Hello moms, I have a few weeks old and using special mustela baby shampoo and skin lotion for baby's cradle cap but it's not as effective. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'm worry it hurts him (itches), it looks very dry. Thank you!
I was told by my pediatrician to just let it be...that you can do damage to the scalp by messing with it. By the time the twins hit 1 month, it was totally gone on its own.
Start by soaking the scabs in olive oil for about 30 minutes (I used to put a hat on my son to keep it from getting every were). Once it has sat than gently work the scabs off with a soft cloth or brush. Once the scalp is clear the baby will feel much better, although the scalp may look slightly red and irritated at first. Once the scalp is clear, brush the babies head with a soft boars bristle brush before each bath to loosen any dead skin so it can be removed with normal shampooing. My son is 5, and he still gets occasional cradle cap, but if we brush his scalp before each bath it keeps it at bay without having to use medicated shampoos that can sting the eyes.
Olive oil applied with a cotton ball will work...and it's safe...he'll look like a little greaseball but it will do the trick!
Don't use any harsh chemical based shampoos. I have a 3 month old with cradle cap and I never did much other than rubbing a bit of Burt bees baby apricot oil on his dry spots. It works fine. Harsh shampoos, even gentle nature for cradle cap has them will only dry out baby's skin more and THAT will make it itch.
My son had this also and he never seemed to mind. What I used to do was massage some baby oil into his scalp and often would leave it over night. In the morning I would wash his hair and then with a comb pick out the dry pieces of scalp. He out grew it by about 3 months. My daughter on the other hand has never had this issue.
I always put a good quality olive oil and let it sit on his head for 30 minutes, or so. Then, gave him a bath and brushed his head with a toothbrush in a circular motion. Cleared it right up after a few days!
My babies had cradle cap, too, and my pediatrician told me to forget about the special shampoos and such as they are a waste of money and don't work. He told me to use olive oil - gently rub a few drops on the area and carefully remove loose pieces. I can't remember how long (no more than a few times) it took but it worked fabulously. The hard part is washing it out - your baby may end up with slightly oily hair for a few days, but don't be scared to wash it out with shampoo. I don't think that cradle cap hurts or itches, by the way. Hope this helps!
We washed our baby's head with baby oil 2 or 3 times and it completely went away. Oh, and we also scrubbed it with those soft baby brushes they give you at the hospital.
I found that washing my 17 week old's head with Johnson and Johnson baby body wash helped the most.I found those all natural type shampoos and washes did nothing. They just weren't strong enough. Since using J&J every night her cradle cap got better in the course of about a week.
OLIVE OIL! I have been using Badger's Organic Baby Oil (main ingredient, olive oil) on my daughter's cradle cap, let it sit about 20 minutes, rinse it off, and then I use a brush to brush the skin. It really helps! I asked my pediatrician about it and she said that was absolutely the best thing to do - it's the gentlest way to handle it, although even if you do nothing, it will eventually go away on its own. In the meantime, though, the olive oil will help prevent drying and itching.
My pediatrician told me to use Neutrogena T-Gel on both of my kids and it completely took away the cradle cap in about 3-4 washes. I used it about once every 2-3 days and I bought a plastic flea comb for 50 cents at a pet store and used that to gently comb the scales out of their hair after shampooing. You have to be careful because it is not tear-free and it smells horrible, so I only used a very tiny dot of the shampoo each time.
Our pediatrician said to use dandruff shampoo. Just make very sure it does not get in the eyes. We washed with dandruff shampoo a few times and it was all gone. The olive oil treatment might work but leaves a lot of grease.
Great responses-my daughter started to get it when she was about 2 months old and I applied some baby oil prior to her bath and took a washcloth and be sure to scrub (obviously not to hard, but not to soft or it doesnt help remove the crust) then I washed it with a baby shampoo and then applied a wee bit of oil on her head-I swear within just a few days it was gone! Im sure one of these responses will work for you-Im sure olive oil can be used in place of baby oil (but the baby oil does smell sweeter :)
We used baby oil and a small comb to pick it off....but it makes the hair there very oily. It was, however, the only thing that worked for us.
Best wishes,
Mama of 2 (2 and 3.5) and one on the way!
When any of my babies had flaky scalps, I used Baby oil gel, rubbed into their little scalps and put a little hat over their heads over night. Yes, the oil gel is a little hard to wash out but I found that it works fine. I didn't know about the shampoo. I honestly don't think it bothers a baby even though it looks bad to us.
Rub head with olive oil everyday.
