Cant Get Rid of Cradle Cap - Tulsa,OK

Hey M., The best thing I found to do is when you go to give him a bath, at the begining of the bath put baby oil GEL on his head rub it in real good let it sit while you finish bathing him then use one of those softy baby hair brushes or even the little scrubby one you get at the hospital (all mamas have at least one of those)gently scrub his head going against the direction of hair growth so in the front brush back and at the back of his head brush up. Then just wash his hair you might even have do put lotion and a cap on him while he sleeps for a few nights. I promise this will work one of my boys had cradle cap really really bad and this worked when nothing else would. I even passed the advice along to a couple of my friends and they said they only had to do it once b/c their babies cradle cap was pretty mild. Was your son over due b/c mine was and thats why he was so peely. Good luck! Let us know how it all turns out. Oh, the Gel I used was just wal-mart brand.

Hi M.,

You may have already tried this, but this is what my pediatrician's nurse told me to do.

When you wash his hair with baby shampoo , use a soft baby brush and gently brush his scalp in soft circular motions and rinse the shampoo out. This might help. However, with more severe cases, I wonder if you should show your doctor and see if he recommends another product. Good luck!

Hair Conditioner - just use whatever you use on your hair, or get dove conditioner (what the hospital recommended). Put the conditioner on his hair and leave it for a couple of minutes, then just rinse it out. Amazingly it comes right out. You might have to do it twice if it's really bad, but this was the ONLY thing that worked for me. I wouldn't even have heard about it except I had to get an EEG for my daughter and this was what they said to do about the glue in her hair. So I asked if it works for cradle cap, too, and she said, "Oh yes, definitely." Tried it and wow, it was all gone. Seriously, the oil thing doesn't work. I tried it sooooo many times. Especially when they have a lot of hair. GL.

Rub olive oil all over his head 2 times a day and run a cool mist humidifier in the home.

My baby had Cradle Cap really badly when she was an infant and her pediatrician told me to use Selsun Blue. I hated having to do it as she was only 2 months old but I did it and it worked. She is 2 now and we still use it if I see any signs of a dry scalp. Just be really careful when using it as it's not a "no more tears" type of shampoo. Good Luck!

I used to work at a pediatrician's office and we would tell mothers to saturate the scalp with baby oil and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, while using a baby brush, gently scrub the scalp with any baby shampoo(don't worry about hurting him, the nurses in the nursery at the hospital where he was born were a lot rougher than you will be). If that still doesn't work, the nurses had a standing order for Selsum Blue. This should work, but if it continues to be a problem, talk to your pediatrician and they can call in prescription shampoo. Good luck and God Bless.

I did olive oil gently brushed into the scalp, leave on for about 2 hours then washout with dandruff shampoo (pediatrician recommended Selsun blue but I used generic dandruff shampoo). I would brush his hair while he was eating sometimes to loosen it up before putting on the olive oil. Within just a couple days his was gone.

Haved used this and it worked on our baby daughter ... our pediatrician told us to use the regular adult Selson Blue Dandruff shampoo (store brand would probably do just as well). You just have to be careful so it doesn't get in their eyes, but that wasn't difficult. Soap their scalp up and rinse. I was worried about her sensitive skin so I laid her on a towel on the kitchen counter and (stayed by her the entire time of course), soaped her scalp and just poured a glass of water on the hair area to rinse. Then I moved her to the bathroom for a regular bath. After doing this a few times during the week, it was gone by the end of just that one week. I guess we did it 3-4 times. If her scalp was looking flaky later, I would use it every once in a while and gone again!

My son had this also. Our pediatrician told up to use dandruff shampoo (like head and shoulders) twice a week. Just massage it in like regular shampoo and rinse it out. Don't use it every day, though. I hope this helps.

Once or twice a week, put some olive or vegetable oil on his scalp. Then lay his head down on top of some paper towels (don't use cloth towels, because, as you probably know, you're never supposed to put anything into the dryer after it's been dampened with any kind of oil, no matter how many times it's been washed first - it's an explosion and fire hazard).

