4-Yr-old with Cradle Cap???

Try this stuff:

http://www.dermstore.com/product_Stelaker_8889.htm

I've never used it, but I use the whole Mustela line for my son w/ terrible eczema & it is the only stuff that works for that (without steroids). I would think if their line is that good, then this will work for you. You can buy it at this site w/ free shipping & no tax, or Bath & Body Works in Fox Valley carries the line too (smaller bath & body works stores do not).

Hello B.,
Just a quick old school remedy that worked well for me.. with both of my children early on (a few months old each) and also my sister..who had it really bad!

What the doctor advises is partially true.. however gross it is.. what you need to do is get the vitamin E and rub it in really well.. this will help to soften the scabs (that's what it is). Then, when she is still, take a comb and GENTLY scratch her scalp to loosen the flakes.. afterward, wash her hair to get all of the flakes and oil out.

You will need to use a brush of some sort to also help lift this out but if you do this every other day or two, it will be clear in about a week..

As I've said, I did this with my two sons, as well as my sister and it does work.

p.s. my ped advised that you can also use a dandruff shampoo as well but I didn't as I thought that was too harsh.

Good luck!

Hi B.,

When my 2 month old got cradle cap, his doctor advised to rub some head and shoulders dandruff shampoo on his scalp. leave it on for 2 minutes and then rub with some soft brush and wash it off. This should be followed by an olive oil massage and another round of brushing. However, this should be done only 2-3 times a week. Frankly I was hesitant to put the strong shampoo on my son's scalp but she insisted that its safe (as long as I don't let it get into his eyes). She said not to take cradle cap lightly as some children develop infection underneath it. I followed this routine for 3 weeks and it was gone and didn't come back !

What worked for my guy was giving him Children's powdered acidophilus that I bought at Whole Foods. I just disolved the small amount into his juice or milk and it cleared it up fast. I didn't use any oil on it or anything, but you may want to try both remedies? Check this out:
http://www.alive.com/2702a9a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=152
Good luck!

I am a 32 yo with skin issues all my life and unfortunately I passed them on to both of my children. Both kids had a servere case of cradle cap and in the case of my daughter the dermatologist that I see gave me a scrip for a special shampoo. Do not try the oils b/c if it is something skin related it will make it worse! If you are wanting more answers switch docs. or go to a dermatologist. I had to switch docs. on my kids 4 times before I found one that would not look at me like I was crazy. Nowadays I can wash my daughters hair with head and shoulders at the first sign of an outbreak and it clears it up. Both my children also take allergy meds. I would try any otc cradle cap remedies that you are willing to shell out money for, then go to a doc for a scrip.

Yes it is possible. Both my sons had trouble with it. Try extra virgin olive oil on the scalp. It cleared the problem up for us.

My son is almost four and we're still dealing with it too. I've been getting more aggressive lately and here's what I do. At the end of a really long bath I put on a TV show (huge treat for him!) and a super fine tooth comb and just go at it until the skin is no longer soft. I ususally get about 10-15 minutes before his scalp dries. He hates it because it pulls his hair a bit which is why I only do it in small increments only about once a week.

FYI... the areas I've worked are still in good shape so I'm relieved!
Good luck.

Sometimes long term cradle cap can be due to a yeast imbalance. If you haven't tried probiotics, you can pick up a few great brands at whole foods that are designed for children. If you have any questions, call the office or find a pediatric chiropractor close to you (www.icpa4kids.org).
Best of Luck,
Dr. J.
###-###-####

i had the same prob with my 3 yr old son. his ped. said to just use regular conditioner after his shampoo and it worked.

Hi B.:

My son had the same problem all the way up to last May.(he is now 5 yrs) I did some internet research and found this incredible new store on line. They have a line of shampoos' and conditioners' that have changed my sons' cradle cap situation. Now it's been more than a year and there is no trace of cradle cap. If you would like more info, please contact me at:

____@____.com

J.

My 6 month old baby has cradle cap too. I just rub Johnsons Baby Oil (which is basically just mineral oil) into her scalp, let it soak in for about 10 minutes & then shampoo it out. It is kind of greasy so I shampooed & rinsed twice to make sure her hair didn't have a greasy residue. This works really well!

Tea Tree oil is very strong. I've used shampoo with it and it feels like it's burning. I wouldn't want to get it in my eyes. I've heard that rubbing olive oil in the scalp will help. She shouldn't wash her hair as much. Try another brand of shampoo. Be sure she uses conditioner. Make sure that she rinses her hair really well. My son got it from not rinsing the shampoo/conditioner off all the way. Good luck.

