Need Advice on Severe Cradle Cap

I used baby oil for both of my boys and a baby TOOTHBRUSH plus baby comb. Be super gentle and don't expect to get it all out right away - it might take a little bit every day or every other day for a week or so. Gently massage the oil with the baby toothbrush and comb out the flakes. Good luck!

I tried everything you could imagine with my daughters cradle cap 2 1/2 years ago--finally I talked with a co-workers wife who gave me such simple advice & it worked--continue using the johnsons baby shampoo I did this every other day---not a full head wash--I washed my daughters hair in the kitchen sink if short on time & only washed where there was cradle cap & then I put on vaseline, & it finally went away--trust me, I tried everything & my husband used the hospital brush (that rectangular plastic one & combed the vaseline into the cradle cap) I would do this every night if the cradle cap is bad enough---we did it at night so the vaseline would penetrate the scalp--it was gone in no time! Good Luck!

I'm a Shaklee distributor and when my granddaughter was born I gave my daughter the Small Wonders Baby Shampoo and Lotion, but she decided to use all the products she got at her showers. Finally after dealing with cradle cap for quite a while, she decided to try the Shaklee products. Her head cleared up very quickly, and my daughter hasn't used any other products for over a year. My granddaughter has no scalp problems and no skin problems. She also uses all the Get Clean Laundry products from Shaklee. Both mom and dad had skin problems as children, so I think it's important to think about what touches the skin and see if it's related to skin and scalp issues.

Our middle daughter had severe cradle cap. Our hairstylist recommended using gentle baby shampoo and this:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Whenever our daughter had a bath (every other day or so), we would wet her scalp, use a teeny bit of shampoo and gently massage her head with the brush. Her cradle cap was gone completely within 4 weeks. She really enjoyed her head massages and still does! She's 7 now.

Congratulations on the arrival of your little darling. I hope this is the worst thing you'll have to deal with. :)

First, stop washing him so much; as contrary as it sounds, the more baths you give him, the more you're drying him out. Second, if you don't already have one, put a humidifier in his room. That's really all we did, and in about a week his cradle cap cleared up.

We also used baby oil on our son. The problem with that is baby shampoos aren't strong enough to get the oil out, so then instead of flaky, he was greasy! What worked best for us was just a little dandruff shampoo...I think we used Head & Shoulders. I would also recommend cutting back to only 1-2 baths per week. Good luck!

Hi C.,

All my kids had cradle cap. I would gently comb their hair/scalp with a baby comb. This would help to get the cradle cap to flake off and then I would put baby oil on their head. It seemed to be something I had to work on weekly until it went away.

Hello! Our son had the same problem, with a full head of hair. I would brush and brush his hair as often as possible. Also, speak with your pediatrician regarding possible ointment or suggestions for shampoo. We found the Johnson's shampoo, and products in general, to be too drying. We switched to Aveeno baby products and saw a vast improvement in his scalp and skin in general. Our son is six months old now and the cradle cap has been gone for quite awhile.

My son has it BAD! His got to the point of oozing sores. Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Care is the best. Oils can clog the pours and make it worse. I also used a bit of dandruff shampoo and that really seemed to clear it up and send it on its way.

Good luck it is frustrating but will pass.

-N.

Hi C.,

I was just recently at my son's 4mo check up and had the same complaint. Dr told me of 2 ways to try to get rid of it.

1st: Before a bath take baby oil and rub it on his head, then comb his hair back. Let it sit on there for a few minutes or so and wash as normal during his bath. I tried this one and it worked, but it came right back again.

2nd: She gave me the name of something that she used on her own daughter called Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment. I think she said you can get it at Walgreens and such but also said its hard to find in the store. I have not tried this one yet, but will do so upon her recommendation.

Hope one of these work for you.

J.

when the shampoo is in comb it back and forth in each direction. by the end of the week it will be better.

