Cradle Cap - Livonia,MI

I would see a dermatologist. There's different causes of cradle cap. I still have it in some way. It went away when I was 4 and came back when I was 27. And my 17 year old boys have battled it all their lives. You have to stay on it to keep it at bay. My one son got lazy and it migrated to his eyes, made him look like he had pink eye and was sent home from school because of it (on a few occasions until he got the hint). Different things can cause the problem and many other things can irritate it. Too humid, too dry and cold, too wet, dyes, perfumes, foods, head colds, antibiotics... you name it. You have to find out what is causing it and the triggers. Need any more help after you see a doc, you can email me at holly48446 at yahoo.

My son also had cradle cap very bad and then it ended up all over his body. After a month of the Doc. telling me what to use, and nothing working I ask to see a Dermatoligist. When I went to him it was amazing. He said my son had eczema, and he told me to use hydrocortizone cream (.5%). After his bath, and once in the middle of the day I would put a little on him where ever the eczema (cradle cap) was and withing a couple of days it was gone. The dermatoligist told me that the clear liquid that was coming out was the trapped soap and oil. And it was just trying to get out. Also, he told me not to pick at the cradle cap, just use one of those soft brushes and lightly brush it off when it is ready. I am telling you within 2-3 days my son looked like a different baby and not so misserable anymore.
I hope this helps you and good luck. Let me know how it goes.
T.

Hi D.! More than likely it is eczema on his head. I have twin boys and they both also had cradle cap and then eczema on the body. It seems like as soon as the cradle cap cleared up eczema developed on their scalps. My doctor prescribed a lotion, nto cream, for their scalps. I'll get the name of it for you if you'd like. I don't have it with me at work, but I'll look when I get home tonight. It works wonderfully! Good luck!

He's only 4 months old, I think it's quite common. Cradle cap can last years, but not badly. My son had it. I put olive oil on it and that helped. It never got that bad. He still has flaky scalp (he's 4) but it bothers no one, including him. I wouldn't bath so much if you have city water with a lot of chlorine. That worsens it and the chlorine is so bad for us, let alone babies. Try to use natural products, no perfumes. Some of those that are "especially for babies" are very bad. Our skin is our biggest organ and every thing that we put on it, ends up in us. Go natural products. Check the labels. There is a whole list of "bad" ingredients that would shock you. Mothering magazine did a story on it. Check out their website, perhaps.
Don't worry too much about it.

My son is 8 months old. He didn't have cradle cap but he does have baby eczema. I got some advise from co-workers who's son's also had the eczema as well as my pediatrician. I have used Eucerine cream and Aveeno Soothing Cream for eczema. They have both helped calm the eczema down. Aveeno also makes a baby wash which is the same as the lotion which I use too. If he has a bad break out, which he gets on his face, I have used over the counter hydrocortizone cream. It has gotten to the point when the eczema will get crusty and he acutally bled a little bit. My doctor gave me a prescription hydrocortizone cream but it made it worse. I think it was too strong. My co-workers said that their son's eczema went away and hasn't had a break out since he was 2 so I am hoping that is the same with my son. I was also told that if the bath water is too warm that could dry out the skin. I was also told that the eczema will get worse in the summer due to sweat/heat. I hope this information helps.

My three month old daughter also had cradle cap but not as severe as what it sounds with your son. She's never had any liquid coming out but it was scaly and it had a small odor to it. We've just used the lotion from Meijer called Gentle Naturals by Disney. It's worked wonderfully. It has taken a couple of weeks of putting it on and combing through to get the scales off. I've found the best way to do it is put it on over night, let her sleep with it on and then comb through it in the morning. You should only be bathing him every other day. Also it should get better when the weather gets warmer. Hope you can get it under control!

My son has pretty bad eczema as well. We found that almost all "baby" products we cannot use on him, except for baby shampoo. The fragrances in the baby products were making his eczema worse and giving him hives. Our pediatrican suggested Dove Body Wash (it's very moisturizing with no fragrance)and either Vaseline lotion, Eucerin, or Aveeno Lotion. We found that Vaseline lotion works pretty well, but Aquaphor works really great. It's greasy and thick, so we only apply a light coating after his bath each night. He gets a very quick bath. I also found that if i put baby oil on his head each night (I just rub a very small amount between my hands and all over his hair, from forehead line back) it helps keep away cradle cap and eczema on his scalp. I hope this helps. Their skin is delicate, it's tough. Good luck.

Hi D.,

Just got your email and had to drop you a line. Sounds like your little guy has a rough case of eczema, the liquid might be a result of eczema in his scalp. I actually have some products that I am sure will help alleviate your son's eczema, if you are open to trying them. I work with a company called Arbonne. Have you heard of it? It's from Switzerland- 28 yrs old, natural, wonderful products. The baby products are excellent- my pediatrician even carries them in her office (she is an MD as well as a homeopathic MD). The baby products are so gentle and mild, and food-grade, which is a really good thing as babies like to put everything in their mouths (esp. boys). Where do you live? B/c I could drop off some full size products for you to try for a couple of days. Also, I would suggest only bathing your little one twice a week or so (when they have such sensitive skin, excessive bathing makes the condition worse). F.Y.I. Both of my kids have my super sensitive skin and I would never dream of putting anything other than Arbonne on them (b/c I know they would have issues).

