Advice on Cradle Cap, Baby Acne or Ras - on Face

Hi H.,
My daughter, a healthy, heavy 10 month old baby had acne all over. It was awful to look at, but the good news is that she did grow out of it within a few months, and is absolutely beautiful! Hang in there :)
J.

Use the hydrocortizone cream. It worked quickly on my daughter's baby acne. As for the cradle cap, I think I put a bunch of lotion on her head and then combed it off with a fine tooth comb. It didn't all come off at once but most of it did.

Hello H., my three children never had cradle cap as babies, but my son, too, had baby acne. I tried different ointments, but not much helped. It finally went away at almost a year old. What I would try now,had I known about it then(19 years ago) would be Aloe Vera gel.,just apply very sparingly over his skin outbreaks. You can buy little travel size bottles of it at Target to try it out. Hope this helps some. Sincerely, CJ

The Birth essences from Prelandra seem to work like a charm for this. From the Garden Essences series there are two in particular that balance the electrical system and resolve this issue. You can read about it on their site or give them a call... or locate a practioner locally that can make up the rememdy for your baby. They are different than the Bach Flower Essences but work on the same principals.

I've also had good results with the TAPAS Acupressure Technique (TAT). An allergy or skin reaction of this sort many times is triggered by a trauma (a challenging birth counts) so using this technique's allergy protocal is quite successful before it goes any further or hides deeper in the system. TAT is amazing and EASY to learn – and also works for a whole host of other challenges... both physically, mentally and emotionally. I use it with children and teen issues quite a bit for quick, noticable relief.

Warmly,
L.

H., great advice sofar. I am not fond of going the medicinal route all of the time. My baby boy had a severe case of dermatitis. Started out as acne, cradle cap. Seemed like normal stuff babys have, just kept getting worse. Since he was breastfed, I changed my diet drastically. Went total lactose free and all. We changed soaps, we did everything possible. We went to the best peds in town and several saw him and did nothing. It was hormones, it was clogged pores, it was lactose, it was soap, etc. When the sores on his face began to crack and bleed they acted like it was no big deal. I finally got tired of it all. I went to a dermatologist, that is what insurance is for after all. He immediatly became very frustrated that not one of the areas top pediatricians recommeded a specialist. Keep in mind, my son's head was a complete case of dried pus by this time. He lost all his hair and had open wounds. He prescribed a new- new for 2000- non steroidal creme that pharmacy had to order at the time. Two days later the office called me to see how the progress was going. By the 3rd day there was a dramatic change. It took a long time but he eventually healed up. I immediatly changed pediatricians and actually found one who specializes in derm. We have had two different derm problems over the past 7 years but all treated quickly. Remember, I am really into home remedies first, have solved my dds constant ear infections and my ds's bronchial problems all with home solutions rather than prescriptions. When it is not basic, and I mean basic, baby care, see a specialist. They deal with special things daily. The pediatrician has good intentions but does not always have all the answers. It was worth the extra copay to get my son healthy. Good luck.

Hi there!

So, my daughter had really bad baby acne and it definitely is really sad. Your beautiful baby looks all beat up! I started working for an all natural health and wellness company in the last year and I swear by our baby products. They are so gentle and clear up everything! Especially cradle cap and eczema and dry skin. My oldest has really dry bumpy skin and we have a baby wash, oil and lotion--it literally is gone after 3 times of using. My 3rd little guy has eczema on his legs and when I use the lotion it disappears. The diaper creme has cleared up the worst in 2 days. I really don't mean to sound like a sales person, but it truly is amazing stuff and you don't feel bad putting on your baby because it is all natural. We have a 45 day return policy, so we really stand by our products. I loved everything so much, I started selling from home. If you are interested please e-mail me back at ____@____.com and I can tell you more. I really would try something like this before putting drugs (hydracortizone) on a baby. Hope this helps!

LS

First of all, congrats on your little guy! It is such an amazing time!!!

