My son is almost 4 months old and has had cradle cap for a couple months. I've tried rubbing olive oil on it, then brushing his scalp, but it only helps a little. Anyone have any other ideas? I thought that cradle cap was usually gone by this age but maybe I'm wrong.
Believe it or not-I used Head and Shoulders-recommended by a pediatrician-and it worked like a charm. That might help!
Good Luck!
My son had it a age two I think. He hated me brushing his hair which caused it to get really yucky. In a bath when his head was warm I put olive oil on it and had a soft bristle brush that I combed and combed for several minutes till it was gone. It work for me. -Lis
regular baby oil worked for me. i combed with this fine toothed spongy like comb and the cradle cap was gone within a week.
Your doing nothing wrong my son had it til at least 4 months and I think even a little longer keep brushing away the loose stuff I personally didnt use the oil I just used aveeno lotion every day ..little by little it goes away
it gets bad in summer because they sweat so much, I used baby shampoo and soft toothbrush and it helped a lot. Also if you wash there heads at night with a wet wash cloth it will help with clogged sweat glands,
Hi C.,
Cradle cap is simply eczema of the scalp. Eczema is systemic so it is a nutritional issue. If you're breastfeeding then you need to be taking a good absorbable prenatal. If you are taking a prenatal vitamin, then you body is not absorbing it for your little one to get any. If you're formula feeding, the formula is not agreeing with him. There doesn't have to be digestive distress for formula to cause problems.
Topically, I would recommend Renew lotion. It's the only thing I've ever seen clear it up without changing nutrition.
Hope this helps.
M.
Both of my kids had it too. I just used a soft baby brush on it before and during bath time.
it occurs with all new hair growth.....soft tootbrush and baby oil is the only way i know of
Original Listerine (yellow) on a cotton ball let sit for a couple minutes, then brush out.
I know sounds weird. but after trying absolutely evertything....from oils to soaps etc. A peditricial gave it as idea, and it cleared my son up after 2 uses.
My son had the worst cradle cap, and exzema!
Best of luck
I learned from my nanny that you can gently scratch/pick it off with your fingernail. It's a very primal thing to pick bits of skin off your baby's head, and though it seems a bit strange, I actually enjoyed it! I felt like a mama monkey picking at my baby's fleas! But seriously, it was the only thing that worked for my kids. A baby brush just doesn't get it off, and you don't want to scrape his little scalp with a hard comb, but a mamas fingernail works great! You may have to do it a few times, or several times, but it will eventually go away....there is no "normal" for this kind of thing. My 3 year old with lots of hair, still has a bit of it on his scalp, and it's not dandruff. Now I just leave it alone because nobody can see it under his hair and I still love smelling his head just like when he was a baby!
My son had moderate cradle cap, and the oil and soft brush didn't work much either. Like Natalie, I discovered that picking off the scales worked the best. One afternoon I was sitting in a recliner with my baby sleeping on my chest and I took a pair of tweezers, cleaned them really good with rubbing alcohol, and went to town. Lucky my baby is a sound sleeper, because it took about an hour, but it was very satisfying to get those off, and it's hardly come back except for very small areas. Also, when you do get them off, wash his head with a mild soap and apply a small amount of hydrocortisone cream (recommended by pediatrician). He should be good to go.
Oh, my son was 6 months old when I did this. His doctor said some babies have it until their 1st birthday. It's usually not uncomfortable for the baby, but if it bothers you, you can treat it. For my son, I think it was hindering his hair coming in, because he has a lot more hair now than before I picked off the scales.
Hi- what worked for our son was putting the oil (we alternated between baby oil and olive oil) and while it was in kind of massaging it in with one of those baby brushes with the soft bristles. We did this right before bath time. During the bath we'd shampoo the oil out but still massage his scalp with the brush- gently.
It worked great!
One thing that didn't work for us- Mustela baby cradle cap shampoo. It had some kind of reaction, his face started breaking out in red splotches. Once I rinsed it out and put some cool cloths on his face, he was fine. But I was worried that it might have burned his scalp. No signs of that but the other approach with the oils seemed much gentler! Good luck!
Hi There! I am an Arbonne Consultant and we have a tremendous baby line. The baby oil should work wonders. Be in touch ____@____.com and I'll tell you more. Have a great day! I.
Extended cradle cap can be a sign of a dietary intolerance. My daughter's cleared up when we figured out she is soy sensitive and I took the soy out of my diet (she was breast fed at the time).
Both of my kids had cradle cap, nothing too bad, but annoying enough. My daughter's head actually had a musty smell to it. My pediatrician told me to use T-Gel shampoo. It smells horrible but helped right away. I used it only a couple times a week until the cradle cap was gone which wasn't too long. I bought a flea comb from the pet store because the teeth are fine and close together and combed it through their hair after using the shampoo. You have to put the shampoo on and let it sit for a few minutes but be careful because it is not tear free.
If your are breast feeding just use some of your breast milk and put it on his scalp, try it might work even for the red face let your breast milk dry in his face , it worked to my baby before..
My son finally out grew it at 2, but still gets small areas every so often, he is 4. To start you have to get all the scabs off, so soak with the olive oil and brush or rub with a cloth until all the scabs are gone. If it really bad you may have to do this over several days. It will be uncomfortable for your son, I know mine's head was all red when we finally got it clear. Once it is clear, use a natural boar bristle type brush and gently brush the dry scalp before every bath to remove any flacks that may be forming. If it continues to be a major problem after all this, your Ped can give you a prescription shampoo. I would try the natural remedy first. The shampoo is very thick (looks more like calamine lotion), and you have to be very careful not to get it in his eyes. But by brushing before every bath we were able to keep his scalp mostly clear and only had to use the special shampoo a couple of times during all his years.
i forgot the name of the product, but they sell an ointment at babies r us or buy buy baby...it works really well!
good luck!
