Cradle Cap - Monmouth, OR

Baby oil and a fine tooth comb and lots of patience. my daughter had it real bad up until she was 6 years old.
I believe if you can get a little tea tree oil shampoo in to scalp it will help also do not know if you would want to use or not.

My son had this when he was little, now 3, but I would put baby oil on his head and leave it for about 10 minutes and then bathe him. Good Luck!

It is all about upkeep. The olive oil and special shampoo keep it at bay, but my son is almost 4 and if I don't keep up with it it still gets bad. Most kids, however, will out grow it at some point.

PLEASE do NOT use baby oil, it's total junk. Petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. Interferes with skin's ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. Slows down skin function and cell development, resulting in premature aging. Used in many products (baby oil is 100% mineral oil!) Petrolatum is mineral oil jelly, and mineral oil causes a lot of problems when used on the skin photosensitivity (i.e., promotes sun damage), and it tends to interfere with the body's own natural moisturizing mechanism, leading to dry skin and chapping. You are being sold a product that creates the very conditions it claims to alleviate. Any mineral oil derivative can be contaminated with cancer causing PAH's (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons). Manufacturers use petrolatum because it is unbelievably cheap. There is no need to use petroleum products like mineral oil on a baby's skin. There are less toxic products available, and home-made alternatives are safe and inexpensive.

My baby is 4 months and I've never shampooed her hair, it hasn't been necessary - if you need to, get an organic shampoo that doesn't have sulfates and fragrance-unless from essential oils. Try Aubrey Organics - Natural Baby and Kids Shampoo or Druide Silky Shampoo.

Okay now for the treatment... VIRGIN COCONUT OIL!
It'll look greasy at first, so I put on before bedtime and no grease in the morning, scalp is healing and you can't see the flakes. Also before bath use a bristle brush in circular motion on scalp to get that dead skin off. Coconut oil is great for diaper rash, sore nipples and thrush too as it's anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal.

Other Harmful ingredients: PEG, TEA, DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, parabens, lanolin (unless organic), 1,4-dioxane, fragrance, coal tar colours, ammonia, propylene glycol, mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate.

My son had terrible cradle cap, to the point it turned into a rash on his face and chest. Here's what our pediatrician told us to do (it worked):
* Every night, comb olive oil through his hair and let it sit for at least 5 minutes
* Wash with dandruff shampoo (she recommended the one in the blue bottle whose name I'm forgetting, not Head and Shoulders)
* After washing hair, cover scalp in hydrocortisone cream. I think we were supposed to do the cream morning and night.

It didn't take long to clear up.

C.

Hi L.,

Although it's not appealing, you shouldn't be embarrassed by it. (There are many more things to be much more embarrassed about in your future.) ;o) It's a very natural thing and it's extremely common in infants. There are products out there that you can use to help rid of it, though what's worked best for us is to use some sort of oil in their hair (baby oil, olive oil or mineral oil) over night. I've heard that petroleum jelly works well too.

Good luck! :o)

I used olive oil and the little baby brush that we got from the hospital when he was born and it did the trick. I stayed away from baby oil because it is petroleum based.

Hello Lynette, I work with a Lynette too and just love the name.

I have two boys that both have sensitive skin and had craddle cap as babies. The best thing I found was to leave it alone. Wash them with Aveno baby wash/shampoo exclusively and use olive oil as a mosturizer. It is a great soother to use the oil and give a little massage to relax the little ones. Also, don't bathe him too often, it only makes it worse.

Good luck and also my sympathies to you regarding Maddie. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to lose a child but can completely feel and understand how close she is still in your heart. Sending you love, S.

I have had good results with teatree oil. I hope you do too! Blessings to you and yours! :)

http://www.mustelausa.com/cradle_cap_shampoo.html

we love this! one bottle has lasted over a year. it works great! use a fine comb after hair dries to comb out loose flakes.

Lynette-

For cradle cap, we found that a fine-tooth comb on a wet head works. You just need to be gentle and do it a little at a time. Too much and the scalp tends to look red and irritated. We're still working on getting it all out of our 2 1/2 yr old's hair...

Good luck!
-B. M.-

Yes, apply oil on the scalp (olive oil is great) then let it sit on there at least 5 to 10 minutes to soak in. Then do a shampoo wash and really scrub without hurting. It can get messy and the stuff comes off in clumps. It works.

this is what i did... olive oil rubbed all over babys head. then take a comb and comb it through, thoroughly. then just shampoo out. i did it twice in a week and never had to deal with it again. my girlfriend told me about this and apparently it works!!