As for the baby acne and cradle cap, I would leave it for right now. If you really want to try something though, I would recommend looking into an all natural lotion/baby wash. My son has very sensitive skin, so we had to switch from Johnson's to Weleda (can find it at Whole Foods or Elephant Pharm) and I just recently bought California Baby stuff. The product is called "Calendula Cream Nature's First-Aid" by California Baby. It is awesome! I have been using it for about a week and my son's cradle cap is completely gone. It says it is used for face, body, diaper area and cradle cap. It is for skin sensitivities and eczema. I heard from friends that it works and it truly does! Good luck with it, I hope that he gets better!

S. D.

You summed it all up in that last little sentence - "hurts to look at". The "rash" or baby acne seems to bother parents more than the baby. No treatment is usually necessary other than gentle washing with a mild soap and water. It is caused by the stimulation of the baby's oil glands due to the increased hormones passed from the mother to baby at birth. Most of the time this appears in 3-4 weeks of life, however, just like in your case, it can occur later as well. I would just keep a check on it and make sure he's not showing any signs of pain or irritation from it by scratching at it and getting fussy because of it. I would have him wear little mittens to make sure he doesn't aggravate it. Hope this helps. It will go away with time, have faith ;-) I was the same way with my baby's dry skin. It looks bad, but they're like little lizards shedding their skin, especially after they get a bath.

I'm not sure if you still need advice with the cradle cap, but here's what you can do with that. Rub some baby oil on the spot and work it in with a baby comb, a fingernail brush, or a soft toothbrush. Wash all the oil off the scalp with shampoo or a mild soap when you are finished. Continue this each day until the cradle cap is gone.

H.,

My son had some baby acne when he was about 1 month, too. I didn't want to give him anything for it but it look icky. Anyway, he needed amoxycillin for a different problem, and when I gave it to him his acne cleared up. It never returned.

Maybe your pediatrician can prescribe some amoxicillin? But, is it worth the medication? I must say, I was relieved when the acne went away (from a vanity standpoint to be honest!)

Hi H.,
Congrats on Zachery - he sounds healthy and adorable. My little guy had such bad cradle cap for months that I always had a hat on him - constantly. Everyone kept saying that it would go away naturally it just didn't. Finally someone told me about the Mustela shampoo especially for cradle cap - baby's head cleared up in days. I'm not sure about Zachary's face, but this might help with his head.
Good luck,
Cheers,
L.
www.drinktoglow.com

Quick and easy - massage breastmilk into his skin a few times a day for several days. :) This will help heal his skin fairly quickly. :) It is also a lot safer for him than hydrocortizone...

You may also want to double check that food allergy possibility. Look to your family for a history of any allergy that caused a real problem. Dairy, of course, is the biggest offender. Easy way to see if it is an allergy - go off dairy completely for at least 2 weeks - see if the rash gets better. If it does, stay off for one more week, then challenge by eating dairy for one day. See what happens. If baby develops a rash again, you know it is an allergy. If not, continue to eat the dairy as you normally would and continue to watch baby. It may be that he can handle a little bit of dairy in your diet, but not a lot. :)

If you have other questions feel free to e-mail me privately. :) I am a Lactation Consultant and deal with this issue frequently. :)

Warmly,
J. Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM
www.breastfeedingnetwork.net

Hi H.,
I know exactly what you are going through. My son had the same thing. You can do the 1/2% hydrocortizone cream. Just monitor it. If it doesn't go away then I would say take him to the doctor and tell them because you are going to need the 1% cream and you can't get it without the presciption. If you do have to use the 1% just monitor that also. I only had to use it on my son on two different times when his rash got bad because it starts to thin the skin on his face. You could also just use a clean warm cloth often even it is ozzy. When it finally goes away and trust me it will just put lotion on his face after every bath time. My sons rash didn't go away till he was abotu eight months old. But even now his is two and he still get it on his face not as bad but it is still there. I hope this works. J.