COngrats on your new baby boy :) My daughter had really bad cradle cap as well around that age. I used the Cradle Cap treatment from Gentle Naturals by Baby Orajel. Seems like you can only find it at Target or Walgreens. I wnat to say within in the month it was completely gone. The other thing I have heard is to warm up some olive oil, maybe half a teaspoon, massage into scalp, comb, and shampoo. Hope this helps

My son had horrible cradle cap. I piled on the vasoline to his head, let it soak and then took his baby hair brush and combed the flakes out. I did angle the teeth of the comb toward the flakes so the comb would pick them up. I just combed as long as he didn't seemed bother by it. I think it took 3-4 times to get it all off because there were layers of flakes.

Good luck!

You have a LOT of responses here, but I will add my 2 cent anyway!
I found that giving my babies a little powdered acidophilus mixed into their bottle did the trick. Here's an article: http://www.motherandchildhealth.com/Children/children_ski... or you can google it.
There is a brand especially made for children that Whole Foods sells, and I'll bet you can find at health food stores. And I agree with some of the other posts... you don't need to wash his hair that often because using soap and water will dry out his scalp.
Good luck!

My pedi recommended dandruff shampoo for DS's cradle cap, either head and shoulders type or the stronger T-Gel. Hope that helps.

Hi C.,

the best and cheapest Is baby oil. put it on after every bath and thruout the day. then take a small fine come and lift it up. the scalp will get red. the idea is to soak the head first. so the cadle cap comes up easy. then wipe the comb with paper towel. and do some more. you can put a washcloth in his swing, car seat etc.. so it don't get the cousions oily. It will work!

take care,
D.

My ped has me use Neutrogena T/Gel shampoo. Very strong smell but worked.

M. G.

Hi C.,

I had the same problem with both of my daughters. I tried rubbing baby oil in their hair and letting it sit for the day (it was, of course, a day when we stayed in the house) then combing through their hair in all directions (really helped) to loosen the scales before shampooing. I also tried some stuff by Mustela called Stellakar for cradle cap. It worked really well and wasn't as greasy as baby oil. Sometimes I had to wash their hair with a drop of dishliquid to cut the grease after I used either the baby oil or the Mustela stuff, then went back to baby shampoo. It seemed like just using the baby shampoo after the treatments still left it greasy. The main tricks that helped me were leaving the stuff (baby oil or Mustela) on for about 6 hours then combing in all directions. Best of luck to you...my daughters had it at around 7 months, then again at 18 months (crazy!).

I found that not washing my sons hair and basically leaving it alone worked the best. Every time I did the oil and brush it seemed to come back more. It's a right of passage for babies I guess even though it looks icky!

We used the Sensitive Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo and it worked wonders. Be very careful not to get it in his eyes because it really burns!

Also, at Target they have a cradle cap shampoo, but I can't remember the name. It is in a light green bottle with Winnie the Pooh on it.

No one has mentioned using olive oil! Mineral oil will clog the pores, not letting the head breathe properly (goes the same for the skin) so using anything with mineral oil will not solve the problem. Target sells California Baby bath and body wash, and other types of skin care products that are "green" friendly and very effective for the skin and head. When you use olive oil, put it on his head for a few minutes, massage it in well, then wash it gently with California baby shampoo, they have some for sensitive skin. You may want to go to www.skindeep.org to see the list of products that are safe for baby's skin and head. I know J and J rank one of the worst. I have a book on healing remedies using olive oil and it says to use it for cradle cap and mild diaper rashes. Sometimes good old fashioned home rememdies are still the best.

Good Luck!
J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Lifestyle and Wellness Coach

Try and use Head & Shoulders...that is what I used on my son and it kept it away. You might also try and comb out the flakes, etc while you are washing. Washing too much may make it worse. Be sure you are only washing every other day at the most...he isn't getting that dirty at that age. Hope that helps!

Wash your baby's scalp several times several days apart with T-Gel shampoo...made by Neutrogena. It's non prescription & sold at any store by the shampoos. After washing comb thru his hair with a small brush or fine tooth comb gently...and it will most likely be gone in a week. If it comes back....shampoo again! It always works!