Sounds like you are having a tough time leaving your son when you are at work. I felt the same way when I had my kids (2 1/2 old son, and 12 month old daughter). That is why I have chosen to have my own home-business with Arbonne b/c I have to earn my income, but can't go back to clinical therapy b/c I will never see my kids/husband. You might want to check out my website about the products and business opportunity (never hurts to look, right?) It may or may not be something that sounds interesting to you. Website is- www.claansoo.myarbonne.com Let me know if any of this sounds good to you. Have a great hump day (: Take care. Talk to you soon! *C.

Hi D.,

Aww babies are such a joy, they grow up so fast. My daughter who now is 11 and has eczema on her scalp also. SHe has had this off and on since she was born and on other parts of her body. I remember getting a prescription of a cortizone type lotion to put on and a special shampoo. Sorry i don't remember their names. One was Elidel but the Dr. took her off since it was linked to cancer. Now we use Head and Shoulders Intensive shampoo and when it is really bad we put on Scalpicin but since your son is under 2 you have to talk to your Dr. about using these products.

Good Luck

T.

eucerin, cream not lotion

Eczema is a sign of a week immune system. Our skin is a reflection of what is going on inside our bodies.

Have you told the pediatrician about the clear liquid coming out of his head? Where is the liquid coming out of?

What do you mean by bathing him too much? What are you using to bathe your son? He may have a reaction to the soap you are using, especially if you are bathing him every day.

What I would address, if he were my baby, is to address the eczema. The cradle cap can very well go away, as the eczema goes away.

There are natural solutions to both that are safe for a 4 month old.

M.

Hi~

If the areas on his head are more red and bumby it's eczema :) You can ask your pedi for a sample of Elidel to clear it up. The dry yellowish scaley patches wold be the cradle cap. To get rid of the craddle cap once and for all put straight olive oil on his head and use a fine tooth baby comb to comb out the craddle cap...a little messy but it will be gone for good. This is what worked the best on our daughter. Eczema can be the cause of lots of things,a reaction to diary(if your nursering or something else you ate)or to formula, or just naturally dry skin. Good Luck.

could be eczema.

And yes you can bathe a baby too much.

I say as long as the baby doesn't stink the baby doesn't need a bath.

My son and daughter both had cradle cap. I didn't worry about it. It goes away by itself. Stop picking at it though. That might be creating an infection and therefore creating the oozing. Regarding the eczema. My son had it so bad on his face, elbows, back and legs that it was raw and it would bleed. I tried everything topical that I could find and the doctors suggested. Nothing worked. Then I bought a fish tank for his 6 birthday. The moisture that the tank put out curred him of his eczema. He is 12 now and it has NEVER returned. Try it. Good luck

D.,

Yes, it is possible to have eczema on the scalp, my daughter gets it every year. I would talk to your pediatrician and/or an allergist. There are steroid creams that will stop it in it's tracks. Bathing is actually very beneficial, although Chlorine is not. Hope this helps!

H.

Hi D., I'm sorry to hear that your son's head is itchy and hurting. I know that when I bathed my Daughter I used the baby oil gel and rubbed it all over her head then combed it and the flake all came out. I bathed her every other day. About the Eczema yes it can be on his head, I do passion parties and we have a product that is an oil that actully helps with eczema, My best friends; friend's daughter actully used it and she has bad eczema and she did not itch any more for two days!!! It is a body dew oil you can email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions, hope he gets better.

A.

Hi D., My name is M.. I am a pediatric nurse for a very busy peds practice. We have had lots of babies with bouts of cradle cap which can be treated. Wash babies hair only three times per week with a mild baby shampoo. Make sure TO rinse his scalp really well. At bedtime coat his head with babyoil and leave on all night. The baby oil should soften the cradle cap enough where you can gently brush the loose flakes off. It may take several applications to get his head to clear up. Babies do get eczema alot. Bathing 3 times per week and applying 2 times per day a unscented, white lotion either Aveeno. Basis, Cetaphil, Dove or Eucerin to his entire body will help. Your pediatrician can also prescribe a medication called Triamcinolone acetonide cream a very mild safe steroid that can be applied to severe patches of eczema. Good luck in your trials and errors. M.

Both of our daughters suffered from it, our oldest still had it when she was over 1 year old. She didn't have much hair and the doctor said that was part of the problem. What I would is put baby oil on her head in the morning before I would go to work and rub it in really well. That night I would take a comb and just comb her head and the skin would flake off. After each treatment I would wash her head to get any remaining oil off. We would do that every time we had a bad bout of it and would repeat it until all was removed. For our youngest we got a product that I think Johnson & Johnson made that was designed to remove cradle cap. I believe it was called Cradle Cap Remover. It was a green bottle.

