Advice Needed on Skin Care for 2 Month Old...

My pediatrician told me to use baby oil (mineral oil) when one of my twins had cradle cap. IMPORTANT NOTE: do not let it get into the baby's mouth or eyes. Gently apply the oil to the area, but apply liberally. Let it "soak in" & use a baby brush to help loosen the scales. Wash with a baby wash & repeat as needed.

Hope it works for you,
C.

Try Califonia Baby's Tea Tree and Lavendar. You can get it Whole Foods or Elephant Pharm. It helped DS#2 in the past and is gentler for babies.

Hi I am a consultant for Arbonne International and we have an AWESOME baby care line. The rash cream should clear up the cradle cap in a couple of days. If you are interested please email me for more info. ____@____.com

My sister had same problem with my neice. She washed her hair almost every bath but was so wary of the soft spot she wasn't really cleaning the flaky skin off. Don't "scrub", but soap well with baby bath liquid and suds up with a soft baby washcloth. Rinse well and then fluffy dry all the way dry. He will look like he stuck his finger in a light socket but it will tame down just fine with a damp comb. (Sidebar here: From the time my daughter was tiny, I loved taking her in the tub with me. This makes rinsing the soap out very easy. If you try this with your son, put your hand under his head and watch how he enjoys floating. I would do this when Daddy was home. When baby is bathed call him & let him dry and dress baby. (Yes, we did night-time baths.) Great bonding time for them & then you get to run more nice hot water and relax a little.) Hope this helps. Enjoy your new bundle. They grow so fast.

Smiles, rainbows and God bless,
T. F.

I liked my infant being clean and fresh smelling - she got a bath every day or every other day as an infant with Johnsons and Johnsons Moisturizing Shampoo and Body Wash (it is to be used on the hair and the body, an all in one bottle deal) and then covered her with baby lotion from head to toe. Needless to say, she never had a single spot of acne or cradle cap and was never rashy - I loved giving the baby a bath every day, it as such a bonding experience for me. Now, her skin is more sensitive and she has a little bit of eczema (everyone in my family, including my 80 year old grandfather has had, and still has, eczema - its like a family trait) and we have switched body wash/shampoo/bubble bath to Burts Bees. Its something like 97% natural and organic ingredients, and tear free. We use the all in one Burts Bees baby shampoo/body wash and the burts bees moisturizing bubble bath. The combination of the two keeps her skin so soft and healthy. I have always put lotion on her after every bath, and I put it ALL over her, including her face - as long as it is super mild, and formulated for babies with natural ingredients, there is nothing wrong with lotioning up his face a little.
As far as the baby powder goes, it used to help create a barrier between wet diaper and baby butt before stuff like desitin - it doesn't really do anything but make it smell nice in there, Iin some cases, it keeps an extra sensitive bottom a little more dry and you can get it in medicated formula to heal diaper rash.

hi R.,
well, im a mom of 2, and my 4 yr old never had cradle cap but my 1 1/2 yr old did.. i didnt really notice it until she was about 9 or 10 months becuase her hair kinda covered it...it was thick and scaly..ewww! so i just went to target and bought a lotion type remedy to put on it when your giving him a bath..you put it on and gently use a comb to "scrape" it off. it usually takes a few times since i didnt want to sit there and srub her poor head! inbetween that i honestly would try to pick it off! it eventually went away! and as far as the powder, i don't think i've ever used it on my girls! i never seen a reason to! i do use baby lotion though..and i have put a little on their face, forehead & head with no problems! hope this helps! good luck! :)

My son had REALLY bad cradle cap and somebody suggested baby oil. I put a generous amount on his head, let it soak in for about ten minutes, and then combed his hair/head with a tooth brush. This really started to break it up and then I just had to pull peieces off with my fingers. You will need to wash you baby's head afterwards to get rid of the oil. It may take a couple of times, but it worked for me.

When my son was your son's age I powdered his bottom every time I changed him and I found that he didn't get diaper rash that way.