My son had both baby acne and cradle cap. He is totally free of both now and has beautiful skin. I too, was worried and wanted to 'do' something but it is best left alone. I wouldn't even try a prescription cream.
I found that the gentle silicone bristle cradle cap brushes that you use with shampoo in the bath worked well followed by 'California Baby Super Sensitive Hair Conditioner' worked very well for his head. The acne will have to go on it's own. Maybe use some nice salve on it to keep it from getting too funky but don't worry, I promise that it will go.

H. we lived in Chicago when our first child was born, he had the same sort of thing, we figured from the cold and wind. Anyway, I use Arbonne products on my kids still to this day. It works on cradle cap (baby oil), exzema (baby lotion). Have you heard of it?

If you send me your address, I'll send you just a sample. You can reach me at ____@____.com

I love the product so much, I sell it now. The sample is free, just let me know.
E.

Hi, baby acne is very common. Nope, it's not pretty at all, but will go away. As one person said, it's from your hormones. Again, it will go awwy. I strongly suggest you talk to your ped again before trying any of the suggestions. Most peds recommend NOT trying to pinch the zits (I found this VERY hard!)& also suggest washing gently w/just water & mild soap. Continue w/what your ped has already recommnded but since it will go away, I woulnd't bother w/buying a bunch of cleaning products. Especially since most of those products are made for adults w/tougher skin. I always used baby products by Mustela. Well, I'm gonna sound a bit contradictory here....Mustle products are a bit pricier than most, but they also last a very long time. A little goes a long way. You can get them at Nordstrom, smaller baby stores & sometimes at Babies R Us stores but Babies also sells them on their web site. It will go away. Just be patient. Good luck!

I would use olive oil and a fine-toothed comb for the cradle cap. For the baby acne, just continue to nurse him, keep it clean, and stay away from the hydrocortizone. It's actually not good for babies at all. In some respect, your pediatrician is right - this is all normal, and will resolve in a couple of months. My son had both of these conditions too and now he's just beautiful. I suppose it's just a reminder to us that our babies, no matter how 'perfect' we want them to be, are simply human, like us. :)

My friend's baby was a mess with cradle cap and acne. She started using a baby care that is botanically based; Arbonne.
Her baby's skin care cleared up completely. For antoher testimony here is a link. https://www.arbonne.com/company/opportunity/people/testim...

Also, they offer a 45 day money back guarantee.

R.
www.rlovelyskin.myarbonne.com

Please don't laugh, but if you can stand it, put some Mayonnaise on his head for as long as you can, then wash gently with baby shampoo. Repeat a couple of times if needed. It helps to sit with him in the sun for a few monutes while it penetrates. If the cradle cap goes away ( the oil in the Mayo will dissolves the plaques), then the face should clear up as well. JB

I am sorry for what you are going through. Before you put hydrocortizone cream on your young baby's face, you should try Arbonne Baby care. They have incredible results! It will clear up his face and help his cradle cap. It is VERY safe as well. I can send more information on the botanically based ingredients. I can also send you a pediatrician's recommendation letter. She was amazed at the results and now perscribes this before any harsh lotions or steroids. I can also send you pictures of some of the results. Feel free to call me at ###-###-#### or e-mail me your e-mail address so I can forward you more information. The line is very well priced. I can also get it for you at a discount. It is money back guaranteed, so you have nothing to loose.

Trust your doctor -s/he sees this every day and would have told you if allergies were a possible cause. I remember my beautiful daughter also having acne and cradle cap. It did go away and I still remember my doctor telling me "That's why you don't see too many photos of two month olds!". So true!

I am a certified Quantum Touch practitioner, if I have your permission (respond), I will send 15 minutes free to Zachary. This is energy healing alternative medicine and is just a way to channel creator's love more effectively than we have been led to believe is possible. It is a concentrated prayer in my personal opinion. But I would not do anything without your permission.
Love, L.

