Cradle Cap? - Poynette, WI

My son had terrible cradle cap and at 7 months old was diagnosed with food allergies - milk, eggs, and peanuts. He also had the same symptoms: rough patches, dry skin, little rashes everywhere. Everyone told me to use special shampoos, lotions, soaps, etc.... when it was really the food. We ended up with an ambulance ride and a night at Children's Hospital over a drink of milk.

You may want to have him tested; it's best to know at a young age. They can do a scratch test at any age. Good luck!

I have had good luck with using Cetaphil cleanser (I buy the Target brand) for my son's hair and body. He had eczema that first year as well and the only thing that cleared that up was using Lubriderm lotion on him. I used Aquaphor for months and it did nothing, Lubriderm was the key! Also, I have a cool mist humidifier in his room which helps a lot with keeping his skin and hair moist, the air is soooo dry right now! Good Luck!

My son had this too and it got worse and worse. The solution came thanks to the nice stylists at Kids Hair. They said to switch shampoos and use the product they have called Cry No More (I think that is the name). I was never one to buy salon shampoos but guess what?! It worked!! It took 3 weeks of using nothing else on his hair and the cradle cap was gone and has never returned (we still only use that shampoo for him 4 years later).

Oops, Baby Don't Cry by Paul Mitchell, I finally looked at the bottle again. We use it still but I never look at the bottle :)

My now 4 yr old has sensitive skin. I have had good luck with 2 products. Melaleuca has a lotion called RENEW and since using it on a regular basis, we haven't had any breakouts for quite some time. I also really like Arbonne's baby care products. They have an actual like of 4-5 products. Both may work for you...

My friends son had this too, and I insisted she take him to an allergist because of reading and experiences with my daughter. He tested positive to eggs, milk, and nuts. The allergist prescribed a cream and had all of those foods be eliminated/never introduced and he is much better. He was 12 months when she finally took him. Her pediatrician had given her a prescription and kind of kept putting her off based on family history. I would highly recommend an allergist. Good luck!

My son had cradle cap for quite awhile. My doctor suggested using a mild shampoo like Head & Shoulders for it. I just bought the Equate brand at walmart. He said I could put a small amount of baby oil on my son's head before his bath, comb gently over the dry skin area to kind of lift up the flaky skin and then wash his hair. It really did seem to work and the shampoo didn't seem to irritate my son's skin at all. I think he finally got rid of all of it around 8 months of age.
Also, when I noticed any dry skin on other parts of his body, my doctor recommend 1% hydrocortizone cream.
HTH,
A.

Sounds like an allergy to something.

Our son had the same thing when he was little. We actually found out that he was allergic to wheat germ. Which if you check, is in almost every skin cleanser or bar on the market.

We found out that he had quite a few alleriges.

Process of elimination.

R.,
My oldest was the only one to have cradle cap, but it was the worst case our PA had ever seen. We finally resorted to a low dose hydrocortizone cream. It cleared it up quickly - but overuse can be dangerous for an infant. Check with your doctor if you are really concerned about it; especially if you are suspecting eczema.

I had the same problem with my daughter. My doc gave us an rx for Ketocanozole shampoo and that really helped. She also recommended the Mustela foaming infant shampoo. They sell it at Babies R Us--it is in a blue container and easy to see among all the Johnson and Johnson products. In tiny print the Mustela shampoo says something about rinsing away the flakes from cradle cap. It is kinda pricy up front but a little bit goes a long way. It smells great too. Good luck!

My daughter had cradle cap her first few months quite badly and very sensitive skin. For the cradle cap, our doctor recommended T-Gel and once we started washing her hair every night with that, it went away. She'll 11 months now and hasn't needed it for awhile.

She still has the sensitive dry skin, so we put Aquaphor on every night before putting her PJs on. For the dry spots on her face, we use Lanolin so if she does accidently put any in her mouth, it's a natural product.

What type of soap are you using on him? It's probably drying out his skin. This time of year especially is very drying and it sounds like that's the case- not just on his scalp but his skin as well. You really don't need to give him a bath every day unless he is dirty. Just wipe off his hands/face/diaper area and give him a bath every couple days. I do bathe my daughter every day but use good baby products on her skin from The Body Shop. I am a consultant and would be happy to send you a sample if you would like- let me know. Good luck!

I had this problem with my son and he just finally got over it! I tried about everything imaginable, but one day when I was shopping in KMART I found this stuff that worked great. It is called Gentle Naturals Cradle Cap Care. It's in a light green bottle with baby disney characters on the front. I saw results after the first time I used it and within a month his scalp is pretty much cleared up. I use it about every other baby or every 3rd bath. Hope this helps and good luck!!!

I have a 4mo.old same problem but I think she has eczema too so try treating it like it's eczema.

It sounds like what my daughter(she was born August 5) has- and the doc called it eczema- and it seems to get worse when wet instead of better. I have been trying to keep hers dry and my pharmacist recommended hydro cortizone(it says not for infants), my doc recommended aquafor. No matter what- it is stressful!

I think that Kris S. is talking about Baby Don't Cry from Paul Mitchell. This shampoo is amazing.