Unless your son has really dry skin you don't need to put lotion on him. I found that sometimes the lotion irritates their skin.

Good luck,
S.

R.,
Try using a shampoo that is moisturizing instead, the baby shampoos are very drying, and so are the baby washes.
Herbal essences rinses out pretty easy, and by the way,
baby shampoo does burn if you get it in the eyes, I have
no idea why it says "no more tears". DO not use lotion on the forhead, if it get hot, and baby sweats, it will get into his eyes. It is not fun to spend 15 minutes rinsing out babies eyes under the sink while you talk to poison control. WE did that with sunscreen one 4th of july.
W.

For cradle-cap, I highly recommend using a baby shampoo made by Mustela. It's foam/mousse style shampoo & works GREAT! I used it on both my boys when they had cradle-cap & it was gone w/in a week or so. Some other cradle-crpa products involve a couple of steps but not this....just shampoo their hair, let it sit on there for a couple of minutes or as long as it takes you to wash their bodies & rinse. Mustela products are a bit pricey but they also last a long time as one pump of shampoo will wash a head of average hair for a baby or toddler. Both shampoos I bought lasted me a almost year for each boy. I've found it at more boutique-style baby stores, Nordstroms & I think Babies R Us sells it in their stores & on -line as well. I used powder on my boys when it was particularly warm & they were more likely to sweat & get a hear rash, otherwise, I didn't relaly use it much. Hope this helps & good luck!

My son had horrible cradle cap and nothing was working. We actually put vegtable oil on his head and combed through at one point and though it helped a little it did not get rid of it. So I started putting Aquaphor on his head. Its just a lotion you can get at the grocery store. It worked very well. I would just put it on and let it sit for a while or even the day and the cradle cap just crumbled off. And then when i gave him a bath I would just take a cloth and and rub his head to make sure it all came off. Good luck!

Hello new mommy!

I had the same problem with my daughter and the doctor told me a way to get rid of it. I tried it once, but it seemed to harsh for a baby's head. Anyway, I have found that a little before bath time put baby oil on their head and use a baby brush to "brush" it in. I would use a little circular motion and no pressure because soft spots scare me.=) Just let it sit there for about 5-10 minutes and then wash as usual in at bathtime. The doctor said it is basically dandruff, some people have it and some don't. When my daughter was in the hospital they told us that aquaphor in the diaper would help to prevent diaper rash because it acts as a barrier. I never really put powder in her diaper. She is now almost 10 months old and thank goodness has never had diaper rash. I am pretty sure you can put lotion on the face, I always do and have had no problems. I don't think a 2 month old will sweat to the point that it would drip into his eyes. Hope this helps!

My son had skin issues when he was an infant. I used and still use Aquaphor. For the cradle cap I useto use baby oil ( just a little bit ) and then brush hair with a soft bristle brush.

Your pediatrician is always the best resource for these questions. I usually keep a list with all the questions I have thought of in between doctor visits and then take the list to our next appt. For my sons 2 month appt. it seems I had many of the same questions. My son had cradle cap also. 1-2 times a week (usually during bath) use a pea size drop of Selson Blue or Head and Shoulders to wash the scalp. Everyday put baby oil on and lightly massage scalp with soft brush. This did the trick for us almost immediately. If it doesn't go away, your pediatrician can give you a stronger medicine to put on the scalp. Baby powder should not be used at all because of of the damage talc can due to the lungs. I think baby lotion all over your son is ok after a certain month. I remember our pediatrician telling us not to use lotion for awhile until the newborn skin sluffed off. If you think you are past that point, then you are probably fine. We put lotion all over our son. It also becomes a fun and relaxing massage for him. Hope this helps!