Hi H. rashes are very normal for newborns and yes they look horrible especially on your beautiful baby's face. I would consider such things as what you wash his sheets, clothing etc. with and are you using soap, shampoo, or wipes on or near his face? Not always but if it was something you were eating he might also have a diaper rash. Hope this helps
D. (I am a RN and have specialized in newborns and preemies for 25years)

Hi,
My son had the same thing. The acne did eventually go away. I've been concerned about food allergies, too, and for several other reasons. The Baby Book by Dr. Sears says that if the acne appears early, in the 2nd week, and spreads past the face into the hair and to the neck and shoulders, it could be from an allergy to something in the breastmilk. You might see if he has any other signs of food allergies, or call your doctor to double check.
For cradle cap we use Denorex (sp?) shampoo twice a week. My son is almost 4 months and he still has a little bit of the cradle cap, but it improved A LOT when we started using that shampoo.
Hope that helps!

The acne will go away. Don't pick it, it will scar. My third had it and I think it is just all the hormones passing. Cradle cap you can get off by using a soft baby hair brush and a little baby soap. Also, I have heard of a lot of Mom's swearing by a little Head and Shoulders shampoo. Congrats on a healthy baby. J in Roseville

Hi H., I feel with you. We went through the same with our now 17 month old son. We got really concerned when he was about 3 month old, but looking at baby photos now, I realized that it must have started a lot earlier. Around 7-8 weeks. He had rashes in his face and on his belly and we were told it is normal. Once the Dr. told us to use hydrocortizone, we got worried. I am originally from Europe and cortizone for Babies is a big No, No there. Our son was breastfed only as well and I had eliminated diary products from my diet early on as he had a lot of gas. It took us about 3 month to solve his eczema problem. We found out that he is allergic to detergents. Apparently that is very common for little babies but Doctors either do not tell you about it or dont know about it. Go to the following web site: http://www.solveeczema.org/. It is worth a try. You can do a test which will tell you quickly if this might be the cause of your sons problem. It made a big difference for all our lifes. Danino is now 17 month old and eczema free since he was about 8 month old. We started him slowly on solids when he was about 7 month old. Until then he was exclusively breastfed. We continued breastfeeding until he was 13 month and we then switched to milk. Today he is a very good eater (loves veggies and fruits) and does not have any food allergies whatsoever. I am still not using detergents and it works well for us. If you would like to exchange more information, we can do that offline if you would prefer that.
All the best for you and your baby, C.

My daughter is 8 weeks old and she also got cradle cap and acne at 3 weeks. For the cradle cap I bought some cradle cap shampoo at Target and it worked. For the baby acne someone told me to use breast milk. Everytime I fed her I would put breast milk on her acne. In two days it cleared up. Let me know if it works for you too.

I have 3 sons and each of them had cradle cap. It wasn't until the 3rd son that I finally found a cure. I know it sounds crazy but it really works. Put mayonaise on your baby's head and leave it on for at least an hour and then wash it off. I only had to do it two days in a row and it was all gone. That was 21 years ago. Two years ago I had my first grandbaby and when he got cradle cap his mother called me to see if I knew what to do and I told her to try mayo and she did and it worked for him too. Good luck mommies. :)

Hi H., this is something I do know about. My daughter got it too and it sucked!! The doctor prescribed the stronger Hydrocortizone (can't remember what percent but the over-the-counter was NOT strong enough). I did that for a couple of days and then switched to the lower percent. It was gone almost within the first day. The cradle cap (she's six months old) continues to plague us, I have used mineral oil, olive oil, baby oil, Head and Shoulders shampoo and NOTHING really helps. Today (thanks for posting this and reminding me!) I am going to use the hydrocortizone on her scalp to try and clear up some of the bumps because now she's scratching them and making them bleed.

I hope this helps!!
J.