Baby oil and a fine baby comb. Let the oil set for a while and lightly scrub with the comb. This has worked best for me and other people I know. And yes making sure all soap is off the scalp will help too.

there are shampoos made for it. Keep his head free of a hat as much as possible. Just give it time and it will eventually go away. My daughter had it really bad and still does a little bit and she's 2 1/2. Now that she has hair to cover it up it isn't so bad. As far as the embarassing part. He's a baby and all babies have cradle cap. anyone with children will understand.

Cradle cap can be embarrassing, but it sure is treatable. After giving your baby a bath, rub a dime sized amount of baby oil on his scalp, and just brush it away with the soft baby brush. It will gradually go away. Don't pick at it, because it will get worse! Best of luck, let me know if this works for you--it did wonders for my daughter when she was 5 months.

Lynette,
I know exactly how you feel! I am certain you will get a ton of suggestions so you can throw mine into the mix. We used Nixoral at first. It's a really tough anti-sebohrric shampoo. It seemed to help. But then I switched to Johnson's Baby Shampoo because my daughter's skin is so sensitive and it seems to help just as well! Sadly, what didn't help was the Burt's Bees or the organic stuff. Bummed me out because I just love the way that smells. Anyway, I've also gotten braver (my daughter is also 6 mos and my first) and recently started using a baby comb on her head when it's wet with shampoo. She seems to like having her scalp scratched and it pulls that stuff right off.
Good luck!

Yeah, it can look kind of yucky, huh? My kids have all had it to some degree too, and I've always treated it.

There is a cradle cap treatment sold at Babies R Us in a blue-green bottle - the brand name was Gentle Naturals. The active ingredients are calendula, jojoba and Vitamins E and D. I bought it several years ago and have used it on two of my kids now and found it very effective (a little goes a long way!). It says non-greasy, but it's pretty greasy I think. I've used it in the bath - moisten their hair, massage it in their scalp and let sit for a few minutes, then (and this is the key) use a very fine tooth comb like the one they gave you at the hospital when you had your baby, and comb over their scalp at a very sharp angle, so as to lift away the softened scales. Rinse and repeat as necessary (or to the degree your baby will tolerate - they don't like it much). Then shampoo gently to remove the treatment residue - especially if your baby has much hair, because it WILL make it greasy. It has a nice smell though, and if you have a little baldy, you can just rub the rest in and let it continue to soften and condition your baby's scalp. I'd use it at each bath until you see a significant improvement - I usually saw it improve immediately, with maybe a recurrence or two for a few weeks.

Lots of people swear by olive oil, I've tried that too and found this particular treatment more effective and it seems to make it go away for good, whereas some of the oils help you remove the scales but then they come right back.

I am so sorry for your little girl, I hope she is in peace. But cradle cap is easy...after a bath, rub with a towel vigerously & it should peel off, no pain. It's an allergy. Go see a naturopath, we have a greatone, Dr. Pamela Plank in Lake Oswego ###-###-####. She's great. If you need one in town I know another good one. Good luck!

My baby had really bad cradle cap and the best thing I found was...Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment. You can find it almost anywhere, Target, grocery stores, right with all the other baby shampoos.

Although I have not dealt with cradle cap firsthand I have an excellent source that has. Here is what she said she does.

Cradle Cap
Shirley got results with Basic H and MeadowBlend...
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I am a Pediatric Nurse and our recipe for Cradle Cap sounds as if it may be a bit different then what you may be seeking, but I hope it might help.

In a Basic H squeeze bottle (from the Basic H kit) fill with half H and the other half Meadow Blend Cream and shake well. Wet the child or infants scalp and then apply the mixture by massaging it into the scalp.

(If you have a shampoo visor that you can place on the infant/childs head it would be a great idea to utilize it for this. They are available in most baby departments or at Babies R Us)

Allow it to sit for 5-8 minutes and then rinse well. Wash the scalp then with the Baby Shampoo or any other Shaklee Shampoo.

It really clears up the cradle cap in one application! : )
Best Wishes,
Shirley

Note: Although we don't have Basic H anymore we do have Basic H2 which is twice the strength so I would use 1/2 as much as what Shirley said. Also, because the spray and squeeze bottles are formaldehyde free you may want to buy those instead of using your squeeze bottles (or buying them from the store) that have formaldehyde in them.

We have great baby and kids products that have been researched and tested that you may want to try. Go to shaklee.net/a_leading_edge to learn more.

N.
SAH mom, grandma, wife and wellness coach

theres a cream just for this but if to spendy .. use a good moisturizing cream and then gently comb you will see it come off just keep doing it careful babies head will get red easily.. if its bad it may take a few times..it's normal most babies get it but this is the most effective way to keep it under control

Im sorry for your lost.. may God's arms embrase your lil one in the wonders of Heaven

My daughter had it AWFUL. Just rub in baby oil, let it soak for about 10-15 minutes, and then COMB off all the gunk. It could take an hour to do all this gently (or you could split it into two times, if you wish), and then once all the scaly stuff is entirely gone, wash her hair to get all the oil out (might take several washings).