Try the Mustela line of products available at Babies R Us. They have a shampoo for cradle cap that a friend of mine whose child had cradle cap swears by. We have used it since birth on our 8 month old and she has never had any cradle cap. Good luck.

My son used to get cradle cap when he was a baby and we used Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Care. (I think we got it at Walmart) You massaged it into his scalp and then I used a small comb (that seemed to work better than the soft baby brush) and combed through his hair and then washed about 2X a week. It also helps not to wash their hair every day. Babies do not need to be washed every day. If bathtime is part of a bedtime routine, or helps calm him or something before bed, give him a warm water bath without the soap and no washing his hair. Cradle cap at this point won't harm him much, but you don't want to let it get too bad. My MIL is a cosmetologist and she said she used to have elderly adults come in with it and infection can develpe underneath it if it is left for too long, but with babies most get it and it usually doesn't last long.

The very best solution that I found to this is baby oil (regular or the creamy kind both work). Before a bath, rub baby oil on you child's scalp on the cradle cap. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then use a fine tooth comb or a cradle cap comb (sold at Target with the baby thermometers)to remove the scales. I only could get part of it out at a time so it took a few sessions, a couple days in a row. After combing through my son's hair, I would give him a bath and washed his hair really well to get the baby oil out.

C.,
Cradle cap is not that uncommon for infants. It is a form of atopic dermatitis which means your son is reacting to something. His immune system is still forming antibodies to things he encounters everyday. Did you eat something out of the ordinary (if you're breastfeeding, your diet affects your baby)? If he's on formula, did you switch it recently? Are there any patches of dry/ red skin anywhere else on his body? Does he also have diaper rash too? It's important to get to the root of the cause so his body can deal with it and move on. In the meantime, there is a Cradle Cap shampoo, I can't remember the brand, but it has some disney characters on the blue/green bottle in the baby section. Or you can massage olive oil into the scalp and comb gently several times per week. This will only help remove the excess from the scalp, but it is not curing it. I can do a Homeopathic intake for your son. Just call my office at ###-###-####. Homeopathy will cure the cradle cap & then I can take an in depth look at the nutrition.
Dr. A. M., ND (Naturopathic Doctor)

I agree with MR just leave it. My newborn son, well he is 4 months now, had it too. He got it around 7 weeks and now it is almost totally gone. It will probably only last a few months. His always seemed better the less I bathed him too. If you must pick...like I did, pick away then use a fine tooth comb to help pull up the scales, then give a bath. I did that a few times but only because it would drive me crazy. But eventually I just gave up and now it is almost gone!!

Our pediatrician recommended massaging our daughter's scalp with mineral oil (we used Burt's Bees baby oil instead because we didn't have mineral oil on hand) and then wash with Head 'n Shoulders. We did this for several weeks before the cradle cap subsided completely. Good luck.

My son had cradle cap as well. There were little things we could do to make it better temporarily (putting olive oil on his head and taking a tooth brush to loosen the skin), but the main thing that worked is using Mustela shampoo for newborns. It is specifically for cradle cap. It is kind of expensive, but we are still using the same bottle from 10 months ago (it lasts forever). I have heard from others that Johnson and Johnson products sometimes do not help as much. Good luck!

seems like everyone is saying the same thing pretty much but what worked for my daughter was that i used the baby comb and combed it WHILE the shampoo was on her her.. that didnt seem to "pull" at anything as much and it just smoothed right over... i would move back and forth and i combed thru and it lifted up tons of the scales each time. i would say if his head seems to get red or irritated after its all dry and done.... then relax and let it be.. but if he doesnt mind it... comb away my friend... with the shampoo... i dont think it requires any special shampoo... whatever baby stuff you have is fine. good luck.. i know it seems yucky to look at probably but he doesnt mind.. and its only temporary. hang in there....