Let the oil sit on his scalp for a while - 15 min. at least, but as long as you can. Then, take a baby brush, or even a toothbrush or comb, and exfoliate away. You'll be amazed. Now, you will probably have to do this regularly. No treatment will get rid of it once and for all. It clears up when it wants to.

After doing this, give your son a bath and shampoo that oil out so it doesn't get on everything.

Make sure you're using a natural, gentle shampoo - truly natural, with no chemicals in it. Make sure that you're not washing his hair more than twice a week (once is fine at this age, and you generally won't want to do it more when they have cradle cap, though twice a week some weeks is fine). Washing too much will dry the skin more and make it worse.

Save yourself some money. Nothing has any magical properties that plain old oil and the right care won't do. They're just trying to sell you more stuff. (They probably just stuck some of their hand lotion in a bottle with some of their shampoo, put "Cradle Cap Cure" on the label and put their advertising to work! ;)

L.

My 10 year old had cradle cap real bad when she was small and the doctor told us to use dandruff shampoo. It worked, but took so long to work. My 2 year old daughter had cradle cap bad when she was smaller and I found this stuff at Wal-Mart called "Cradle Cap Care". It's made by Gentle Naturals. IT WAS AWSOME!! It cleared her cradle cap up in about 3 days completely!! Like I said, I bought it at Wal-Mart in the baby section. You can search it on google (to see what the bottle looks like). It's in a light green bottle and has Disney baby wrote on the front with Pooh and Eeyore.

I got a foster baby that had terrible craddle cap and very thick hair I tried every thing The pedetrician told me to get Tegrin medicated shampoo and it worked. You just need to be careful to rinse well and avoid or cover his eyes when rinsing good luck

bama

my husbands grandmother told me to use a paste made up of baby shampoo and bakeing soda or babyoil and baking soda apply to the head and let sit a few min. then use your hands to scrub it out the baking soda will be an exfoliant hope this helps good luck

My 3 year-old son still has occasional problems with cradle cap (I think I do too). It seems to be caused by shampoos, or the chemicals in them. I switched him to Burt's Bees organic shampoo and it really has helped. I also only wash his hair 1-2x per week. I'm not big on oil, since i found it so hard to wash out of his hair...plus it requires MORE shampoo. I'm also not big on using the dandruff shampoos on his head since they are so harsh and nearly impossible to keep out of his eyes, however that is what the pediatrician recommended. I found that switching myself to organic shampoo helped my scalp too. One thing the pediatrician did tell me which was surprising is that the Johnson and Johnson products are not really good for kids (even the baby shampoo).

Please read Liev's post...I agree with her 100%!

Also, I highly recommend avoiding any dandruff shampoos and adult shampoos, J&J products, and petroleum products...baby oil. All very harsh on baby's skin and often full of toxins.

There are a few baby shampoos that truly are natural...they are not often found anywhere other than health food stores....be sure to read labels.
WELEDA is a good natural and safe brand for babies.
I've seen it at some Target stores.

Olive oil from the cupboard is fabulous as well as coconut oil.
My policy is: if I can't eat it, I won't put it on my baby's delicate skin.

Hope this helps.

Let us know what works for you.

I also have four kids 2 boys and 2 girls. All of them had really thick hair and their pediatrician had me to use on all of them Selsum Blue and it worked. But I have to give the credit for it really working to my mother because she was the one that really worked with their hair. First, she would put a little baby oil on the scalp to loosen. Second, she would brush the hair,not the scalp,to get the flakes out. Third, she would wash it with the Selsum Blue. Finally, after washing she would lay them across her lap and brush it dry and get more of the flakes out. She never touched the scalp because she did not want to irritate the scalp. She is a very good grandma for doing that for me and I hope her process will help you.

I don't know what they do nowadays, but when my kid's were young we would put baby oil on their cradle cap, let it soften the flakes, then comb them out with a baby comb. It's cheap and it works.

