3 Month Old with Cradle Cap and Dry Skin

Updated on October 21, 2009
E.A. asks from Tamuning, GU
24 answers

My son is 3 months old. I bathe him in moisturizing body wash and after spread baby brand- Aloe Vera lotion on his body and his forehead. His skin looks and feels hydrated. But later in the day, dry skin on his scalp returns (like dandruff) and a few patches of dry skin on his arm and legs. What is the best recommendation for this?

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Ceravae works well for my son - it's an over the counter lotion. Sometimes it's hard to find but Walgreen's always seems to have it. That's for his skin - not cradle cap. I don't know how to take care of that.

We also have a variety of steroid creams that we use when the flare ups are really terrible. Usually the Ceravae alone keeps it under control.

When he gets out of the bath, very gently pat him dry but do not fully dry him off. While his skin is still damp, cover him with lotion.

Dove soap also works well. It's been better than any other soap we've tried, including J&J, Aquaphor and a couple of others.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com

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C.H.

answers from New York on

My son had this too and we bathed him in aquaphor body wash and put aquaphor lotion on him daily. It helped tremendously!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from New York on

My daughter had the same thing. I bathed her every other night.. The one thing that worked for me was Olive Oil. I put it right on the dry spots 15 minutes before her bath time. You will notice the difference the first time you do it. It works wonders! It will be gone before you know it.

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A.P.

answers from Dallas on

My son had the same thing happen to him as well. We tried aquaphor bodywash and lotion and would literally slather him all over with it, but it didn't help as much.

We took him to a dermatologist when he was 4 months and they recommended we use cetaphil cleansing bar and moisturing cream and it has helped so much. We try to apply it several times a day to keep him hydrated.

Also we bathe him once a day, very short no longer than 10 mins in lukewarm to cool water. Warmer water will add to the dryness.

Hope this helps, and I hope your little one's cradle cap and dry skin improve

1 mom found this helpful
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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

I don't know how often you bathe him, but only bathe him once every 3 days, it should help. Even with moisturizing soaps and lotions, bathing really drys out baby skin. He doesn't get that dirty anyway, don't forget. Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful
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N.M.

answers from San Diego on

My son had this really badly. My doctor told me to spread vegetable oil on it about 20 minutes before bath time. Then, during bath time, run a comb through it and rinse. It does take a little more than rinsing to get the oil off.
My daughter also has this, and her doctor (different from my son's) said the same thing. I have done this for about a month and a half now and it seems to be almost gone.

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G.Y.

answers from San Diego on

I'm from the old school where we used baby oil on the scalp and baby. It works wonderfully.

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

I'd lotion am and pm-and why not 3 times a day? it wont hurt him.

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B.C.

answers from San Diego on

baby oil and lice comb -- a super nanny shared this with me - worked like a dream.

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K.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

We had this problem when my daughter was a baby. My Pediatrician recommended we use Dove soap to wash her body and hair. It worked. Whenever I used Johnson & Johnson wash or any other products, she would get the patches of dry skin (eczema). For the cradle cap, she told us to put a little baby oil (or olive oil) on it and comb the flakes out. It worked great. The cradle cap is a normal phase for some babies. The eczema on the legs can be a sign of food allergies. More likely it's an allergic reaction the the washing products. Sometimes they do the opposite of what they say which is why our Dr. said to use Dove (unscented or for sensitive skin) because it is such a mild soap. It does not sting the eyes either. Best of luck and have fun with your little bundle. K.

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M.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

E., I would not use moisturizing body wash on a baby. It has toxins and stuff in it that actually dry the skin. Use olive oil or coconut oil. Are you breast feeding? Cod liver oil is good too taken internally quarter of a teaspoon or you take it if breast feeding.

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C.C.

answers from San Diego on

Many store brands of baby products contain formaldehyde, which is a skin irritant. I recommend a product named "Renew" which is not sold in stores but will absolutely help and is not expensive. Email me and I'll be happy to tell you where you can get it.

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M.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello,
My daughter had this and I was told to wash her hair/head more often. It worked for me.

Good luck,
M.

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M.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

my son had the same issue. It ended up that his dry skin/excema was due to a milk allergy. We switched him to soy and everything changed.

But, for dry skin....I like vasoline intensive rescue. For cradle cap, the only thing that got rid of both of my kids cradle cap is Johnson and Johnsons leave in conditioner/detangler. I used this on their hair for 2 weeks or so, and the cradle cap went away and never came back.

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

when my daughter had cradle cap i would scrub her head and gently but firmly scratch it with my nails. it cleared up in about a week (my daughter had a thick hed of hair). for th dry skin/eczema i would give him an oatmeal bath and then stick to creams and lotions with no scents (aveeno/eucerin brand). lotion 3 times a day! and use baby aquafor at night on the trouble spots. this is what i do with my daughter who has eczema due to allergies.

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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi E.,
My son has really dry skin. I use Aveeno baby lotion and Aveeno bath oil on him. Use the bath oil on the baby when he is wet after the bath then towel it off. It's not greasy and it really helps. Use some baby oil and a soft tooth brush on the cradle cap.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

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J.P.

answers from San Diego on

With almost any ailment, diet is linked. I would start there. If you need any advice on diet, let me know.

God Bless!

J.

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D.F.

answers from Santa Barbara on

I had the same problem with my son I switched to aveeno they even had a lotion for excema witch is the one that worked the best if you use johnsons you might want to stop cause my doctor said it was drying

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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son had the same problems. For the cradle cap we used Aquaphor (a vaseline type of consistency), we spread it in his hair like a leave-in conditioner and then combed it out - My sister-in-law (mother of 3) had to do it for me - I was too scared I would hurt him but it was fine and it never came back again. Now for the dry skin my doctor gave me Eucerin - it worked great. We used it every day until it went away and when it occasionally came back.

Congratulations on the new addition to your family.

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Ester,
I pormise it will work wonders. Anyone I've ever told to try it has called and says it was wonderful. I used it for my childs Eczema and it's the only thing that worked for us.
ShiKai Borage Dry Skin Therapy -Children's Formula. You can find it at Henry's or also at ShiKai.com Use morning and night and right after a bath.
Good Luck

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J.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter had very dry skin for the first few months. I used to put a few drops of grape seed oil (the cosmetic kind, not food kind) in the bath for the dry skin. For the cradle cap, use a clean nailbrush and scrub. Sounds harsh but a baby nanny gave me this advice, it cleared up and never came back. I did use a little of the grape seed oil on her head after using the brush.

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F.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi E.. I recommend using olive or vegetable oil to massage into his scalp or skin. Just a little will go a long way. Many skin-care products contain chemicals that could actually make skin drier or cause allergic reactions. They're usually disguised as "fragrance". If you prefer lotion check out your local health food store for all-natural hypoallergenic baby lotions or check out skindeepcosmetics.org. for a list of chemicals often found in skin-care and their sources and possible side effects. There's also a list of recommended natural products there. Good Luck!

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D.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

For the cradle cap I used (after a lot of research & talking to my pedi) olive oil. When he's in the bath you just rub it on his head and use a fine-toothed comb to comb off the flakes. For the dry skin/possible eczema I used California Baby "First Aid Calendula Cream". It's all natural and the calendula did WONDERS for my little one. Some Targets sell it along with stores like Mother's and Whole Foods.
Good luck!

M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

use a baby brush with vitamin E oil and gently scrub his scalp. it will go away with a few applications.

All my best, M.

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