Get California Baby's Calendura Cream. It is AMAZING. The olive oil on the head was too gross and messy for my taste. I used (and still do at 6 mos) the Calendura cream on my son's cradle cap (while he had it) and it worked great. I also used/use the same cream on his face. I use other lotion on the rest of his body. if he has a very dry spot i will use Aquafor or the Calendura cream on it. I always lotion him head to toe after a bath. Other than that... i am spotty. it all depends on how his skin is feeling. I have never used powder on the bum, but our ped told us to use Aquafor at each changing and we still do. he has never had diaper rash.

My doc said to use lotion not baby powder. He said drying it out like that makes things worse. He also said to not use baby soaps and lotions, that it also drys out the baby's skin. He recommended dove or lever 2000 soap and vasaline care lotion.

For cradle cap my friend suggested baby oil GEL (not just the oil) and it worked beautifully for my 3 month old. You put it on just before bathtime, then gently rub it off with a soft brush...although I just used a facecloth, which mostly worked except for in his hair.

Our pedi said that you don't need to put lotion on babies. I do give him a little massage after bath with the baby oil gel now, but not particularly to moisturize, just for fun.

E.

Hi R.,

Well I don't know what other moms might tell you about this but I remember that when my daughter (who is 9 mos now) was about that same age and had a little bit of a cradle cap, when i would take her a bath and lather her head with baby soap, i would then take a baby comb and comb her hair out, this in a way, the water and baby shampoo would soften the cradle cap and make it easier to remove. It worked for me!

Hi R.,

Congrats on your new little one!! They are so much fun:)

I have heard a lot of different remedies to help with cradle cap...olive oil on head, you can pick it off it is loose, there is a product by California Baby that is called Calendula Cream that worked for us. My son had a mild case of cradle cap until he was about 5 months old and then we tried the Calendula cream and it was gone within a week! It worked great for us!

As for the lotion. I would say if your son doesn't have dry skin, don't use any products on him. I remember our Pediatrician saying that it is best for their natural oils to come out. But if he has dry patches, I would just put lotion on those.

Hope this helps! Have a great time with you son!

My daughter has cradle cap and the Dr's have said that there's nothing to do, so I'll be curious to read everyone else's responses.
As far as the rest...
Anything that you put on your baby's skin gets absorbed, that's why Dr.'s tell parents not to put sunscreen on babies (because its full of chemicals.) The same goes for lotions.
Is there a reason you put lotion on your baby? If its because your son's skin feel dry, I would suggest limiting the baths. We have hard water in this area, and its very drying to baby's skin. I have a 7 month old and I bathe her once to twice a week. If you do it so you can massage him, try olive oil.
As far as baby powder, babies really don't need it, diapers now a days are really good at keeping babies dry. Some people use it cause they like the smell, but its harder to tell if the baby's diaper is dirty that way. They have also said its bad for them because talc is not good for them to breath.

Hi R. congratulations on your new baby! I wish I would have had a community like this when my twins were little. Fortunately I haad my mom to call...remember your babies skin is his largest organ. Learn about harmful products that can injure his delicate immune system. You can go online to
www.cosmeticdatabase.org and click on babycare to rate the products you are using in your home. My motto is if you can eat it you can put it on your skin. I use raw organic coconut oil for most issues. Aloe for burns, rashes, etc. I realize this may info may not be realistic for most people but I hope more people start to understand why cancer, disease, and hospital visits are so prevelant. Accidents should be the only reason for hospital visits. God created everything we need for our bodies inside and out. Costs may be issues for people, start slow...if there is a will there is a way. Blessings, My

Dear R.,
My daughter had icky bad cradle cap at that age too. I would put olive oil on her head, wait 15-30 minutes and then nurse her. While she nursed, I used a medium bristle toothbrush to pick the skin off. It sounds icky, but maybe because it was my own child it just felt like another task. Of course, we would have bath time after this to wash the oil and remaining flakes off.
I've heard you should never use powder because the infants inhale small particles of the powder and it can irritate their lungs. The benefits don't outweigh the potential damage here.
I used pure jojoba oil on my daughter's dry skin for about a year. Honestly, I don't think it made much of a difference. She's 16 months now and I don't use anything but a little colloidal oatmeal in her bath. That definitely helps.
Best wishes to you and your little one!
A.