My son had that bad when he was a baby. Dr. Prichard told me that babies dont get very dirty and we as parents over clean our babies. So when this happens they get "baby dandruff". So what he told me to do is heat up some dawn dish liquid in the microwave for a few seconds then scrub his scalp with a baby comb until it is all gone.Then treat his head with baby oil to moisturize his scalp. Dandruff shampoos are to harsh on the baby's skin. He will cry but it has to be done. It took me two different setting to get it all but I did get it. Good Luck friend.

hi my name is S. an all babies get cradel cap, my son wasborn with alot of hair an had cradle cap bad, so i used baby oil,an a baby tooth brush,(softest one u can find.after his bath put baby oil on his scap where the craddle cap is an massage it in with the toothbrush, do not wash it out till his next bath ando this as often as u needto it will take afew times, also i would only shampoo it one daily an repeat the baby oil,after hishair dries then use ur baby brush an softly brush his hair. hope this helps ,craddle cap is just dry skin.this wont hurt him at all good luck toyou let me know if it works foryou

I agree with everything that's been said, but our ped recommeded doing the dandruff shampoo 2 times per week for two weeks and then again when needed to make certain you get it all.

My first daughter had cradle cap. I didn't have much luck with the oil and I didn't want to put adult dandruff shampoo on her. I just used a fingernail to gently scratch off the flakes while she nursed.

My pediatrician told me about Selson Blue - the dandruff shampoo - and it worked wonders. Use it once or twice a week. Instead of regular baby wash, lather it in your hands and put it on his head. Let it sit for 5 minutes and rinse. BE SURE NOT TO GET IT IN HIS EYES! IT BURNS - but it really works.

save your money! vegetable oil works fine. just massage it in and scrub his head with a baby brush. then, shampoo as usual. it should clear up after a couple of times.

I had great luck with olive oil when my DD was very little. It worked great!

Our pediatrician told us to use the shampoo called Neutrogina T-Gel (I used the generic kind, was a lot cheaper). It worked wonders. I used it once and there was a dramatic difference. I used it again a couple of days later and he has not gotten it again. He is 7 now. I would recommend it, but you have to make sure it does not get in his eyes.

The best thing is baby oil! Massage it through your baby's hair into the scalp. After about 5 mins use a baby brush (soft bristle) and brush his hair and scalp in all different directions. Do circular motion too. You'll be amazed. For the tougher spots use your fingernail to gently scrape it off. My daughter had the same problem, she just turned 3 and still will get a little cradle cap show up every now and then. It works better than anything else I've found and it's cheaper too. Take care.

Baby oil! just let it sit in the hair and then brush it through! Takes maybe 2 or 3 days tops! Hope that helps

Hi M.,

Are you aware that Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo has formaldehyde which is a dangerous chemical? It's sad, but it's true. Another name they use in its place is Quaternium 15. Since I have become educated about what's in many of our personal care and cleaning products, I have switched stores. I shop from a manufacturer that uses NO caustic chemicals in any of their products. If you'd like to know more, please message me. I can refer you...you have to be a member to shop there.

I used a baby oil made by Arbonne. I just put it on my daughter's head and let it sit for 5-10 min or so, then I brushed her hair w/the comb (they give you at hospital). Neither one of my other daughters ever had it, so it was new to me too. It finally went away maybe when she was 6-7 months. It lasted longer than I thought it would.

Hope this helps.
Sydne D'Anne

I too had this issue and it is something that you'll have to work with for a while. My daughter has since "grown out of it" so that is good. I used the Gentle Naturals (has Baby Winnie the Pooh and Baby Tiger on it- green bottle- Target, Walmart, Walgreens) Cradle Cap care. It's a thicker cream that you rub in and leave on for a bit then wash out. Something else I tried was putting Baby Oil on her head, massaging/brushing it in really well and putting a cotton cap on her head for an hour or so (as long as she would let the hat be on her head) then go and do a headwashing in the bath... Maybe some of this will help... I hope so...

My doctor told us to use just a little of regular dandruff shampoo on my daughter to clear it up. :)

Use baby oil! It works!!

Have you tried the cradle cap one that really stinks? (May be one of the Johnson & Johnsons, I don't recall.)

