My son since birth always had a little cradle cap on the front of his head. He has alot of hair for his age and on top of that it's and orange, red, brown color almost identical to the cradle cap scabs. I notice that it's actually getting worse, more in the front and going to the back now. Any suggestions what to do?
Okay, Used the baby oil and then shampooed out for the 1st time tonight. I also combed it while it was sitting on his head. Hope it works. Thanks.
I too agree with Jen C. My son had cradle cap and I used baby oil on the patches that formed. Let it soak in for about 10 minutes and then comb it out. Worked like a charm for us.
What kind of shampoo do you use on your son's head? When my son was about 3 mths old, he had cradle cap and my Dr. suggested using Selsum Blue. I have used this since a couple times a week and he has been cradle cap free. His hair shines and feels soft----smells good too. I have heard that the Johnson's baby wash and shampoo are very drying for baby's scalp.
we got a scrub brush from the hospital. when shampooing there hair scrub it with that brush. i was afraid to scrub my child but they dont mind and it gets those nasty smelly flakes off.
We used Head & Shoulders shampoo as recommended by our pediatrician. Lather, let it stay a minute and then rinse. Be really careful to not get it in his eyes.
My daughter had REALLY bad cradle cap that didn't seem to go away. We did the olive oil, which worked for a couple days, then the cradle cap shampoo, and finally the doc recommended hydrocortisone. That really seemed to do it. You need to find the cream though, and not the ointment, as it gets through their hair and into their scalp better, but you will still look like you put some gel in the hair. :) Now that she doesn't seem to have cradle cap, there seems to be some other skin irritation that I will be talking to the ped about next week. :(
Soak the scabs with oil (baby or olive works well) for at least 30 minutes, and than use a soft brush or cloth to work the scabs off. If they are very bad, you may have to do this over a few days a little at a time. When I got done my sons head was very red, and it was uncomfortable for him during, but he felt much better after the scabs were gone. Once the scalp is clear, use a soft boar bristle brush on his dry head before each bath to loosen any newly forming scabs before they get bad, and use a medicated shampoo once or twice a week. If it keeps coming back you can get a prescription shampoo that works well. My son is almost 5, and still gets cradle cap if I do not keep up with it.
One other suggestion (we do the dandruff shampoo, olive oil treatment too): My hairdresser suggested we use a soft baby brush so that you could brush a little longer without the fussing of the harder bristled comb or brush. I wish that I had the soft plastic brush that they'd sent us home with the hospital with the first child with. It was the back of a sponge that Dr's use to clean under their nails and scrub with for surgery (new but with the iodine solution removed from it) It was soft but really helped to get the dead skin off. Anyway: baby brush.
Nothing really helped for me until I got this suggestion. BEFORE shampooing, use the soft baby brush on the area, use it in circular motions and different directions like a massage. then shampoo with any shampoo. For us it worked in just a few days
Try to use head and shoulders every other day during his bath. That is what my doctor prescribed and it seemed to do the trick. It went away only after a few days and has not come back. Good Luck!
my son had cradle cap really bad too and his dr. told me to use selson blue. i only had to use it a few times and it was so much better. just don't get it in the eyes because it will burn.
My seven month old also has a ton of hair and I noticed he still had it. I started putting this great leave in conditioner for kids on his hair after bath and massaging it into his scalp and then combing his hair out and making sure I ran the comb gently all over his head. I saw flakes a couple days but now they are all gone. Good luck!!
Vaseline works too. Just a dab on the area and leave for 15-30 minutes then use a baby brush to brush the flakes out. Then wash the hair normally. The vaseline will not wash out for a few days and will continue to help keep his head from drying out. I would do it about 30 minutes before bath time. Worked wonders for us.
I had the same problem with my baby. What we did and finally found that worked for us is calendula cream by California Baby. I used olive oil every other day before bath time, just massage a little on the area, then take the brush scrub the area, afterwards wash baby's head with soap, they due have a Calendula soap also, but I just used Burt's Bees. After drying, but a little of the cream on the area. Then the nights you don't do bath, just put a little cream on the area.
I agree with Jen--baby oil or olive oil, a soft brush, a little time and tenderness. You can buy a soft surgical brush at almost any pharmacy dept. They are very gentle, and can be used every bath.
My doc recommended Selsun Blue once a week for my daughter, but you may want to try twice a week if it is bad. It took her cradle cap away pretty quickly.
I actually used a little bit of head and shoulders and that cleared everything right up for us.
