2 Month Old with Really Dry Forehead

T.,

When my son was an infant he used to get red spots on his face. The doctor recommended Cutemol which you can get at the Pharmacy counter at Walgreens or Target and it worked like a dream. It doesn't require a prescription. It's also great for adult dry skin!

A.

A little about me: Work from home office Mom of a 4 yr old son and a 11 mo old daughter

Renew lotion from Melaleuca is really good for dry skin/eczema, and is safe for babies. It's good for diaper rash, too. Please let me know if you'd like to know how to order. K.

My 2-month old had the worst cradle cap and exema on top of it that came down onto her cheeks and chest. I tried everything including olive oil, coconut oil, Aquaphor and Cortaid. Nothing helped at all. Then I got Mustela Stelatopia cleansing water and moisturizer. Her skin was ompletely clear in 2 days!!! It is quite expensive, so I would suggest trying the other methods first. But if those don't work, definitely give Mustela a try!!

Aquaphor works well, but it DOES contain petroleum jelly (that's what petrolatum is) and mineral oil (liquid petroleum). If you want to try something natural, try California Baby Calendula Cream - it worked wonders on my baby's dry forehead. You can get it at Target, Whole Foods or directly from California Baby.

The daily cleansing might be making the problem worse. Most soaps tend to dry the skin.

You could try massaging the forehead and scalp with a little bit of baby oil or even olive oil (yeah I know that sounds a little gross, but it is completely safe and fine for the baby's skin). The oil may loosen up some of the flakes so they can be removed. Following up with a moisturizing lotion can also help.

I second the Aquaphor suggestion. I have been putting it on my baby's forehead, arms and legs since she was about 4 weeks old and she's 15 months. Our dr. told us she has Excema.

Check the ingredients of the product(s) you are using. Certain ingredients will actually further irritate the skin and not even get absorbed it. Our skin is an organ, it needs to breathe and products need to penetrate. There are certain ingredients that do not allow for that penetration. If you want a sample of a baby line that worked for my kids and thus ultimately led to my representing the line, let me know with an email response www.nancyhoagland.myarbonne.com

All the best, N.

Try Aquaphor. It worked on my son, and it has no petroleum.

Hi. I know this is a little late, but I didn't see anyone suggest it...My son had eczema on his face, legs and arms. His face was dry since he was born. The wonder lotion that worked with him was Mustela's Stelatopia Moisturizing Cream (for eczema-prone skin). They have a line of dermo-pediatric products so they are made for babies. We tried other lotions, but this one was fabulous. You can get from Babies R Us. http://www.mustelausa.com/stelatopia.html

Olive oil should work really well, just rub some in a few times a day. My son had a really dry scalp and that is what our ped recommended and it worked in a few days...... most lotions, even baby lotions, have lots of chemicals that can be drying... if you must use lotion, use a natural one (burt's bee, california baby, etc..)

If you are breastfeeding, you can try to take Cod Liver Oil, or some other healthful oils (olive oil) yourself. Your baby may need more oils internally to keep the skin in check. If you are bottle feeding, the baby can also take cod liver oil, or olive oil in small doses (you'd have to google the dosing). This used to be a remedy used by Adelle Davis in the 70s, and both my mom and mother-in law swore by it.

My daughter has dry skin and I use Aquaphor it is made by Eucerin. It has no perfume in it so it should be ok for the baby. I hope this helps becaue it helps my daughter.

Hi T.,

I just wanted to add one thing that no one mentioned--just wait! I know it seems like forever when your baby is going through it, but trust me you'll look back on this and hardly remember that it happened. We had the same thing on our daughter's forehead, and the vaseline really did help the symptoms, but really in the end it was just something she had to outgrow. Her face skin was a mess for the first 4-5 months of life or so, then all of a sudden it cleared up and she's now almost a year old and still has that perfect baby skin! Good luck.

Have you tried Aquaphore? The stuff works great on the worst dry skin.

Our son had really dry forehead and cheeks, which was associated with eczema. I laid off the soap, which I had been using every other day on his cheeks, and his cheeks cleared up. We also stopped washing his hair with shampoo. He did have bad eczema elsewhere that wasn't the result of soaps (he is allergic to eggs), but stopping all soap use definitely helped. We also put a good quality lotion all over his body 2x a day. He's 21 months and we do use soap and shampoo on him maybe once a week and his skin can handle it now.

Looks like you already got a lot of helpful repsonses! My son also had this from about 2-4 months old. I would clean his forhead with water and a washcloth (gently, so as not to irritate it) and then put Eucerin Aquaphor on. It really helped! Good luck!

This is what I did...at 2 mths, her face isn't really dirty so just clean her neck and 'spot clean' her mouth with a wipe or warm baby washcloth. Follow that with Aquaphor, you don't need a lot. The babies natural oils from not having a bath is good for their skin. My son was born with flaky, dry skin on his extremities and what worked for us was no baths and Aquaphor. We didn't have to do that for longer than a week or so. Good luck!

Sounds like "cradle cap." Totally normal for age-my 2 month old daughter is now having
same issue. Google it or look in any newborn care book,
One suggestion I tried is to massage head w/olive oil, use a brush or washcloth to loosen
scales/flakes, then shampoo...

I would try lanolin, it works miracles! I used it on my daughters cheeks when she was a little one, she used to get really dry chapped skin too!

It sounds like eczema or dermatitis. And regular lotion will only make it worse. You need to have it looked at by a physician. In the mean time, there are some over the counter moisturizers for him that you can try. Check your local Walgreens, Target or Walmart and ask the pharmacist for some suggestions.

It sounds like she has eczema. My daughter had the same thing, so on one of our trips to the doctor, I had her look at it. It turns out that she was allergic to the soy formula she was on. We switched formula, and used Dove, scent free, body wash and Cetaphil CREAM, for lotion. And I stress using the cream because lotions tend to have alcohol in them that dry the skin out. After about a week, the spots were gone. If you try this and find that it still isn't working, I would go to the doctor and have them check it out. It may be an allergic reaction to something.

My 5 month old has dry patches on his body and his forehead. My doctor told me to use vasoline. I cover him in it every other day. It's a mess, but man I have to say that is the only thing that really works. I have tried a lot of other lotions. My first son had dry skin really bad as well. I think with my first the dry skin went away by 9 months or something. His skin is perfect now :)Good luck and congrats on the new addition.

Hi T. Take your daughter in to see her peditrican and see what he says. He would have to best advice for you.