just rubbed the spots every so often(during feedings). I understand your frustration I found myself also wanting to just pick each piece out. It will pass although it doesn't seem fast enough it will go away soon. I think my daughters only lasted a month or so. I do not think they can feel it, if anything it may be itchy! Try using baby oil at night and when your at home or a thin lotion like Eucerin. It seemed to really help for my little one. Good luck! JT

T.,
My son also had cradle Cap and had it for almost three months! The only thing that really worked was baby oil in his hair and a soft comb and I worked on it every day for a week.. It was so nasty and he would scratch at his head then get cuts all over his head... Happy to say my son is now 17 years old and hasnt had a single relapse! ( I do have pics of him and we laugh at it now!) Good luck , you ll be alright!

Hello tracy. Our 4 year old had the same problem..

You name it . We put it on his head. Someone told my husband to shve his head.. He did . And guess what, it worked...

the best thing for cradle cap is baby oil. My son had dry skin also, and that is what I was told. Check out google, and type the word cradle cap and see what information it provides you. It can tell you how to fix it.

Both of my babies had cradle cap also! What worked best for us was a suggestion from our doctor. We would rub the cradle cap areas with baby oil and let it sit for a bit and then give them their bath. Gently massage the area and some of the patches will lift. A fine tooth baby comb can help remove the bits left in the hair. The cradle cap never seemed to be painful for either of my kids. Good Luck! A.

Hi, i'm a mother of 4 and experienced cradle cap many times. I used baby oil and a fine comb that seemed to work for me. Dont worry so much over the small stuff, just love that baby and your daughter as much as possible they seem to grow up way too fast!! God bless and good luck!

Hi,
your doctor is probably right. But have you tried just olive oil and a lice comb? You put olive oil on the head, wait for half an hour to let ut it soak up and then comb it. It will come off!
That used to work great for my kids, skip the creams, they just get allergic to them.

My son had really bad cradle cap too. It does go away eventually (he is now 10 months and it has cleared up). I put olive oil on his head and then placed a snug hat on his head (all day or overnight). It softens up the cradle cap so you can then take a soft bristle brush (special baby version sold at Babies r us)and gently scrub his head. This will help to remove some of the cradle cap. You can repeat this as much as you want. It worked to clear it up for my son (some would come back, but then I would just repeat the process). Good luck!

Both of my sons had cradle cap, and this is what I did to help it look better. I bought a soft bristle baby brush and baby oil. Put the oil on their scalp and gently rub it with the brush. The flakes come right up, and then you can wash it out in the bath. There are also lotions you can by specifically for cradle cap, but baby oil worked just as well for me.

You can massage his scalp with baby oil (just put a small amount directly on the area you are going to massage) and it will gently loosen the dry skin - my Mom did this with my daughter and within a few weeks the cradle cap was just about gone!

Head and shoulders works great, but you just have to make sure you don't get it in their eyes. Another option is to use baby shampoo and scrub with a soft brush.

If you are breastfeeding, I have heard that breast milk will soften the cradle cap so it can be easily removed. I hope this helps. Enjoy every minute, they grow too fast.

just try some baby oil, the oil will soak thru and you will be able to brush it out of the hair, just don't pick at the places that isn't loose. You know the oil loosens just about anything. Chances are it isn't painful, it is just crusty skin, they oil should work fairly quick with out spending money on creams.

My Daughter had horribale ceaddle cap. I warmed some Olive oil and mixed it with a few drops of Tea Tree Oil rubbed it into her scalp to soften it and then with a fine tooth comb just combed it out. Then washed her hair to get oil out and any left over flakes.

Hi T.,
My son also had cradle cap and I talked to his pediatrician about it. He suggested I put some baby oil on his head, wait about 10-20 minutes and then give him a bath & wash his hair. Keep doing that every time you bathe your baby. My son's head is almost cradle cap free! I hope this helps you.

When my son had cradle cap I would put olive oil on his head and let it set for 20 minutes than I would wash his hair and run a baby brush through his hair afterwards. It is messy, but it worked great!!