Baby Orajel makes a Gentle Naturals product line...can get it at Target or Walgreens. They have a cradle cap treatment that works great. My daughter had it really bad, and it cleared it right up in about a week. THe other thing her doctor reccomended was about a dime sizr amount of dandruff shampoo rubbed in and then rinsed really well, obviously not getting intho the eyes. Personally I never did this one, becasue to me olive oil sounded preferable.

Hi B.-

My 2 yo daughter had it on and off for her first whole year. She is very fair and it was really grose as you could see it in her scalp too. I tried many products with little results until I bought the Mustela Cradle Cap Treatment. It works like a dream! None of the home remedies worked well nor did the inexpensive lotions you can buy at Target. I bought it at Bigelow at Woodfield Mall for about $15. Very worth the money!

Good luck!
D.

Forget the ped., go to a skin specialist

My 3.5 daughter had a waxy build-up on her scalp for a year or so. I never brought it up with our pediatrician. We wrote it off as dry skin and would scrub it and brush it off as necessary. It was a bit embarrassing to us, although no one ever called attention to it. I guess because it was usually buried. I, myself, felt guilty that I did something wrong.

When we took her for a haircut at Hair Cuttery a couple of months ago, the stylist said it was a form of dandruff and suggested the Redken dandruff shampoo. She said there's no definitive cause, just that some people are prone to the waxy kind. It was definitely more than I usually spend on shampoo, but for little heads you only need a little bit, so the bottle will last a long time. It worked very, very well. We stopped using it a couple of weeks ago, but we have it handy if it reoccurs.

My daughter is four and still has it. I just noticed it the other night at football practice for her brother! I use baby oil and a comb, like the other reader and then it is gone for good. No need for exspensive shampoos. Good luck!

I swear by Burt's Bees Baby Oil. You can get it at Target in the baby section. I used it on my daughters cradle cap. It's not greasy and has a very nice smell to it. Very easy to rinse out and it left her hair really soft. I left it on her hair for about 5 minutes while she played then took a comb and the cradle cap came right out.

Hope this helps and Good Luck

Hey B., what I did for my kids were two things. 1. I tried Hydrocortisone cream first it helps a little. 2. while they were taking a bath i would comb their hair while it still had shampoo in it. They think your just combing their hair but your really combing it out. If your really not sure of what to do then get a second medical opinion. It doesnt hurt to ask. :) Good Luck

I simply put baby oil on my baby's head, then combed out all the cradle cap very gently with a very thin toothed comb. From that point on I made sure I rinsed her hair very thoroughly after washing so there'd be no more build up.

The end.

S

Hi B.-have you tried tea tree oil?? It is great for cradle cap, dandruff, etc...clove or peppermint oil work very well and your local health food store, whole foods or a discount website will have it such as vitacost or naturalwebstore.com. You can get shampoos with those oils in it or just order the bottle. You can apply extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil to her hair in the evening (if she showers the next morning of course to help loosen those patches-all organic if you can) Also-what are you using as a shampoo & conditioner on her hair-you will want to stay away from conventional products most have oil by-products and very harsh chemicals. Those are contributors. Let me know if you have any other questions.

T.

Detox Coach

Burts Bees Feelin' Flakey shampoo. (found in the organic section) Works for my 4 y.o. She has a re occuring spot that shows up 1-2 times a year. we use it for a day or two and it is gone!

My pediatrician had me use Neutrogena T-Gel. It has a strong distinctive smell but worked.

I use baby oil on my 2 year old's scalp. The oil softens the cradle cap and then you can kind of scrape it away with a comb or your fingernails.

I highly recommend to use Selsen Blue dandruff shampoo (not any other brand), the medicine in it helped my son get rid his, this was recommended by his pediatrician who said my son's dermatitis was the worst he's seen in his practice (nice superlative, huh?) it was infected too, so he had to take antibiotics

Try emu oil. It has worked wonders on a variety of skin problems for all of my children, including curing cradle cap! It's great for adults too!
I was doubtful at first, but my sister insisted that I try it, and now I love the stuff!
And a little goes a long way.
Good luck!

Are you sure it is cradle cap? my 5 year old had what looked exactly like cradle cap in her scalp and the doctor didn't think it was anything to worry about. Well, it was getting worse, so I went to another doctor and they did a culture on the scalp and she actually had a fungus growing in her hair. Because it went months without being diagnosed or treated, her hair started to fall out in the affected area. Once it was diagnosed, she took a VERY strong antibiotic and some special shampoo and it was gone in a couple weeks. Although she did have to take the medicine for 2 months. What she had was in the same fungus family of ringworm, but it affects only the scalp. It is very contagious. A girl at my daughter's daycare got this right before my daughter and she ended up losing a lot of her hair.
I just thought you might want to ask the doctor to culture the cradle cap your daughter has to make sure it isn't anything serious. We switched doctors after this incident.