Hello there,
My son had the same thing. It's totally normal. But if you want to get rid of the cradle cap, my pediatrician recommended putting some baby oil on his head 1/2 hour before you bathe him. This will soften the scales, then you can shampoo it out. As for the rash my pediatrician prescribed a hydrocortisone cream to apply to his fave twice a day. It cleared out his skin in 2 days, might wanna give that a try. Good Luck and congratulations!

L. E

The acne is from the maternal hormones leaving his body, it will go away on its own, the cradle cap can be removed with oil. Just about any kind, leave it on for a while and then shampoo. It may take 3 or so times.
Don't worry!!
p.s, - I remember when the acne happened to my first son - I kept telling my friend what a beautiful baby I had and by the time she visited he was covered in the acne, his hair was falling out and he wasn't so pretty. It all works out fine!

I am sure this could be caused by many things -but the first ques I have is whether you are using any type of cleanser/soap on his face? I never used soaps on my children's faces just warm water and washcloth and no lotion. Something that doesn't bother the rest of his body could cause more sensitive facial area to have trouble. I would also try the hydro cream to help it clear up, and then use aquaphor or the like if it persists. Good luck, hope it clears up soon.

H.
For cradle cap you can use Selsen Blue half and half with water. Very little will go a long ways. Let it set on the head for about a minute and then wash his hair. Be care about not getting in his eye. That will clear up the cradle cap
Now for the baby acne. It could be casue from him droling on your breast as he is feeding. Wash his face with a clean wash rag after feeding. That should help the acne.
J.

Hello, my son who is now 2 years old, also had facial acne when he was a new born.He still has sensitive skin so at the first sign of any bumps on his face I wet a washcloth with warm water and wash his face and the bumps go away. The bumps he gets now looks nothing like the acne he had as a new born. What helped with his face was putting aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion on his face after each bath or anytime his skin seems dry.I also use the Aveeno baby wash, I couldn't use the Johnson and Johnson on him what so ever, no baby majic. I use Dreft laundry detergent on his clothes. While I was breastfeeding I also washed my shirts and bras in the Dreft. It seemed to help. He also had cradle cap, I bought and used infant shapmoo that was made for cradle cap. I also flaked as much off as I could in between his hair washings.Hopefully the lotion will work for you as it did me if you decide to try it. I still use it on him when he gets out of the bath.Good Luck, B.

Oh my gosh, this is the same situation I was in with my daughter. She got the normal "baby acne" around 4 or 5 weeks but it never went away. Pediatrician said it was eczema and that she'd outgrow it what he didn't tell me was that it's many times caused by a food allergy and most kids outgrow those by the age of 2!!! So her face looked like that until she was 8 months old and I figured out that all I had to do was take tomato and chocolate out of my diet!! She was also breastfed (for 3.5 years). Hers was also only on her face with sometimes dry patches on her legs just above her ankle. Here is my advice to you. Find a list of high allergy foods, dairy, soy, strawberry, chocolate, corn, wheat, egg, peanut, etc. It's going to seem hard but you can do it - take it all out of your diet for 2 weeks. It can take up to 2 weeks for foods to get out of our system and for symptoms to clear up. Then if his skin clears up, add the foods back in one at a time, maybe waiting a few days in-between foods and see which ones trigger a reaction. Then you will know what not to eat. Like I said, with my daughter, her skin was clear as long as I didn't eat tomato or chocolate (even though she's also allergic to dairy, wheat, egg... she was fine with them in my milk). She was also extremely sensitive to all Johnson & Johnson products. I would recommend using a more gentle brand (I use California Baby but it's pricey), Aveeno is a good choice. Switch to all fragrance free/dye free products for skin and laundry!! I find Trader Joe's "A Midsummer Night's Cream" to be the best for her skin. Lotions are irritating, always choose a cream over a lotion!! If the red turns yellow on his cheeks, you can rotate neosporin and hydrocortizone cream. But neosporin is an anti-biotic and hydrocortizone cream can thin the skin over time so this should be for short term use only. What you truly need to do is find and eliminate the trigger. I hope this helps. Reading your post just tugged at my heart as I always wished I had figured this all out sooner! She also had cradle cap which took longer to clear up but did get much better after eliminating the foods. I think it wasn't completely gone until she was 2 years old though, but barely noticable by then. Good luck! P.S. May I also suggest that if it is a food bothering her from your milk that you wait to introduce solids as long as possible. 9 months to 1 year. And wait even longer 1-2 years for high allergy foods. Blessings to you both!