I used babyoil on my daughters cradle cap when it was bad. She had a thick scaly section on her head. At a young age like your sons I put the baby oil on the "bad" section and then put on a baby cap. Otherwise while it sits for ten minutes the oil gets on everything!. After it sits you can use a small toothbrush ( I used some brush made for cradle cap) and brush it out. I did the oil when it was bad and just brushed on other days.
I would be cautious with baby powder. They are some concerns if they inhale any...it can cause lung issues and they now advise caution. Every kid is different and some are more prone to diaper rashes. We used disposible diapers but had a few cloth diapers that we would pat our daughter dry with after the wipes. Avoid alcohol in the wipes and change the diaper frequently if your kid is prone to rashes. We would use diaper cream (Aveeno) anytime we saw any increased redness. As for lotion, our peditrician told us to only use it if we noticed dryness. They have natural oils and if you are not overbathing they shouldn't have to dry of skin. If you need to use some I would used Lubriderm or Cetaphil. You don't have to use "Baby" lotions. Just something mild and you don't need fragrances either.

My hairdresser advised me to use a quality shampoo and leave it on my son's head for about 10 minutes (put it on when he first gest in the bath and leave it on while he plays). Worked for me...
Also, I have always heard that it's never necessary to use lotion on a baby - unless there's some kind of diagnosable dry skin problem, their skin needs to get aclimated to the "real world" and therefore to develop it's own oil glands and cells. If you keep putting lotion on, the developing skin cells don't know what's "normal" and might not provide what it needs naturally.

I don't have any advice on cradle-cap, but I can tell you about infant skin care. Ever since my daughter was born I used lotion after every bath. I found that infant soaps were drying to the skin. My pediatrician basically said that lotion was a personal preference and to use it if I felt her skin was too dry after a bath. I found that Johnson's Head To Toe wash and Johnson's baby lotion or Aveeno Baby wash and lotion worked well on very young skin. I tried to stay away from very fragrant products when she was very young. I would not recommend baby powder unless you need it. My lamaze coach recommeded A&D ointment at every diaper change will help reduce the ocurrance of rashes. At 22 months we still use A&D ointment or Aquaphor at each diaper change.

R.,
In my child education classes the instructor recommended to use a drop or two of head and shoulders shampoo and gently rub it on the head with a soft baby brush. She also recommended not using any lotions or soaps as the babies skin has it's own natural moisturizers and the ingredients in the lotions can be toxic to the babies skin. Baby powder is also not recommended as it can get into the babies lungs. 7th Generation makes chlorine free wipes that have the least amount of chemicals in them. You can order them on diapers.com in bulk at a decent price. Unfortunately there are alot of products out there that are not good for infants. Also no sunscreen until the baby is 6 months. Hope this helps, good luck.
C. N

I don't recommend baby lotion. In the winter, or when he has dry skin, I recommend Eucerin cream or Aquafor. They won't cause allergic reactions. Using a nonirritating lotion all over baby is therapeutic for both mom and baby. It is like a massage for baby, and studies have found that massaging baby releases a relaxing hormone in the mother (can’t remember what it’s called, sorry). Generally, their skin shouldn’t need lotion unless the bath is too hot.

Baby powder is nice for the testicles in the summer to avoid what the males is my house refer to as "sweaty balls." This is apparently uncomfortable. Baby powder works, but corn starch works the same and is unscented. It is completely unnecessary.

The best thing for cradle cap in my experience is to rub a little baby oil or olive oil (really) on the skin and then gently comb out the dead skin with a soft, fine toothed comb. Only do this if it is annoying you. It is not a problem and will pass. (I never liked to do it on the soft spots, personally.)

Enjoy!

Don't do anything. The cradle cap will go away on its own. My 9 month old still has a tiny amount but it is almost gone. They don't even need that much lotion. I use Desitin every night before bed and as needed when the bottom looks red during the day. I only use powder everyonce in awhile.