Try using head and shoulders shampoo (careful not to get it in eyes) regularly. It's always worked for me. Also try rubbing his scalp with olive oil and let it "soak in for and while then shampoo and comb out.

I found that the Mustela shampoo for cradle cap works well. Good luck!

Hi C.. If you haven't already, try baby oil. I have done this with both my children. First wet the hair and message in some baby oil. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then wash out with shampoo. Good luck!

You can use an ointment made by Orajel called Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Treatment. I think I got mine in the baby section at WalMart, but Target probably has it too. You can try CVS or Walgreens. Anyway, you just massage it throught their hair and leave it for a couple of minutes to soak in. You should be able to comb a lot of it out without losing too much hair. You'll be amazed at how much of the flaking is gone just after one use! It is really gentle and all natural. Hope this helps!

Hi C.,
I was just at the doctor for my son's 4 month appointment. She told me not to use Johnson and Johnson's. She said it is pretty strong and will dry the cradle cap more. We are now using Dove Sensitive Body Wash and putting a little bit of Cetaphil lotion on his head and its all gone!!! Good luck.

Mustela make a great product. You put in on at night and wash it out in the morning. It was the only thing that worked for us - and I tried not washing, olive oil, baby oil...nothing was successful except Mustela. I would avoid using any adult dandruff product as there are harsh chemicals in them.

it was suggested to us to rub mineral oil onto my son's scalp and use a comb to loosen it up. worked like a charm.

my daughter had this same problem (2001) and our doctor had us use safflower oil. You massage it into the hair and then wash out with water. They thought possibly the baby shampoo and her hormones were the cause of it - but it did go away.

Good luck!

L.

Take the soft bristle brush (the one that they give you in the hospital for babies) and gently rub it in a circular motion all over the head when you wash that cute little head. I wouldn't recommend just pulling it out because you take that cute hair with. HOpe this helps........

If you can live with the cradle cap, just deal with it, but I do understand how frustrating it can be! Fortunately, it is only cosmetic and doesn't hurt the child. We had cradle cap for a while and just used a soft brush during bathing to try to loosen up the flakes, but for the most part we just let it run it's course. We figured it would go away (along with all his hair), which it did, and he'd eventually grow new hair on a nice scalp, which it did as well.

Hi C.

I'm a school nurse with 2 children ,10 and 23 years old . I suggest olive oil after washing the baby's hair it should loosen the flakes and allow you to brush it out gently , God Bless you and your family.

C.:
Don't worry, your child is like many newborns, but it's we as parents who hate to see anything like this with our children. First of all, you need to stop using Johnson's baby products. They are made with ingredients that are not good for tender skin - or anyone's for that matter. Go to this website and check them out at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ and see for yourself. You need a baby brush and some olive oil to use initially. Then you need to get pure baby products for bathing, diaper cream, and lotion (especially in this cold and dry heat). What you put on your child makes a difference! I know of a completely organic line of products that is amazing and very good for your family. If you would like to know more about these pure, safe and beneficials products, just email me and I will provide you with information. But please check out the website and go ahead and insert any of the products that even you use as well. It's best to be an educated consumer, especially when it comes to the health and well being of your little one who is very vulnerable and tender. Congrats and you will get through this.

K.

It is winter so it is also dry out. He is not able to get the natural oils flowing from his scalp to retain the cells. It seems you are washing his hair too much causing it to dry out further. Infants younger than 12 months do not need to be bathed but 1-2 times per week. Just wipe him down with a wet cloth or wipe in between baths, but leave his head alone. Combing with a fine comb will help catch those dead cells, but dry not to irritate it any further. Babies are not dirty, they do not have the hormones developed to smell, so try to minimize full body washes and his skin will love you too!!!

We also had cradle cap; however not as severe as you are describing. Anyhow, from the first sign of it we began using Mustela foaming baby shampoo. It took about a week to completely resolve and we have not had cradle cap since. We continue to use it with every hair washing. I knwo it is a little pricey, but we are still using the same bottle that we bought when the cradle cap began and now our LO is almost 8 months! The only other advice I have is to not pick at it. Picking is supposed to make it worse. Good luck!