Dear H.,

My granddaughter had the same issue. I read something on olive oil being very good for your skin (used in desert regions) so we gave it a try. It took a few times, but it cleared right up. We had tried cortisone creams, the cradle cap packs from Babies 'r Us, baby oil, etc. This was the only thing to work. Put some on your hand and rub it into the baby's scalp and on the face, ears, wherever there is a problem. Let it sit on the scalp and gently comb. Be careful not to irritate by over combing. After 3 tries it should be gone, but may take more due to the severity. My granddaughter's was bad and it took four treatments.

Good luck!

Don't worry about the baby acne and the cradle cap. They look terrible but they are normal and don't hurt your baby. They will go away by themselves. You just have to be patient. My two daughters had them and I was terrified. On my oldest daughter I used a low % hydrocortizone cream prescribed by the pediatrician and it helped her a lot with her acne within few days. The pediatrician said it is caused by dryness of the skin. On the other hand, the cradle cap lasted very long. She had it until she was at least 18 months old, I think. Don't worry, your baby is fine and will look good again soon.

I always use lotion on my kids when they were babies and now I use it on my grand children but the only lotion that I recommend is RENEW it's a lotion that does not have any chemicals that might harm the skin and it's 100% Guarentee if it does not work you can always ask for your money back...I have been using for years and since then never had a skin problems.....You can Contact me @ ____@____.com I actually have and Extra tube that you can have if want to try before you BUY....I can mail it to you....

M. G.

Hi, my second son had the same thing. So sad to look at. Such a beautiful child. Don't even worry, it went away without any scarring. Don't worry about what other people think. Those who love your baby (like you) won't see the acne!

Hello H.,

My daughter had the same problem. I took her to the doctor several times thinking it might be an allergy, it was just baby acne. The .5 hydrocortizone cream really helped my daughter in a fairly short period of time. And it completely cleared around 13 weeks.

Good Luck!
R.

It's normal. Don't do anything to it but wipe with a clean wet cloth. Don't pick it ...it will scar. My third baby had baby acne bad...but she got over it and he will too.

Hi H.,
My 4.5 mo old little girl had similar issues with her skin shortly after she arrived. Her cradle cap was sever and she has rash type symptoms on her face and body. My ped was a little cautious (always a good thing) and sent her to a Kaiser dermatologist. That DR suggested prescription 2% hydracortizon cream for her face and a skin cream called ceraVe. I bought it at the Kaiser pharmacy, but also available at Longs. Now Riley get a "spa" rub down in the morning and before bed and I only bathe her every other day. About a month ago, her skin did a total 180 and she is doing terrific. I feel confident that your little one will do the same very soon, but you may want to try the cream. It's awesome and I am loving using it too. Good luck!

Putting creams with cortisone on rashes, acne, eczema and other skin disorders as an allopathic treatment is extremely suppressive. It will palliate the condition, make it seem as if it has gone away, but in fact, it only pushes the same issue internally and deeper to more vital organs over time, and then allergies, asthma can develop.

The skin is considered the exit for diseases the body is trying to get rid of. Homeopathy helps that process naturally instead of suppressing it!

My advice is to seek a homeopathy who can help you balance your newborn's body and energy so that the rashes will disappear quickly and very gently as the reason for them appearing is also handled globally. Newborns can very easily be given homeopathy using the advanced methods of watery dosing. A rash is in the Psoric category in homeopathic terms and one of the easier issues to resolve for pennies in treatment!

