Hi Everyone....I'm noticing that my 8 week old is starting to have a bit of dry scalp and some cradle cap in some area's. It isn't that bad (yet). I remember when my 5 1/2 year old had it as an infant and we just bought the cradle cap shampoo they had in the market. I was thinking about asking around and seeing what other mommies have been doing and what options I might have. Just curious.
Hi L.
I had the same problem with both my sons and was told by a Dr. to apply baby oil or mineral oil before shampooing to loosen the flakes, and it worked. If the scalp looked irritated I was told a mild hydrocortisone cream would help.
my son had cradle cap and i didn't use the shampoo. i used the oil that you rub into their scalp, and then you comb out/pick out the scab (if its ready to come out).
rah
Hi L.,
one of things that worked for me was the puffy things we buy to use body wash one (sorry can't think of the name right now) I applied the shampoo and used that to gently scrub the stuff off. Another thing to think about is olive oil, put a bit on the scalp and gently work in let it set for a bit and wash as usual.
My son had a mild case of it. We would put some olive oil on his scalp and gently massage it with a tooth brush. Then use his burt's bees baby shampoo to remove and it went away quickly.
My son had it bad, for a long time. I used baby oil and a soft brush. As he got older, I just sorta used to rub it off with my fingers after putting a little baby oil on it! It stayed a while, but never got too bad, at least not to my memory.
Hi L.,
Be careful about shampooing, as it can actually make the problem worse, with the chemicals and further drying of the scalp. I would personally stay away from shampoos altogether in the beginning, and also be sure to use natural, chemical free bathing products. The typical soaps and shampoos have chemicals that are far too harsh for babies and actually rob them of the important oils that nourish their new skin and hair.
Did you know - the reason why Baby shampoo is touted to not burn their eyes? It's not because it's gentle - it's because they put chemicals in it to numb the eyes so that it doesn't burn. And - those chemicals get stored in the bay's body fat.
I took a class on chemicals and babies and found out a lot of information. The chemicals in soaps can cause a lot of problems. They turned out to be the reason why my son had so much nasal congestion he could barely sleep.
Also, while we have governmental agencies monitoring ingredients in food, there is no agency that regulates what goes into the non food products, like baby soaps and shampoos.
I used California Baby bath products and it changed everything. Whole Food sells it, but BabyCenter.com also sells it, and usually puts it on sale. They have a full range of products including sunscreen.
Hope that helps and congratulations on your new baby.
M.
Hi!
When my son had cradle cap at 3 months, my husband sat with him and scraped all of the flakes off, then used Head and Shoulders for 2 baths. The cradle cap went away and hasn't been back since...and he's almost 6 months old!
Hi L.. My 5 month old has the same problem, he's had it for a couple of months. We continue to use baby oil gel form, let it sit for a while, then massage the scalp with your fingers or a soft brush and the flakes come out. If the cradle cap returns then repeat. I've read online that cradle cap will eventually go away on it's own, it just lasts longer in some infants. My girlfriend uses Aquaphor. I've tried that as well, but it works the same as baby oil. I will try to switch shampoos as other moms have suggested, maybe that will stop it from coming back. Good luck!
The best thing we used was a bit of olive oil massaged into our son's scalp at bath time. I would rub it in and let it sit while I washed the rest of him. Then I would take the poof and massage it around his head and softly use my nails as well. When it was ready to come off, it did. It didn't leave his hair oily like baby oil can and it seemed to work well.
