17 Month Old with Dry Scalp

Both my kids have/had it. I rubbed a little baby oil on and let it soak in, then combed it off with a fine tooth comb. It worked great....except I had a little trouble getting the oil out of my daughter's hair because it's fairly long. I ended up using just a couple drops of Dawn dishsoap to get it out in the bath. Works great. Good luck!

Coconut oil will work great. Just message his scalp with it then leave in for at least 30 mins then wash out. I use it on my children instead of lotion because I dont have to worry about if lick their fingers. Or if I put it in their bath water, I dont have to worry about them getting it in their mouth.

i would try some Beautifying oil from Aveda. It's also great for eczema and other rashes.

Try rubbing olive oil in the hair just before the bath and rub it not super hard but more rough to break up some of the dry skin. Then wash his hair with regular shampoo (I prefer the baby magic) and it may take a couple of washes to get the olive oil out. Then when you brush the hair be sure to brush it with a stiffer brush. It may take a few times like this but it works.

Well I used a little conditioner and found out "NOT" to use baby shampoos by her peds doc. When the kids had cradlecap we used to brush before washing with a little oil then brush more often we usually don't style and stimulate the hair much when young.
Once when my girlfriend's son had it really bad we sprayed a little Pam on his head we'll it went great except for the fact it was butter flavored and he smelled like a fesh bowl of popcorn! She later tried a moisturizer but brushed it in, she said hers was worse during the season change.

J. ; yes my second child had this, i could not get the large flakes out of his little hair, but the dr said get a small scrub brush and when you shampoo use that on his head, of course be gentle, more like a small kitchen brush, type thing , that you can use to scrub his scalp with, that child is now a teen and he still has some flaking issues, but he still scrubs his scalp and it tends to work , of course too there are moisturizers you can put on him like maybe lotion too, but rub it into the scalp and not the hair, but hard to do, any way , do your best, and dont fret over it, of course like anything if it worsens, contact your dr, have a great day and hope it helps, enjoy life and your baby , D. s

I don't really have much help for you. Except my 2 1/2 year old has cradle cap on her head? I am not too sure. But it is very dry all over and the top has very thick scaly patches. She didn't have it as a baby so I find it odd she has it now. But I too am going to read your responses for advice. Hope you figure it out.

Hi, J.. I agree with the responses about going natural. More older kids had a problem with it when they were younger, but we use Arbonne products now and none of my kids have a problem anymore. Also, if you have trouble with the fish oil, flaxseed oil is a great idea, too. I noticed a big difference in how soft my kids' skin is after having them take a supplement. Let me know if you'd like any more info!

N.

I don't actually have any advice - I was more interested in reading others responses. My dad and sister have psoriasis and I think my youngest does too. Never had cradle cap but around 12-18 months developed a dry patch on his head. Sometimes it just seems dry and sometimes it seems like something more. I think several of the suggestions below might help for psoriasis as well so I am going to "steal" them. :D

Our son had this problem with dry scalp throughout his younger years. We found out that he was allergic to wheat germ which you can find in almost every shampoo. I would literally have to scrub his head just to get the dead skin off. Now we just use Melaleuca's shampoos, soaps, ect.

J.

Hi J.~

Have you considered giving your little one omega-3's? It could be that there little body is not producing enough oils. I know of a really good one that might interest you.

Do you think that the shampoo that you are using for their scalp is too drying? Many of them out there are.

Just a few thoughts~
A.

Hi J.! Have you ever tried fish oils? Nordic Naturals makes a kids chewable that is strawberry flavored. I tend to have a dry scalp and when I finally remember to take my fish oils then it goes back to normal!
You can buy Nordic Naturals online. They are really good quality and are good for everyone!

Hi J.! I'm going through a simliar thing with my 17-month-old. She had cradle cap when she was a baby, but this isn't the same as those yellow patchy spots. Now it's just dry skin. Our doctor told me to leave it alone and let the natural oils take care of it, or use cordizone cream if it becomes too itchy. However, when I just leave it alone, it itches her so bad that her scalp will bleed and I really don't like using cordizone on her. Just recently I have been putting Burts Bees baby oil on her scalp about twice a week during bath time, let it soak in, and then shampoo it out. I also started using Burts Bees shampoo and for whatever odd reason, her scalp actually seems to be doing better. I've tried Head and Shoulders, along with other dandruff shampoos, Arbonne, and California Baby and they didn't do anything for her. I've also tried putting Eucerin on her scalp and that was just a mess! Let me know if you find anything that works!! :)

My son had "cradle cap" until he was about 2 1/2. I tried everything to get rid of it. The only thing that finally worked was changing shampoo to an all natural one...one that didn't have SLS (Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate). That chemical seemed to really affect him. I use Burts Bees and haven't had a problem since. Good Luck!

When you wash your child head, use a soft bristle toothbrush on his scalp. It worked WONDERS on my child's cradlecap. This came as recommendation from my pediatrician. Even a soft baby brush works well.

17 mo olds can still have cradlecap. My son did after 1 yr. If it's dark in color and is flaking off, it probably is. You can use a toothbrush to brush it off when he's in the bath. I use baby oil on my baby to help moisturize the scalp while I use the toothbrush on her head. Some people say to use baking soda & water with the toothbrush.

My son had flaky skin on top of his head too. My doctor said to use a mild shampoo designed for dry skin (like head and shoulders. I bought the Equate brand from Walmart) He told me shampoo like Baby Magic or other baby shampoos can be too drying.
He also said to put a little bit of baby oil on his head first and gently comb over the dry area to get the flaky skin loosened up before washing his hair. It has worked very well and the shampoo doesn't seem to irritate my son at all.
HTH,
A.

My daugher developed ridiculous dandruff at that age too and it turned out to be a mild milk allergy. Plus it's aggrevated by dry weather. My ped. suggested Selsun Blue for her scalp - it did the trick!

My 4 year old had cradlecap until we tried mineral oil and a fine tooth comb. It's finally gone!

A nurse told us to brush their hair everyday with a
soft baby brush to help prevent cradlecap.