Consider learning more about the homeopathic lifestyle for your child now is my strong advice. See our many articles women, pregnancy, delivery, babies and infants, etc. on the Homeopathy for Women website for additional information on homeopathy for yourself and those your love.

K. J. Kindem, Publisher
Homeopathy for Women
www.homeopathyForWomen.org

the baby acne is your hormones . he is getting acne because as in pregnancy your hormone levels change , they are regulating, and so is the babys. i am a foster mom and have had several babys with baby acne. theres seemed to go away at about 2 months, but since you are breats feeding it probably take a little longer. Because your hormones are still afecting them. some babys actually have swollen breast tissue because of this as well. but dont worry it wil all go away b4 6 months im sure with no scaring.
for the cradle cap, i have found that scrubbing the babys head very well with baby oil using a baby brush or the brush they use at the hospital works best. I know if you dont get it off it will turn black and smell. I had a 6 month old baby placed with me whos parents thought it was a birth mark but it was bad cradle cap that they ignored. It scrubed it off and the poor baby had a tanline:)

I agree with the person who mentioned the California baby and Weleda products, I use both. My daughter also had the acne, which she grew out of around 5 months, the cradle cap a little earlier. I would actually put the oil on her head before she went to bed and bathe her in the morning. Worked even better than only a half hour, but she had alot of hair to keep all the oil from rubbing off on the sheets.

She started getting the rash when the dry air of winter came. She has very sensitive skin but it is getting better with the weather. I used the California baby Aloe first aid lotion for that. It was the best for us. Somethimes though, when it is really bad I have put diaper cream on her face before bed. Only the non-toxic, natural Weleda type. She would go to sleep with a white rim around her mouth, but I always saw a dramatic improvement inthe morning.

Last thing about the rash, don't use a wash cloth. Try not to let anything rub the face, it only makes it worse. Especially when it is bad. Leaving food on the face will also give a rash...After eating I would take her to the sink, and use my hand and warm water to rinse the food off, rather than her wash clothe.

Hi H.....I have a Zachary too! Both my boys had cradle cap. A little Head and Shoulders cleared it up after about a week. My second son had the baby acne too. At the advice of our pediatrician, I used 1% hydrocortisone, which cleared it right up and it hasn't returned. Good luck!

Hi H. -

For cradle cap - my doctor suggested we use Mineral Oil, rub it on baby's head, and let it sit there for an hour or two - I would always put him down on a towel - then, use a soft baby brush to brush his head, and you'll notice chunks of the cap coming off in the brush - this worked great and took just a few weeks to get rid of.

Also - mine had pretty bad acne too, which I thought would never go away. I didn't put anything on it, and after about 4 months or so, it was pretty much all gone. give it time- he's beautiful regardless, right?

congrats!

C.

put breast milk on his face several times per day. I would be weary of putting cortisone since it's such a strong med. Breast milk always worked for us! It may also be something you are eating. Try and rule out a few of your major foods (maybe cow's milk?) Good luck. It is normal and happens to most of us. Just be optimistic because it will eventually go away for good!

Try over the counter Aquafore cream. It is the BEST for any skin irritation, acne, or dry skin. I am a healed burn victim and that was recommended by my dr years ago and now i use it on my 2 girls when their skin drys out. It's a miracle worker. I hope this helps. I have a 4 month old, but she's a preemie and she just now finally weighs 13 pnds...
Blessings,
LKS

My son had the same problem. His face on the left side was red and had many bumps that looked like aweful blemishes. I too had asked the doctor about it and go the same response as you. It's baby acne. It really does go away though, just when I thought it would never go away it started to clear up. I would put Aveno cream on this face and that seemed to make it less rough and red.