Hi B. -
I was amazed how well using Extra Virgin Olive Oil worked on my little one. Her cradle cap was gone in one afternoon! I massaged the oil in her scalp and before I rinsed her head - I used a baby soft bristle brush and brushed her hair in a circular motion and flakes just starting to come off. I then used a fine comb to try to pull up the flakes. I then put a baby hat on her head to let the oil soak in for about a half hour (I nursed her during this time so she wouldn't mess with the hat - but maybe for your 4 year old - just having her watch a favorite movie would distract her). Then I rinsed her hair out (shampoo twice to make sure the oil gets out). I was so happy with how the results worked (plus I didn't have to buy anything special - it is already something we had in the kitchen). I wish I had done it earlier because I kept thinking it will go away eventually. Good Luck!

Hi B.,

You have received several suggestions here, many with merit, I'm sure. I would like to suggest a purely natural, safe alternative to your child's needs, as well as your home and entire family. First, however, check this out:

Chemicals in baby shampoo: What to do now...
After a new study suggests that baby products may expose infants to dangerous chemicals, msnbc.com readers e-mailed us their questions and concerns, and we turned to leading pediatricians for answers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22999573/from/ET/

Care to hear more about safer products for your home and family? Please call me at ###-###-#### or check out my website: http://www.livetotalwellness.com/bevk .

Good luck with your little girl.

B.

Hi. My pediatrician recommended Neutragena T-GEL shampoo and conditioner. I used it on my baby (now 1) and it seemed to help quite a bit. Good Luck!

My suggestion would be to take your daughter to a pediatric dermatologist. My son had bad cradle cap from when he was a newborn. After lots of dr. visits and meds we finally were refered to a ped derm and found he had eczema. They gave us a steroidal cream, but there are also other creams you can buy. Aquaphor works really well, You can get it at any store, but I would have her see a doc first to make sure what she has. Best of luck to you!!

My 4 year old has the same issue. My doc said to use Delsyn Blue. I have to admit, I have not been working very hard at getting rid of it as my girl gets impatient. I have also used the baby oil gel. It just seems that it comes back.

Yes, I hear you, this is another one of those things doctors are telling parents not to worry about. I basically figuered this out myself, to suds up their hair (not at bath time) and let this soften their scalps, and then scratch it off with my nails. I suppose there are scientific reasons to use the oil products, but the baby shampoo worked well. The babies and kids I've used this on have all tolerated it very well, it must feel good, like a head massage. Usually it takes more than one session as they get tired of sitting still. It might seem that they would feel pain when scratching out the thicker parts, but they don't mind, and I think your daughter will be happy to be rid of it. Also, as far as I know, it has not come back.

My twins both had cradle cap (& bad). I tried so many different things that didn't work like baby oil, vitamin E, expensive cradle cap shampoos, olive oil, you name it. Finally, after a month or so of trying to remove their persistent cradle cap, I found something that worked & with one treatment only. I bought mineral oil (you can find at your local pharmacy) & a bottle of Selsun Blue shampoo (dandruff control). I rubbed mineral oil, maybe about a teaspoon, massaged it into the scalp with a toothbrush, put a hat on their head for 10 minutes, & then washed it out with Selsun Blue (I washed 2x to be sure to get all the mineral oil out) & the cradle cap came completely out! I was so surprised at how quick it was & I only needed 1 treatment to get rid of all of it. As I was washing their hair, I did use the toothbrush to rid all the clumps of cradle cap that were literally falling out. Ten minutes later, I did the same thing on my other twin & I'm happy to say we had been cradle-cap free since. The boys look so gorgeous without all that cradle cap!

My doctor told me to use Head and Shoulders on my then 6-month-old for his cradle cap after no amount of baby oil and brushing would get rid of it. I think you have to make sure you wash her hair every other day because it is caused by oil built up and you have to rinse well because head & shoulders doesn't have a no tears formula. It worked wonders for my son, good luck!

What I use to do is 5 to 10 minutes before shower my kinds I'd put baby oil and gentley massage it in making it easier to wash the cradle cap off over time. Something new might be to put a drop of tea tree oil in the shampoo it will help moisturize the scalp...a very lil goes a long way...

Good Luck

Mother of 5, Nana to 4 and the family just keeps growing...

My oldest daughter also had cradle cap quite bad & I feel your pain!

The problem may be continuing because the products you are using aren't agreeing with her system... you should try Arbonne Int. baby hair/body wash and their baby body oil. They are botanically based formulas without mineral oil, which is an "occlusive" oil. If you want to know more about Arbonne products, please ask me!

More than likely you won't ever get rid of the cradlecap without "disturbing" it ~ brushing or combing your daughter's scalp while you have it lubricated. This will no doubt disturb both YOU & your daughter! Persistance will pay off eventually.

God bless you & your family! K.