Hi C.,
When my kids were babies, they had cradle cap. Someone told me to put 1/2 to l tsp. of baking soda in their bath every other bath. It worked great!

Hello there, all 3 of my kids were born with a TON of hair and developed cradle cap. I finally learned to not use too much soap. It tends to irritate it and make it worse. So, here's what I did to finally get rid of it. When in the bath tub, I wash the hair and immediately comb it out with a baby comb. Don't be afraid to scrub lightly with your finger tips. I only used soap on his hair once every other day. My 1st child had it to bad it was even in his eyebrows! My daughter was pretty bad too,but using the above technique, my youngest son was rid of his cradle cap fairly early. Good luck!

Hi, all 3 of my kids had cradle cap. Washing it that many times...believe it or not is making it worse. It is a lack of oils that really causes it. I used olive oil (I know, kinda weird). I rubbed it in their hair then gently brushed or combed their hair moving in small circles to help gently release the scales. Then you can wash it. Also, using a gentle dandruff shampoo (my dr. suggested selson blue) helps. They eventually grow out of it. Good Luck!

C.- I know this may sound strange, but it worked wonders on my daughter's hair, a little olive oil. Before her bath I put a little on her head, let it soak in for a few miuntes then use a baby comb. You will be amazed at how well it works, at least we were. I used the special "baby cradle cap oil" and I thought her head smelled bad after using it. The olive oil washed right out and I don't think her hair looked oily afterwards. Just a thought and something several people recommended to me. Good luck!

WOW you got so many responses! I do the baby oil thing and it's worked & my ped also recommended against J&J products - too strong for sensitive skin. I use Aveeno creamy baby wash. I would never use those adult dandruff shampoos on a newborn - they are way too strong. My husband uses the Neutrogena t-sal & it works great, but I really don't think you should put them on a newborn baby's head. I guess if a doctor recommended it, it shouldn't be too bad, but I wouldn't do it!

The gentlest treatment is to simply rub a small amount of baby oil or olive oil onto your baby's scalp. Wait several minutes for the oil to soften and loosen the scales, and brush them away with a soft brush or a dry terry-cloth washcloth.

Hi C., you may be washing his hair a little too much. Perhaps a milder shampoo like California Baby that doesn't have sodium laureth sulfate in it would help. Another older method is to use a little vaseline would help the flaking go away. Baby combs help to comb it out of the hair. Good luck!

I have had skin issues all my life, 32 yrs, and both of my children had cradle cap. My daughter had the worst of the 2. My dermatologist said to rinse the head with warm water, then take a fine tooth comb and gently scrap the scales up, then wash with the cradle shampoo from the store, and finally rinse well. They also suggested that we only wash every other or every third day. Unfortunately, like me, doing that made it all worse. My son could use the OTC shampoo, but my daughter needed a script shampoo. She now, 6yrs, has to use head and shoulders 1-2 times a week. Good Luck, and remember this shall pass. BTW I agree with another poster that J&J is junk... DO NOT USE IT!!! Same with baby magic and all of the popular stuff. I would use Eucerin or Aveeno for lotion and body products! They are fragrance and harsh chemical free.

I have three children that had cradle cap in varying degrees. The only thing that got rid of it or atleast helped keep it at bay was baby oil. I put baby oil on their heads when in the bath tub and then used a baby brush afterward. For some reason the baby oil loosens up the scales so they come off easily with a baby brush. I did that at every bath and that kept it under control.

It was little harder with the oldest one because she had so much hair that I could put her hair in little piggies when she was just three months old. I had to do the baby oil, brush the scales off and then wash her hair and moisturize. The baby oil made her look like a grease pit if I left it in. The other two children didn't have that much hair so it wasn't a problem to leave it in.