For the cradle cap, you can put a little olive oil on his head and let it soak for a few minutes. Then, once it has softened, try to comb it out gently. Then, wash out. He might smell a little like spaghetti, but it seemed to work well for my kids. Also, I use the Arbonne baby wash and lotion - everything is all natural, botanical-based with no chemicals. It is great for their little skin, and keeps it so soft. You can find out more at my website www.everydaycounts.myarbonne.com. I never used any baby powder on any of my kids (I have three), and they did just fine.
Good luck.
-K.

my son had horrible skin when he was born, and i tried loads of over the counter lotions and cradle cap shampoos and nothing helped much. and then one of my friends suggested putting breast milk on it. and that worked better than anything else i had tried.

i don't know about baby powder. i have never used it. so i can't really be much help about that. but i did look up online baby massage techinques that asked you to use lotion or oil and i did it every night after his bath to help relax him and get him ready for sleep. so the massage places were the places i used the lotion....

i don't know if that helps.

good luck!
xoxox

Both of my children had cradle cap, I used baby shampoo, I applied the shampoo to the scalp and let it sit for about 5 minutes or so, (let it soak in) then I rinsed it off, after the bath I used a baby brush and I massaged the scalp. I hepled get rid of the cradle cap quicker. I use aquaphour, I hope I spelled it right, it is pronounced aquarfour, for very dry skin. My daughter has very dry skin and this works great for her. I hope this helps. I use this lotion all over head body and face. I do not powder because it think it is bad for there lungs.
Good luck
S. R
S. R

Hi, my son had a severe case of cradle cap, and I was told to use a dime size amount of dandruff shampoo while he's in the bath and brush it through his hair once a day until its gone. It does make their head kind of flaky, but its nothing to worry about. About the baby powder, I only use it after baths to make sure his bottoms dry, but I'm sure it would be ok if you used it as often as you want. And one last thing I've always put lotion on my sons face because if I don't it gets dry, I guess it just depends on the baby. I hope all of this info helps! Congrats on your little one!

Baby oil helps the cradle cap, that is one home remedy that never gets old. It helps with the dry skin.

I was advised to put Johnson Baby Oil on my little girl's hairline to prevent any cradle cap. Make sure you don't get the oil in your baby's eyes. I purposely like the no scented oil because my little girl didn't like the lavender smell one. It's not recommended to use baby powder anymore. My pediatrician said I can put baby lotion on her face beside her body. I hope that's helpful for you.

For cradle cap....before giving baby a bath, put baby oil on his head and gently rub it in. Wait about five minutes, then gently brush his head with a baby brush (this will loosen the cradle cap), then wash hair as usual. I have been told not to use any baby powder on babies (they can breathe it in), I have two children and have never used it, and neither of my girls have ever had a diaper rash. I just natural wipes, and make sure to change them as soon as I notice they are wet. As for the lotion, I apply it all over their bodies...not sure why just seems like the right thing to do. I also don't use baby lotion, or anything with a fragrance. We use cetaphil cream and it works great. Hope this helps.

I manage a medical spa in Redding, CA and also run an organic farm where I produce a line of therapeutic essential oil products. We used one of my products: Rash Relief for treating my niece's cradle cap and diaper rash. I make it in a lotion and an oil base, both of which are gentle and okay for use on infants.

You might want to be careful about over-using baby lotion, especially if you are noticing skin irritations cropping up. I, personally, am allergic to most cleansers, lotions and creams, including baby products. The gentlest commercial products I found were in the Mennen line, but I'd quickly reach a reactive level with all of them. I do make a gentle cleansing lotion and a cleansing gel, as well as a number of other products. Let me know if you'd like more info.

Also, just a note: there is a big movement these days toward the use of lavender in baby products because of its relaxing properties. True lavender essential oil based products are not recommended for pregnant or lactating women or young children (I usually say "no" to using on a child under 3 years of age) due to the body's hormonal response to the esters in most lavenders. There are other oils on the market that are much safer and do not run the risk of respiratory depression in the very young.