Are you sure it's cradle cap and not just a little dry scalp/dandruff? We use the tiniest bit of head & shoulders on the dry area every few shampoos & it clears it up great...just be super careful to avoid getting it in the eyes. Rub it in good and massage w/ your finger tips to loosen up the skin. It may take a few washes to entirely clear up the flakes.

Our pediatrician recommended Selsun Blue, or anything that has 1% Selenium Sulfide. It worked for us!

We generally use all natural products-- We love California Baby for our kids, but my son had cradle cap for over a year. We tried several different things, and the doctor suggested a dandruff shampoo. We tried 2 (Head & Shoulders & T-Gel) with no success. Finally a hairdresser had us buy Paul Mitchell's "Baby Don't Cry" shampoo. I do not know what was in it that made the difference, but we used that bottle and he has not had cradle cap or dandruff again. (We returned to California Baby when it was gone.)

Use Selson Blue, a small amount let it sit for 5 minutes then rinse. Get your husband to help to keep out of eyes. It is perfectly safe, it was a suggestion from my pediatrician and several nurses. If it is not strong enough, contact your doctor to get a prescription of selenium sulfide shampoo. It is the same stuff as Selson but a higher strength. I believe it is 2% rather than one. My son had cradle cap severly until he was 4 months and then the doctor gave me the prescription, because I had tried Selson and it cleared up with the prescribed treatment. I think I had to use it for 5 days.

M. - i didn't read all the responses posted, so sorry if this is a repeat. before you give him a bath - put baby oil on the spots and rub vigorously (vigorously for a baby) with an infant brush. then give him a bath 5 or 10 minutes later. cleared my sweet one's up in no time.

Have you tried Arbonne's skin conditioning oil? It is great for cradle cap and is made with herbs. It can also be used for alot of different things and is very concentrated. Ck out web at www.successfromtheheart.myarbonne.com

My pediatrician had us use Sebulex shampoo - you can get it at the drug store - I think it is a dandruff shampoo - I saw some other people suggest Selsum Blue which is probably the same type thing. Anyway it works great to clear up the cradle cap!!! Just make sure you don't get it in his eyes - its is not no more tears!!

Hello M.,

A friend of mine had this same problem when her youngest...The only thing that she found that works was what a dr. told her...That thing was take some baby oil and put it on the baby's head and then message it w/ a baby tooth brush then just wash the hair it only took a few times and it woked to get it out...I hope this works for you and your little one...H.

After using shampoo or cradle cap lotion, use a lice comb to comb away some of the loosened cradle cap before rinsing hair. Then wash again, don't rub too hard as this will maybe cause the scalp to bleed or become reddened.
Hope this helps....

Mother of 3 young adults/teenagers...

Both my boys had cradle cap, and all I did was rub warm baby or mineral oil on their head....a generous amount, and allow it to set. The I placed a warm washcloth on their head and let it set for a minute, then used one of those soft bristle baby brushes in a circular motion to loosen up the flakes, then wash their hair with warm water and mild soap, using a washcloth to massage their head. It usually is gone after the first time, but it won't hurt anything to do it a couple of times.

Hi M.. My oldest daughter had quite a bit of cradle cap even though she had a head full of beautiful curly hair. I used Eucerin on it. It's oily, so a little goes a long way. It will soften the flakes from the scalp and can be removed by brushing or washing. Whatever you do, don't peel the flakes from the scalp. It can pull your baby's hair out right along with the flakes. Wal-mart has a generic brand that works just as well. Good luck!

Hello, my name is B. moore this is an old school remedy take little vaseline in a separate container and mix a little baking soda with the vaseline not much vaseline this doesnt fill good to your fingers but it works apply a little on the babys scalp and the next two days you will be able to brush it out you may have to repeat this depending how thick the cradle cap is this a old remedy from the older moms it worked for me johnson products only makes it worse,dont scratch it out the baby may lose hair dont apply this if the scalp is red,and irritaed.

The old fashioned solution was oil. I think we used baby oil but I believe Olive oil is better choice. Oil his head to soften the crusties then brush it out GENTLY