PS I don't believe any of my children had the cradle cap much after three or four months...if that. The babyoil kept it down so you didn't even notice it and then it just went away after a few months.

Baby Oil always worked for me

Something different-
Natural and simple seem to work best-
Cider vinegar is good for skin and has anti-fungal properties.

Hair rinse:
Dilute vinegar with water at least 50/50 (or more -whatever you are comfortable with)

Start bath - carefully apply rinse with a sponge - let it sit and soak a little - play with toys wash the rest of the little angel - rinse out and wash hair with milder perhaps more natural shampoo.

You may be squeamish to use this -but check out the list on the back of the shampoo bottle-

This may get to the cause of the spreading and the returning of scales.

The olive oil technique will help to get the scales off. You could alternate the two techniques.

Hope this helps!

with both my daughters, and numerous daycare kids, I have done the following and it always works like a charm.
LATHER their head up with a thick lotion. Kind really doesn't matter. Let it sit on there for a good 5 to 10 minutes. Then take a very fine baby comb and scrub at the cradle cap. Do this till it breaks up the crust. Then wash with shampoo like normal. The first time you may have to do it like 3 times in a row, but usually it never comes back after that.

Dear C., what you should do is put a little pit of baby oil on there head/scalp and get a fine tooth comb and comb his hair. The cradle cap comes right off. Do that everytime before his bath and that should help. It might take a while for all of it to be gone but that works. Good Luck!

C.
I would also put olive oil on his let soak in then rub his head and loosen up the flaky skin then rinse the heck out of it.

J.

All my kids had it...use the baby comb you got from the hospital after the bath and gently comb on his scalp. It picks it off...do this everytme and it will go away...I never used oil or anything

I used Aquaphor (http://www.eucerinus.com/products/hb_aho.html) when my younger son was a newborn. I only had to do it twice and it was totally gone. Massage the scalp with the Aquaphor and use a baby comb to get the flakes out, and then shampoo. It will leave the hair very oily, but it works.

My son and my daughter both had this and our pediatrician had us use Neutrogena Tea Gel Shampoo. It helped to clear it up. We were also prescribed hydrocortizone.

baby oil worked for us.

What worked best for my daughter was to wash her hair, rinse it well, and then treat it with mineral oil. I would have let it be otherwise; however, her pediatrician told me that cradle cap would impede her hair growth, so since my daughter was born with peach fuzz, I thought it best to treat it now. While her doctor gave her a prescription for a special shampoo, I was wary of using it on such a young child, so I tried her grandmother's suggestion of mineral oil, and it worked!

Gosh I wish I could remember what our dermatologist said. When our daughter was small, the remedies that our ped. recommended, did not work (baby oil, combing, and washing) The dermatologist told us those were all bad ideas in which our ped. recommended (and most other peds. that I know) I'm sorry that I can't remember more details. I would suggest a dermatologist. Our daughter went to an office above Egg Harbor Cafe in Wheaton town Center. THings turned out just fine.

My 3 1/2 month old has pretty bad cradle cap too. Perhaps you could be shampooing too often? It could further dry out his scalp and aggravate the problem. My pediatric nurse told us babies don't need to bathe that often because they just don't get as dirty as we do and it is very drying for them. What has helped for me, is before I give my son a bath (1-2x/week) I will massage a little olive oil into his scalp and let it soak in for about 15 minutes. This loosens the scales. Then I take a fine-tooth baby comb and comb out all the flakes. I let the comb LIGHTLY drag over his scalp as I do this. After I shampoo out the oil his scalp is fresh and clean! Of course it doesn't last for too long, but it helps. At the end of the day, try not to be too concerned about it. Your little one will grow out of it. My doctor told me not to worry about the cradle cap, it may be distasteful for us to look at, but it doesn't hurt the baby. It goes away and usually it bothers us mommies far more than it bothers our little ones.
Still, I can understand you want to fix it. Our babies are so perfect to us that we hate to see dandruff on them!
Oh and for the patches on his forehead or any dryness on his face, I use vaseline. It has really worked wonders and returned his face to peaches and cream when applied regularly. So my poor baby may still have a dry scalp, but at least his face is better!
Best of luck to you!
P.S. like the previous poster we use California Baby too, a little bit goes a long way

