Cradle Cap - Shawnee,KS

My pediatrician said to apply mineral oil where ever you see cradle cap (maybe not on her face though) about ten minutes before the bath then wash as normal. I hope that helps.
~ K.

That doesn't sound like cradle cap. And washing anything that much is bound to irritate it. I'd take her to the ped and get his/her opinion. Good luck!

these are a few things i would try until you can get to the doctor: keep a cool mist humidifier constantly running to put moisture in the air, put olive oil all over the dry areas and do not bath her so much (that may actually be making it worse). i hope it gets better soon. i know it is hard to see your baby uncomfotable. good luck!

Hello K.. I saw your situation and just had to respond. I had premature twin girls in April. I took them for their first immunizations in June and a couple days later noticed a red and oozy rash within their neck folds. Gradually the rash spread to their face,ears,armpits,groin etc. I kept taking them to the doctor,but not getting results because it kept spreading and the doctors started panicking. To make a long story short...I made several trips to a pediatric dermatologist in St. louis to be told it was psoriasis...then PRP...then...well...they didn't know. I did research on the internet and I came up with seborrhic dermatitis,which is basically severe cradle cap. Some of us just have a lot more natural yeast on our skin than others. So we ended up treating our girls with Cetophil soap for bathing, antifungal applications(athletes foot creams)in neck folds to prevent it from happening again and the main medicine that I give 99% credit to....2.5% Hydrocortisone ointment,(not the lotion because it does not work as well). Sorry to make this so long, but we suffered so much...cried and prayed for months in hopes that they would be healed. My daughter Jaelynn got to the point she was a solid red welted mass with extreme pain and abnormal blood work all do to this rash. I am happy to say I have beautiful and normal looking twin girls with occasional breakouts,but controlled with ointment. I hope this helps you. God Bless.
T. A

Hello K.,

I've read that a lot of people have told you to rub baby oil on her head. Actually, oil does the very opposite of what people think it does. It dries the skin out even more. Take 2 ritz crackers and put them in 2 bowls (1 in each bowl)...fill one bowl w/baby oil and the other with water. The baby oiled cracker becomes completely hard and brittle, and the one with water absorbs it and becomes soggy. After seeing that test done, I NEVER used anything with oil in it...especially makeup and baby products. You need to use a cream or water based product. I used the aquaphor on my son and it eventually went away. Don't bathe her too much, because that will dry her out as well. Just try to remove as much of the flaky stuff as you can without hurting her and keep doing that and it will go away in a couple of weeks. A lot of babies have it and it's not a huge worry.

Hope this helps!
Liz.

Hi K., I dont know if your a christian or not but the reason I ask is because my daughter HAD a very bad case of ezcema(which seem like it started from the time she left the hospital), and the doctors were trying alot of different things that wasnt working(I blamed it on the german hospital I had her at), well my pastor and the church that im a part of(in St.Louis) all prayed that she would be healed from it, and also in the book of ISAIAH 53:5 its says"by my stripes you are healed." Well Im a believer in THE LORDS word and all that it says and you better believe that my daughter is healed in the name of JESUS. I also layed hands on her, and did my praying for her too. Like i said I believed, had faith, and she is healed as the LORD said she would be in his word, because "he is not a man that he should lie...". I hope this help you and I hope that I didnt freak you out with this:). have a blessed day.

Hi K.,

You got a lot of advise here so here is mine if none of the others work. We discovered our cure by accident this past summer. My daughter is two and has had cradle cap since she was just a month old. But this summer I took her outside with me and dowsed her head in sunscreen. It was on her head for about an hour and when we washed it out, a lot of the cradle cap pealed off. So for the next week we used sunsceen on her head before her bath and left it in for about an hour and then washed. Every time more and more came off til it was gone. We still used a soft brush to work it loose but it came right off. We were shocked but very pleased.

Hope something works for you,
Beth

Hi K.,
My little one had a bad case of cradle cap on his head, face & ears too when he was only a few weeks old. (I thought it was an allergy.) My doc said to rub baby oil on his scalp, wait a few minutes and then wash with baby shampoo. Then use Nivea Cream (in a small blue tub at any store) and rub a small amount whereever she needs it. You don't need much as it goes a long way. I did this twice a day and in no time my little one was much better! The Nivea Cream rubs right in and has a mild smell so it's not irritating at all. I still have some left and use it on my hands now. It will clear up soon so don't be discouraged!

I would say call the dr right away because it sounds like whatever it is infected and that is definitely not a good thing!

It's really hard to say without seeing the rash your describing, but it sounds like you need to go to the doctor and let them see it. If there is puss you're dealing with something other than moisturization issues. It could be any number of things and almost sounds like an ivy rash or possibley herpes. I don't want to worry you, because like I said, its really hard to say without seeing it, but herpes and ivy rashes can spread all over the body like that very easily with infants, and have small, puss filled, vesicles, and it can make them really sick. It's probably not the case, but you should definately have her seen. Good Luck.

I fought cradle cap with my son forever. Finally the doctor told me to get head and shoulders medicated. It got rid of it in 4 washings!! You have to be careful with getting it in your babies eyes though. But if it is cradle cap this shampoo works wonders.

Hi K.,

Have you tried using Arbonne's Baby Oil. It works great on cradle cap. If you have an Arbonne consultant, she could probally get you a sample. If you don't, let me know and I would love to get you a sample.