For the Cradle cap, I used a very soft plastic brush that was given to me at the hospital and I would use that on his head everytime I washed him and it really worked to just brush it out. I couldn't beleive the chuncks that would come off. If you have a soft comb that would work as well. Just keep brushing and combing his hair when you wash it and it too will just go away. All three of my boys had that and it really does just take time for it to go away.

My son had awful acne. A friend of mine suggested mild salt water. I used a washcloth to wash his face and after a few days it really seemed to help. It does go away I promise! Good luck.

Baby acne and cradle cap come along just when you want to take pictures, I find. There isn't anything to do for the acne. It's some sort of hormone thing that will pass. The cradle cap can be tackled with baby oil and a fine tooth comb, if your baby will put up with it. I never liked to get it off the soft spots, though! Hang in there -- it will pass.

Don't worry most babies get this after they are out in the open. Remember he's been floating around until 10 weeks ago he has to adjust to his new surroundings complete with it's pollution and all.

Good luck
T.

Hi H.,

I am H. too. I have four kids age 6 down to five months. We have had several skin issues, mostly allergies and eczema. Many rashes are food related and if you don't mind changing your diet may help. You need to remove something for awhile to truly get it completely out of your system and then to know if it is casuing the problem after about six weeks you need to challenge it by eating the food againa dn seeing if the symptoms return. One thing that can alleviate so much is breastmilk. Try rubbing a little expressed breastmilk on his face. It has helped with rashes for us as well as pink eye and snotty noses. Breast milk is full of antibacterial and antiviral proprerties and there is new research that sugeests there might even be stem cells in it.

H.

Don't do anything--it will pass!

Two of my children had rashes on their faces as babies that were due to food allergies. One was an allergy to egg via my breastmilk. The other reacted to dairy products eaten directly (from 10-14 months), but did not react to dairy in my breastmilk or to formula.

I was told not to use hydrocortizone on the face because it can cause permanent discoloration of the skin. Our allergist prescribed a special ointment for the face (I think it was called Ellidel or something like that.)

Perhaps you should consider switching peds. I'm not bothered too much by the advice that there is "nothing you can do" about the cradle cap and baby acne, but that should not be said about an oozy rash on the face.

If you try eliminating foods from your diet, I would start with egg, then dairy, then soy. Give it 1-2 weeks for each food. But it could be more than one food, or could be environmental (like pet hair, dust or pollen). And unfortunately allergy testing in babies is not very reliable. When they are younger, you often have to rely on elimination trials. Good news is babies often outgrow allergies.

Dear H.,
We all hear about how there is nothing more beautiful than a baby's skin. And, it's true. But, in the beginning, they may have some issues. I'm 45, had two kids 10 years apart, a girl and a boy. They both went through skin changes early on. Of course I thought these were traumas, at the time, but they really weren't. I'm not a doctor, but as a mom, think about it......babies live for nine months in a fluid environment. Then, all the sudden, they are exposed to air, clothing fibers, the touch of other humans, etc. It takes a little time for their systems to adjust. My daughter had a very flaky skalp, (which my son never did), so I kept her little head oiled after a bath until it passed. My son had the baby acne far worse than my daughter. (They both have flawless complections to this day.)I would advise monitoring your baby for getting sweaty on his head and face such as when he cries, sleeps, etc. You may want to rinse him with warm distilled water and if you use baby wash rags, make sure that you use baby detergent and no fabric softener. I noticed that my little boy got spots on both of his cheeks and it was from switching sides to nurse him. A little milk would dribble down and stay between his cheek and the breast while he nursed. I gently rinsed the milk off and dabbed him dry afterward and it took care of it. Whatever you do....just be gentle and rinse. No rubbing. Zachary is still a little infant and he will grow out of it as his system gets used to the world. Good luck with your beautiful baby.

I am a nursing mom also. My doctor suggested adding flax seed oil to my diet to help his cradle cap.I also carefully used dandruff shampoo on him.