I sell products for a company called Arbonne International. I am also a RN at a local peds office. Arbonne has a baby line called ABC. The oil and hair and body wash would help. The products are Vegan and botanically-based, and I know they work! The diaper rash cream also works like a charm. Call me if you decide to get these. ###-###-####

Put baby oil on head to soften the scales/flakes, wait 5 minutes...then wash off. Use baby brush to gently loosen the flakes. Wash hair every day. Keep using baby brush...it'll go away, just takes some time. Talk to pediatrition if it gets worse. good luck!

My youngest had HORRIBLE cradle cap. A friend of mine introduced me to Weleda Calendula Baby Cream. It's AMAZING! It worked wonders on his cradle cap and his dry patches of skin too. I think you can get it at Mertz Apothecary in Lincoln Square, or maybe even Whole Foods. If nothing else, your little guy will outgrow it eventually :D

my son also had a mild case, which seemed to peak at about 2-3 mos. i stopped using johnson and johnson, switched to california baby and also used the soft brush on his head when shampooing him and it cleared right up in less than a week.
the california baby is pricey, but we're about halfway through the bottle and we've had it about 6 mos or so. i read that j & j has some ingredients that aren't good for babies, who still have very permeable skin. i've been using the leftover johnson's myself in the shower.
i've also heard that mineral oil is not good for babies, as some others have mentioned. good luck.

My son's cradle cap was SO massive and SO stubborn - it was like he had a mushroom garden on his head. I read a ton of recommendations on this sit and others, none of which worked.

Then, we found a miracle - Gentle Naturals makes a cradle cap cream. Two treatments with that (you rub it on before shampooing, let it sit a few minutes, then comb it out), and it was gone. It was amazing.

I had also heard that Johnson's and Johnson's, which we were using at the time, can make it worse. We changed to California Baby, and we haven't seen a lick of it since. It's not cheap, but you use so little at this age that the bottle has lasted forever.

I got both products at Target.

I think that washing the hair too much can make it worse. I was told to use Nutragena tar shampoo (just be very careful not to get it in his eyes). I would use the baby oil about 10 minutes before the bath, then get the hair wet and pick at all the scales with a comb, then use the nutragena.

Hi C.. My son had cradle cap and my doc recommended to use Neutragena T-Gel shampoo with that little scrub brush they give you at the hospital. Be careful not to get it in the eyes and only use occasionally. After the wash I applied a little baby oil, but I've heard you can use olive oil too. Good Luck.

My son had the same. I used a product called Cradle Cap Care by Gentle Naturals. It kept it under control until he grew out of it which was way before he turned 1. Good luck!

Both my boys had it. You might want to try switching shampoos. Also, Put baby oil on the dry areas when you give him a bath let it sit there and then take a baby brush and massage it, then wash his hair. My doctor reccomended using neutrogena Tgel everyother day until it cleared up and then I used it once a week. If his scalp is oozing you need to call your Dr. because it could be infected.

Good luck

I also tried the baby oil, comb combo. Washing his hair less should also help. Make sure you rinse the shampoo out well. The good news is that it will go away soon by itself.

My daughter didn't have cradle cap too bad. But for her, just before I would give her a bath, I would put plain old olive oil on her scalp and massage it in for a little bit. Then I would use a fine tooth comb to comb in the opposite direction of her hair. That would get the dead skin off. I didn't worry too much if I didn't get it all (didn't want to scrape her scalp raw). I would just do it again a few days later.
My next door neighbor is a RN who has experience in OB and she has told me numerous times that the best thing to use on baby's skin is olive oil; even just as a massage oil. No harsh or unnatural chemicals or perfumes in it.