Yes, it definetly can be eczema. I don't know what you did to treat the cradle cap, but if anything was perfumed, it could have irritated the eczema. I'm really stumped on what to put on it, but in the past for skin I've always had great luck with Oil of Olay or Dove soap. Maybe wash his hair with one of these for a few days and see if it helps?

I would start changing products at home. I have a friend who got rid of the toxins, went green in her home and her daughters eczema went away...I have a green home, we use bath products for my daughter that have Tea Tree Oil in them and that really helps.

L.
http://www.HealthyFamilyHome.com

D., I feel for you. My baby had terrible eczema all over her body. I wasn't that worried about the cradle cap because everyone told me it would go away, but the eczema got so bad we had to take her to a dermatologist. Her head did not produce a liquid, but the inside of her elbows & behind her knees did. The dr. said it was most likely a yeast infection caused by the eczema. We had used Aveno oatmeal bath soaks & Eucerine creams, but they didn't help. The Dr. gave us 2 meds to start with. Dermasmooth (?? Spelling) is an oil that is peanut-oil based with the allergens removed. We used that on her head after her bath. Just a few drops covered her whole head. The cradle cap cleared up in less than a week. For the rest of her body, we were given Cloderm. It is a steroid and should not be used for long term on babies. However, after applying it all over her body, after her bath daily, the eczema cleared up and we were able to move on to a maintenance program. The dermatologist told us to use Dove white bar to bath her when needed. We also got some samples of Cetaphil & CeraVe cleanser. Just a tiny bit on your fingers is all that's needed. My DD is now 1 year and we used Aquiphore once a day during the dry winter months and now use Cetaphil or CeraVe lotion/cream (over the counter) to keep her moisturized. We bath her every day, some days with soap some days with just water. I looked at some of her 3 and 4 month pictures and it makes my eyes water to see how red she used to be.

Hang in there. Most children grow out of it. In the mean time, see a specialist.

FIrst of all I would recommend a dermatologist. Sounds like more than just cradle cap. My son had a skin problem that started like cradle cap and was alaphecia (not sure of spelling) that was more than cradle cap and they gave him an ointment to put on to help take it away and use a product that wont irritate the skin. My nephew has ezcema and the only product he can use is purchased thorugh a natural product company that you have to order through someone in the network. I would use gentle, natural products. What happens it many of the products on the market have mineral oil in and that blocks the skin; cant breate and develops dryness. Baby oil blocks the pores and cant breathe on the skin. My nephew was born with ezcema and he is now 8 and is under control and is not using the product as much. I would not wash the head everyday if its really dry. I would bath the body but put a lotion on that penetrates through the skin to keep the skin moist and not get dried out. Feel free to email me at ____@____.com and I can help you out.

D.,
Boy, being a first time Mom has it's challenges doesn't it? I remember how badly I felt when my kids were distressed in any way, especially when I didn't know how to fix it immediately - especially when they were babies!!

I would recommend Arbonne products - specifically the ABC Hair and Body Wash, ABC Body Lotion and the Rejuvenating Cream on the areas that are most troubled. These products are naturally based & have no artificial dyes or fragrances (which can be irritating - especially to skin that is already stressed). I have many clients who have had great results with cradle cap & excema. If you would like samples and some information, I would be happy to send them to you. There is a $$$ back guarantee.

(Note: I would minimize the bathing!!)

I can be reached by phone at ###-###-#### or by email at ____@____.com

Good luck,
Barb

Hi D., I am 32 years old and if you looked at my head you would say its cradle cap. Yes I get clear liquid and it smells. I was a week old when i got it and it never went away. I have been to thousands of dermatologists.I was told by dr's it was cradle cap, eczema you name it. Here is my suggestion for you. Put olive oil on your littles ones head. leave it a little while and then comb it out. then use head and shoulders shampoo to wash it out. you can control it if you do this regularly. I wish you good luck I know it sucks for you but I can say it is hard on the little guy too.

YES. My daughter had this. It was bad then it turned yellow and sticky and sometimes it smelled. Take him to the dermatlogist!!!!! They gave her some oil cream that cleared it up in a day! and my daughter also has eczema. That is what is causing this and plus the cradle cap. good luck to you and if you have any other questions please ask. I know what you are going through.

Hi D.:

Both of my girls have Eczema - Doctors have prescribed steriods when it gets too bad, generally I keep them really well greased up with Aquaphor and use a E-cream. They are now almost 15 months and are pretty much growing out of it, as stipulated by the doctors.

One of my girls did have some discharge from her head with the cradle cap - I stopped washing her hair every day, just twice a week and it went away. I did use Olive Oil on her scalp a couple times a week and that helped to heal it also.

M.

Hi D..
I have never had to deal with cradle cap like that but I always reccomend Paul Mitchell Baby don't cry shampoo. I have used it on my kids since they were born. It is great for babys skin and scalp and is less drying than the others. The best thing for eczema is sun light, so maybe try and take him out in the sun for a little bit. Good luck.

My son had severe cradle cap and Eczema but it never weeped...IMO there is something else going on - have you taken him to a pediatric dermatologist???