C. S

K....Here is what one of my friends did and what she had to say...you can go to www.livetotalwellness.com/cindygeoff and or email me back so I can tell you how to get these products you need from Melaleuca that will help and clear it up in no time, here is what my friend said:

When my baby had cradle cap, I mixed Mela oil and olive oil together. I would also try Renew oil, I didn't have it at the time, but lately I've been using it for different things, and it is very healing! But, the oil mixture worked very well too. I just saturated the top of her head with it overy night until it was gone. It took approx 3 days.

Calling your pediatrician is definately the right course of action. Once you get hold of him, do whatever he tells you to. In the meantime, however, STOP washing the infected area. I suspect that washing it so often is making it worse. Try putting lotion on it instead.

Hi K.!
I feel for you! I struggled with eczema as a baby and when my son was born 6 month ago he had extreme cradle cap and dry skin. This may sound crazy but the Only thing that works for both of us is Mary Kay Extra Emollient Night Cream. My Mom has been in MK since I was little and used this on me because I was allergic to soap. I used it on my son and it cleared up within two days. When I bathe him I use Baby Aveeno Soap and immediatly slather him all over with the MK cream. I also use it as a diaper cream. I think it works because it is water based not oil based which can irritate and clog pores. It also has Beeswax in it which is a natural antibiotic and healing agent. In fact if you do some research you will find that we will be using honey based bandages to speed healing (it is in use in Europe and will soon be approved in the US). I use this cream on all parts of my skin including my hands and nails and LOVE it. I am also careful to never brush the cradle cap off as this can cause infection. Anyway I hope this is helpful. Email me if you are interested I can mail you a sample to try. I have turned all of my friends with kids on to this and give it as a baby shower gift as well!! Good Luck
T. P

It sounds worse then cradle cap if there is puss involved. I've worked in child care for over 11 years and never seen it that bad on any child. I would stop doing anything to it until after seeing the dr.
I used to think "eww yuck" when I did see some thick cases of it though until I read in one of the many parenting magazines I got after having my 1st child that cradle cap usually only occurs in healthy children. That made me feel better and does now with my 2nd child too. She has a very mild case so its only noticable when she gets upset. Hope this helps you feel a bit better about thoughts on cradle cap. I used a kit for my son but haven't bothered with my daughter yet since its mild.

Olive oil rubbed in.
My sister in law used it all over her daughters body whenever they got dry skin including cradle cap

Doesn't sound like cradle cap to me. I would question the dr on that. I recently discovered some awesome stuff for cradle cap or eczema. It's pure Emu Oil. It actually works & HEALS skin disorders naturally. I had a friend that her son had something that sounds similar & his was a food allergy. She was nursing him & he was so allergic to the foods that she was eating it was going right thru to him. So she completely changed her diet & he is just fine now. I'm convinced your daughter has something going on other than cradle cap.

I would take your baby in. Cradle cap should not puss.. It may be an allergic reaction to something... Sometimes they are allergic to even mild soap.... I had a little boy like that and he ended up having to see the dermatologist...

My 3 month old had cradle cap also. My pediatrician told me to use dandruff shampoo and massage well, followed with Aquaphor or Hydrocortisone cream over affected area. Their head will be greasy, but you can cover it with a cap if it bothers you. As far as spreading like it is, I'm not sure if that is really normal. I wouldn't think that basic cradle cap would get infected like that. I am an ICU nurse, however I don't deal with babies other than my own.Definately keep an eye on it and watch for other signs of infection, such as fever. By the way, my infants cradle cap was gone within a few days, using this method twice a day.

I think that you need to have your Dr. check her out this dos not sound like any cradle cap or eczema I have seen. My son had chronic eczema on his head from 2 weeks and my Dr. had me wash his head with Head and Shoulders Dandruff shampoo. I would hold him like a football over the bathroom sink and wash and rinse his hair with him dressed and then wash his body in the baby tub. It pretty well got rid of the problem and I used it on him until he was 2yo.

I think you should stop washing it so frequently. If it's dry skin, washing it so often, mild soap or not, will just make it worse, especially in such cold & dry weather. And, if it's something else, it's still not a good idea to wash so often. Babies that age don't need to bath but maybe a few times a week, and they don't even really need soap.

The puss worries me, I think you should take her back to the pediatrician. When my daughter had cradle cap it had a yellowish color to it, but it was not puss. Baby oil helped her. I rubbed the oil into her scalp and let it set for a few minutes. Then I took a baby comb and very gently combed through to comb out the flakes. Then I washed her hair with baby shampoo. I did this every other day until it was gone. It took 3-4 treatments, and she hasn't had a problem since. I've also heard great things about olive oil.

Good luck!

Editing my response to add: Please don't use Listerine on your baby... this will burn her skin and is definitely not safe for babies. I would also check with your doctor before using any medicated shampoos. If it's cradle cap and/or dry skin, oil and lotion are your best bets.

I agree that you should stop washing her that often. I would also check with the doctor about the puss. That is strange. Before she got this how often were you bathing her? We used the sugical scrub brushes from the hospital to wash our 3 when they were babies.

I think and oil or lotion would help or else that shampoo someone mentioned. Sounds like her skin is pretty dry.