Cradle Cap - Orland Park, IL

I heard never to use baby oil. There is a scrubber type thing that you can get at walgreens or CVS in the baby isle. You put shampoo in it and genly scrub their head while they are in the bath and then use a fine tooth comb to comb the flakes out. Good luck!

It takes a few weeks for it to go away once you start using the baby oil, but it does work. Some other oils that work are olive oil and carrot oil. Massage the oil into the babies head several times a day. I found that I needed a little more oil right after I'd wash her hair.

Mustella makes a cradle cap baby shampoothat works really well. It is available at BabiesRus. Its expensive( $13) but it lasted us about 8 months with use every other day, so for me it was worth it. Hope this helps.

Not too much else to add, except that I recently took my son to the dermatologist for severe dry skin. He also had REALLY bad cradle cap hidden under his hair. The dermatologist said cradle cap is always the parent's problem, not the child's. In other words, they always outgrow it and it's nothing to worry about. It's just aesthetics. Our pediatrician recommended the baby oil thing. We've also used the Nature's way, I think it's called, cradle cap treatment. And my sister has used Selsun Blue. Can try any of that for it.

There's some shampoos that you can buy at pretty much any store. They are sort of like dandruff shampoos. I also heard about rubbing the baby oil or vegatable oil on the head and using an old toothbrush to lift up and remove the scales.

Hi!
My son had this problem when he was younger. We used Head and Shoulders shampoo on it and it took care of it. I did not do the "oil" thing b/c my sister tried it on her baby and her head was greasy for a while! The Head and Shoulders worked great--just be sure to rinse carefully b/c it is not "No More Tears!"

L.

I used safflower oil and it was gone in a day. And it's good for their skin and doesn't clog their pores. Baby oil is actually not good for them.

Kara,
Eveeno has a lotion just for cradle cap. It works really well you can find it at Target, Kmart, Walgreens, Babies R US, etc...
I used baby oil on my son when he was a baby,(now 10) it works o.k. but I aslo would pick it off a after the oil was on for a while otherwise it did not come off. Check the baby section of lotions their are all different ones on the marker now...
Best Wishes, Kris

Hi Kara

I shampooed my baby's head at least every week, and that did the trick for me.

L.

olive oil ang let it soak while brushing it out with a soft bristle brush works well!

BABYS CAN DIE FROM INGESTING ANY AMOUNT OF BABY OIL

Just use Olive oil massage in and put on a cotton baby cap.

DON'T USE OIL! :) I think cradle cap is actually caused by too much oil in the scalp. There is a GREAT product you can get at Target for cradle cap. It has WInnie the Pooh on the front. (the name escapes me) but they have an exczema wash and cream and a cradle cap wash. The eczema one has worked wonders for my son so I think the cradle cap one would be great, too. Good luck. It should resolve on its own, anyway. But I know how you must want it to go away.

GENTLE NATURALS. That's the name. It just came to me. :) Good luck.

I read somewhere to use olive oil and scrub it in her scalp before washing her hair, and I tried it and it worked for my son.

:-)M.
Mommy Blog: http://wantsugar.blogspot.com

Just had that prob with my four month old the other weak. Olive oil is wonderful - - walked in the kitchen, rub a bit in, it shampoo'd out easily. I only did it twice and it's gone!!

Our ped actually recommended a little Head and Shoulders. Worked like a charm!

My 13 mo. still has a patch of it on his head- my pediatrician told me to use a dandruff shampoo. I use Selsum Blue and when I wash his hair, I use the baby brush to kind of scrub it. It has definitely helped.

My doctor said to use Selsun Blue - but to make sure that we used the unmedicated version, otherwise it is too tingly for the baby.

Try other suggestions besided the oil. I tried that on my daughter and the next day her head lookee like she was sunburned.

Hi Kara,

I did one treatment of petroleum jelly on the affected area. I really worked it in and let it sit for a little while. It is really messy, but it works! It will wash out, but takes about a week to fully disappear. The hair just appears a bit greasy for a few days, but that will fade as you wash it out each day. Steer clear of holidays or pictures while you're treating! Good luck!

I used to put baby oil on my kids' heads and rub it in with a soft baby hair bruch. I would let it sit for a few minutes then wash it out in the bathtub. It worked great and if you wash it out right away it is not greasy.