Best of luck,

In spirit,

V. T

The only time I ever used baby powder was when my baby seemed to have a wetness about him; and rarely did I use baby lotion; their skin is so soft and smells so good!
And I remember spendinga lot of time gently combing my son's scalp to get rid of cradle cap! (yeck). My friends now swear by Arbonne's Baby Care. Here is the link if you want to take a look at it (the diaper cream is awesome with diaper rash and any other rash that may come your way.) There products are hypo allergenic, dermatologist tested, PH correct, no mineral oil, no animal products or by-products and is botanically based.
http://www.arbonne.com/products/baby/wash.asp
If you have any other questions, let me know.
R.

My 2 1/2 month old had TERRIBLE cradle cap also & the ped said to use baby oil, let it soak in for about 5 minutes then loosen it up with a comb or brush or your fingernail then shampoo. He said to do it twice a week until it went away. Worked like a charm & my daughter laughed for the first time when I did it. I think it must have been itchy because she LOVED it so much :) We only use Cetaphil cleaner for bathing & Cetaphil lotion. My kids have sensitive skin as do I so these products are extremely gentle with no dyes or perfumes.

When my kids had cradle cap, I always used baby oil. I would rub in their hair, let it sit for a few minutes and then comb it out with a baby comb. It always worked great and didn't hurt their heads. Then wash their hair to get rid of the oily look. Sometimes I would have to do it for a couple of days.

Olive oil works wonders. Put it anywhere there is cradle cap. Let it soak in. Do not rub it off. On the scalp, you can gently comb or brush it. It may take 2-3 treatments. We did this with my granddaughter and it was the only thing that worked. We tried Babies R Us products and Walmart products without success. This will work and it's very inexpensive. Chances are you have olive oil in your kitchen cabinet.

For the cradle cap, I rubbed baby oil into my sons head during bath time and gently combed through his wet hair. It helped break it up little by little without causing too much irritation. Hope that helps.

Hi R.,
My son had some cradle cap too and another mom gave me a great remedy that worked well. Just rub some baby oil on the area and let it soak in for a little while. Then you can very genltly brush off the loose bits with a soft brush or soft toothbrush. You can give him a bath after to wash out his hair. It will be a little greasy still, but this worked very well and took care of the problem for us :) You can repeat this as often as necessary until it goes away. I'm not sure about lotion, but I read that you don't need to wash a newborn's face with anything but water, so maybe best to leave off any lotion too? And I have read that powder is not good for babies because they can inhale the loose powders? I just use diaper creams whenever my boy has any rashes crop up. Hope this helps and enjoy your little one! :) J. and 12 1/2 month old Michael :)

My mother in law is a hairdresser, she has told me that for cradle cap, you do need to scrub (gently!) the baby's head when you shampoo the hair. You don't need to shampoo a baby more than once a week with shampoo, though~ and by scrub, I don't mean you need to push hard. Just get one of those soft complexion brushes, or a brush from the baby area (like at Target or babies R us or something) that is designed for washing baby's hair/head. Use gentle or moisturizing shampoo, and olive oil is a great way to moisturize. I prefer not to use baby oil as it is mineral oil, and really does little to soak into baby's skin. Another great oil is sweet almond oil, it is nice & thick & you only need a couple drops. Food grade oil is best...or any natural products like from Burt's Bees or Arbonne or any in the natural section of a grocery/drug store.

Hello R.,
It looks like you got all the info you need on cradle cap, but I wanted to touch upon the baby powder. My grandpa's (he's 85) sister died from chocking on baby powder. I got tons of it at my shower and it scares me to use it. The only time I used it was when my daughters chins =O) caused a red spot, then I put some in my hand and used my other hand to pat it on...scared me half to death to do, but it stopped the raw spot.
Best of luck and enjoy!