After it worked for my daughter, I realized I had a little dandruff, so I did the same thing to my hair--and it worked then too!

Many babies have it and it is definitely nothing to be embarassed about. My babies were both bald so I was able to use a little baby oil on their scalp to help it look less flaky.

I used baby oil. Rub a little bit of baby oil of baby's head, let sit for just a few minutes then wash off. Then comb after the bath. When it was really bad the baby oil took a day to work but it worked SO well!! Only draw back is baby's hair looks a little oily for a day. When you comb you kind of have to drag the comb against the scalp. It sounds worse than it is. But you should be scraping the scales off the scalp with the comb.

Good luck!

My son had pretty bad cradle cap, which is now almost entirely gone. there are 2 parts to my advice - 1 for treating the underlying problem, and 1 for getting the crust off.
1) my naturopath told me to increase my Omega-3 fatty acid intake dramatically. I take vegan capsules (Pharmax's Vega DHA) but fish oil or flax oil should be fine, depending on your proclivities. But take a LOT. (if you're nursing, that is - if formula, try to find one that has Omega 3's, or DHA, added).
2) apply olive oil to the scalp, let sit for 10-15 minutes. Then use a soft-bristle toothbrush to gently scrape it off (my son actually enjoyed this part, so don't dread it!), then wash the rest away with baby shampoo.
Worked for us!
Good luck!

Hi Lynette,
Yes my daughter had that and it was frustrating, nothing that you have done or really can do to prevent it, just dry skin. I put olive oil on her head about 30 mins before her bath and just let it soak in, then would give her a bath and just use the mild aveeno bathwash and wash her head and while still wet, comb it and that got a lot of the dry stuff out. It just had to really run it's course a few weeks.

Hello, have you tried using a little bit of olive oil and a baby hair brush? It worked great for my daughter and she had it bad! When you give baby a bath, rub a little oil on their head afterwards, and gently rub the brush around, it should break that gunk up in no time. Hope this helps.

Hello

My dr told me to use Selsum Blue. He said not to use it everyday but maybe 1 or 2 times a week. That did the trick!

Thanks
T.

L.,

Both of my kids had cradle cap all over the tops of their heads. It bugged me more than them. With my son it was easy to pick/scrape it off with my fingernails, he was nearly bald. My daughter had more hair and made it harder for me to do that.

I remember hearing/reading somewhere that cradle cap does not in anyway bother the babies; just us parents. The advice I've see here ranges from head and shoulders dandruff control shampoo to baby oil/mineral oil to various lotions. I'd leave it if at all possible and just let it flake on it's own.

By the way, my kids are now 5 1/2 and 2 and are just fine.
Melissa

Baby Oil and a comb just put the baby oil on it rub it in some and comb it out. I just had to do this with my son. It's takes a couple times to wash it out but it works great.

hiya- we use apricot oil and a very warm washcloth on our sons head. we let the warm water penetrate on his little head and the spots just seem to wipe right off. we still have a little to go. it takes a few times.

although, i am going to try the listerine, see if that works faster.

i hear you, my husband and i don't like it at all. ;-)

There are so many requests, I don't have time to read for doubles!

What we did was baby lotion, and a corn hair brush! It's soft like the ones in the hospital for their first bath!

We found them on an end, or one of displays randomly placed, at the Commissary for a buck or two.

It tries to come back every once in awhile, but we just grab the corn brush! Tehehe Our Doctor told us it was from having an oily scalp and clogged ducts, so just keeping the hair washed helps a lot too.

Hope this helps!

K.

Cradle Cap is a dermatitis condition that may be a sign of deficiencies of certain nutrients. Also very commonly associated with an allergy (about 2/3 of the time!), which often turns out to be a food sensitivity. I recommend consulting a naturopathic physician in your area; most are very good at ferreting out food sensitivities (could be related to the particular formula she's on; alternative formulations may help). If you don't know any, do a search at www.naturopathic.org.

Good luck!

I just went through this and the Doc said to rub the scalp with baby oil and massage it into the scalp gently then use a baby comb to get the flakes up(be careful as their scalp can get sensitive), then wash. Do this every other day.

I'm sure you have gotten a lot of great responses. What worked great for us was to put olive oil on her head and let it set in for several minutes even up to 10min, then you take a fine tooth comb and comb the scalp. the flakes then come off on the comb. Sometimes we had to do this several times a week, but it worked well and didn't have to use chemicals. In thicker areas we had to use the technique once a day a for a few days, but it did work. Just don't scrape the scalp too heavily with the comb. Good luck to you. Try not to be embarrassed by it..it doesn't make you a bad mom, lots of kids get cradle cap.