Baby oil does help. There is also a line of shampoos (can't think of the name of it... but it's in a sea green bottle)... in baby isle section and they have soap just for cradle cap too. :)

I've used olive oil and baby oil, or you could also use the scented oils from Burts Bees, I guess. As long as they don't have a full head of hair, it washes out easily with baby shampoo. I did have to repeat the oil every couple of weeks for a while, though.

The finer the oil the better. But also if you are looking for a non oil alternative you can experiment with a high alkaline cleanser gentle enough for babies. Think "the smaller the molecule the better". Maybe ask Shaklee if they recommend something because we used to use the Basic H but that what years ago and I don't know if it is really safe for infants. Sesame oil is very fine and Neutragena used to make a scented version that was wonderful, again this is just the "theory" behind the principle. It has been a while for me and I love olive oil, but often hoped for a nicer scent.

Hi Kara-

I tried a few different things and Mustela's Cradle Cap treatment worked the best. It's a cream you apply and then wash out easily. I also used a baby comb to lift the flakes. I got it at Bigelow Apothecary at Woodfield Mall but you can purchase it at many different places. I know they also sell it on Drugstore.com.

Good luck!
D.

My son had cradle cap when he was about 3 months old, and his pediatrician suggested using Neutrogena T-Gel. This worked really well - we shampooed with it every day for about 2 weeks, then cut back to every other day until the cradle cap was completely gone. We had used the olive oil method first, but it didn't work very well, and the T-Gel is much easier and less messy.

I used mustella Baby shampoo, it cleared it right up. Mustella has an entire line of baby products. You can google Mustella and order online or find a store near you that carries it.

both of my kids got it and i just put some baby lotion or baby oil on there head. Hope you get it cleared up.

I don't know, I have four kids and have never had this happen to any of my babies! I make sure they get baths every night and only use J&J shampoo. The yellow one with no extra smells and stuff. You have to make sure you rinse it out really good also. Scales can be shampoo build up. But I think it works great. I swear by it. Good luck with the other ideas though.

I will tell you what NOT to use, Gentle Naturals (sea green bottle) makes a cradle cap treatment. It is oily, messy, smells bad, and took about a week to get out of her hair. I swear I washed her hair about 10 times before the smell was gone, and after all of that, guess what, she still had cradle cap. I just used a brush to loosen it, and mostly just waited it out. Over time it went away.

I saw a lot of people comment. I was told to use baby oil gel. It works great. It is thicker than oil itself. Your baby will not be greasy. i use it like leave in conditioner. If it is really bad use dandruff shampoo once a week. Whatever you do, do not scrub it too hard it makes it worse and it hurts te child.

S.

We had a brief period of it too. Baby oil works, so does olive oil. What worked the best for us was sun block. We had put it all over his head while on vacation and its oily enough that it helped lift all of the patches. I also liked it better because it was thicker and I didn't have to worry about it running onto his face.

Good luck!!

I agree with the other posters - the olive oil trick works like magic. I only had to do this once or twice with my son and all the dry flakes were gone.

My mother swears by Phisoderm for cradle cap. She said she used it for myself and my brothers. She would just wash our hair with the Phisoderm and use a soft brush to kind of rub it around.

my son is now almost 8 mos. old. he had cradle cap, and we just let it handle itself naturally. he's (still) bald so it was pretty obvious but ultimately after bathing/shampoos and soft brushes, it all just went away. it doesn't bother the baby is my understanding. he was never bothered by it.

Hi Kara

My son had the same problem when he was 2 months old ,I tried almost everything ,ran from doc to doc....Nothing worked

Came to know that OIL is one of the culprit,STOP using any oil..as at this age you never know what the child is allergic to.

One of the nurse at my son`s pediatrician office helped with a simple advise..She asked me to apply VASELINE on his head...It really worked wonders,,after few days you would see flakes coming out (along with hair) & in a month she will fine..
By applying I mean to apply a LOT,,,I know it will be messy on bed & pillows but I know you are willing to do this for your Baby.

One more thing try to buy Vaseline with no scent ,the regular one.

Hope it helps...
good Luck
L

Hi Kara, I have been a child care provider since 1996. Many of the children that I cared for in the past had cradle cap. I would suggest shea butter. It is 100% natural. (Not Shea Butter lotion) it must be Shea Butter Formula. I always found it at Whole Foods or any health food store. This worked for everyone who used it. It is thick so you have to rub it in your hands until it melts and it wont leave a greasy mess. My son had a bad case of eczema and after using Shea Butter Formula he never had this problem again.

Good Luck

P.

My son had the same thing. Crade cap is caused by dry skin. How often does your daughter get a bath? (Not to imply she needs one!) LOL! Her scalp could be drying out because she's getting too many baths. Trying cutting back to just a couple times a week.

Before the bath, take any oil (baby, olive, etc.) and massage it into her scalp. I found it helpful to use a new super-soft toothbrush to remove the flaky skin. Then wash her head as normal.

Good Luck! C.

My son had this too. He had and still has a TON of hair. I agree with the other moms. Olive or baby oil. Then you can use a fine tooth comb if the baby has a lot of hair to get some of it out. I have also seen some items at Target that are for cradle cap, but I don't know if they work or not. They were in the baby section.
Good Luck!

Our doctor told us to use a very small ammount of dandruff shampoo 3 times a week and then comb her hair with a fine toothed comb to pick up the flakes. This has helped but hasn't completely solved the problem. If you try this be very careful not to get any in her eyes and flush thoroughly with water if you do get some by accident.

My daughter had it once, and I used Mustela Newborn Foam Shampoo... when I bathed her (every day or two until it cleared up). Then, I would take her baby comb, and gently rub it back and forth on her scalp as I combed her hair after her bath. It cleared up within a week or two (and never came back!).

The baby oil will work, but there are two more steps. After putting a little on her head, let it set for a minute to soften the skin. Then with a baby comb gentle back comb off the flaky part. When that is finished, be sure and wash her hair. My daughter had cradle cap and after doing this a few times, it went away. Hope this helps.

M. W.

I made sure to shampoo my baby's hair everyday- that seemed to work great! I have heard the baby oil method too.
good luck!

Yes, your mother-in-law is right. All 3 of my kids, including my twins, had pretty severe cases of cradle cap, and after their baths, I rubbed some baby oil on their scalps with a washcloth. It took several times, but eventually the cradle cap went away. Good luck.

My brother had that when he was small and my mother had used wheat germ oil and vitamin e oil on his head and would use a baby comb to comb it off and it had worked!

Hi Kara,
My twin daughters who are 7 yrs old had cradle cap when they were babies. I do have to agree with your mother in law. My mom told me to use baby oil and it went away within a couple of weeks and never came back. I would try it, worked for me.
Good luck.

Hi Kara,
I had the same situation with my daughter....darn cradle cap. I used regular baby shampoo(Johnson & Johnson no more tears) and then used a really soft bristled baby brush and massaged it into her scalp, gently, for about a minute. After the very first time I was able to see the flaking coming off as I massaged. I also did use pure Jojoba oil once in a while but in all honesty, could not stand her having greasy hair, even though she doesn't have a lot of it, even now at 5 months! I was also told by my pediatrician that if the above doesn't work, you could use a dandruff shampoo but to be EXTRA careful not to get it in her eyes.
It went away completely about 2 weeks after I used the soft bristle massaging.
I hope this helps. Best of luck!
K.

I just saw my pediatrician for the same issue and she told me to apply hydro-cortisone 1% twice a day - once in the morning and again before bed. I did it for about a week and it's gone now. My doctor also had me apply aquaphor in between throughout the day. She said baby oil is also fine to apply. If you have the book Baby 411, they tell you doctors will often recommend this. My girlfriend applied baby oil on the craddle cap and then brushed it off with a baby brush prior to bathing her child and that worked for her. Good luck!

R.

Gentle naturals from Baby Orajel makes a cradle cap treatment. It worked like a charm for my daughter. You can find it at Target for 5 or 6 dollars. It's a lot less messy than baby oil too!! Just remeber a little goes a long way, think the size of a pea, and follow the directions accordingly. I would not put any dandruff shampoos on there, as they are very harsh, and truly meany for dry scalp, not for over active oil glands in the scalp that trap dead skin cells which is what cradle cap is, hope this helps

Hi!
My daughter actually had the same problem. I know it may not look the nicest, but it's best simply to keep combing it out and leaving it as it is, because the oils do not work very well and are rather messy. My baby grew out of it after a month or so.