Cradle Cap - Killeen,TX

Updated on November 19, 2009
A.J. asks from Dinuba, CA
26 answers

OK this is kind of embarrassing! My 3 1/2 yr old daughter has cradle cap and I have no clue how to get rid of it! Both my daughters had it as babies and I used baby oil and a soft brush to get rid of it and it never came back...until now! I tried putting baby oil on her scalp to try and loosen it and brush it out but that just made her hair greasy. I've tried picking it out but she just says it hurts (and she hates having her hair even brushed, so fiddling with it just makes her upset). I use lavender baby shampoo on her, but I have tried the Suave brand for kids. Should I try use dandruff shampoo like Head and Shoulders? Do I need to take her to the dr. for a prescription shampoo or ointment? Help! It's driving me nuts because her hair is so thin, everyone can see it and it looks like she has food caked in her hair or something LOL I don't want to look like I don't bathe my child! Oh, also, her scalp has small red patches on it, too. Not sure if that's what it looks like before the flaky white stuff appears or it's something else entirely? She had very sensitive skin, so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

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So What Happened?

thanks for all the responses!! I know it's not ringworm (I've been unlucky enough to have that before), but I think I will make her an appt. tomorrow just to be on the safe side =) one of the best parts about having a husband in the Army, no co-pays so you can go to the dr. for every little thing and not worry about racking up the bills LOL

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J.R.

answers from San Antonio on

If she has red patches, it likely isn't cradle cap. She may have exczema. Take her to the Dr. to have it looked at because all the shampoo in the world won't make it go away. You will need the proper medication for it.

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C.M.

answers from Houston on

my neice got the same thing and the doctor recommended she use dandruff shampoo. my sister in law tried head and shoulder s but then ended up geting the more expensive brand which worked wonders. I can't remember it'sname but ithink it was close to$190 per bottle.

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M.G.

answers from Austin on

My daughter got something that looked like cradle cap when she was about 9. It didn't go away and kept getting worse, so I took her to the doctor, where he diagnosed her with impetigo. A round of antibiotics cleared it up. Have a doctor have a look at it. It's probably something simple to fix, but you won't be able to without a doctor looking at it first.

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G.L.

answers from Austin on

Hello A. No reason to be embarrassed. I would take your daughter in to see the dr. You might request a referral to a skin dr or an allergist. She may be allergic to the shampoo you use. That's what came to my mind first. If you take the girls to a military dr, I would suggest you write down any questions you have about the cradle cap so you don't forget them when you see the dr.

A little about me:

A retired AF wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. We have one of our granddaughters living with us with her three children 3,2,1. Keeps us young.

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R.N.

answers from Houston on

Hi A.,
My 5 year old had terrible cradle cap. My dh is originally from South Africa and his parents were still living there when she was a baby, so my MIL brought me a product called Elizabeth Anne's Special Baby Shampoo. I swear, I used it for a week and her cradle cap was GONE. It is very gentle and smells wonderful. I keep some on hand and if she ever starts getting itchy or flaky, I use it for a couple of days and the problem vanishes. Here is a link to a website that sells it...it is rather expensive but definitely worth it. It doesn't suds up like regular shampoo...it kinda feels like you're putting lotion on the hair...but when you rinse it out the hair is super-clean. Look down the list for 'Elizabeth Anne's Special Baby Shampoo (pink).' Good luck to you: http://www.outofafricatrading.com/products.asp?subcategor... (copy and paste into your browser if the link doesn't work)

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T.J.

answers from College Station on

I am a cosmetologist, and I deal with this daily, go to a salon and get a small bottle of PAUL MITTCHELL TEA TREE SHAMPOO after the third shampoo it may be gone.
the first shampoo, leave in hair for about a minute and scrub scrub scrub....then rinse this will loosen it up...second shampoo, leave for a minute scrub scrub....by now it should be almost gone..third shampoo leave in for a minute scrub..by now it should be completely gone. do not use oil or tar or head and shoulders this will only make things worst..notice it is not gone yet??????........hence the cradle cap. Good Luck from your Cosmetologist.

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J.K.

answers from Norfolk on

Well the red spotting is probably from sensitivity, and could have possibly caused the cradle cap to reapear. But since I am not a doctor, I can't completely say. If it does not go away soon, and what you have been trying does not work, maybe you could take her in, and they could look at it. They (of course) would give you a better diagnoses, and treatment. :)

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M.G.

answers from San Antonio on

Our doctor recommended Selsun Blue.

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S.D.

answers from Austin on

I used Selsun Blue on my daughter when she was 8 months to get rid of cradle cap (checked with the pedi first). I tried all that other stuff - oil, cradle cap shampoos, etc. - and none of it worked. My daughter has sensitive skin, too, and she had no reaction to it. If you're concerned, though, definitely call you dr.

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

I second the tea tree oil shampoo. I use JASONs you can get it in the natural products section at Kroger, HEB, or at Whole Foods. It's cheapest at Whole Foods if you have one nearby.

It sounds like she might have psoriasis. Two of my girls and I have what you describe and tea tree oil clears it right up.

S.

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T.B.

answers from Houston on

Hello,

My son, now 9-months had mild cradle cap but the doctor suggested Selsun Blue and it really helped. It doesn't smell very good and be careful not to get it in your daughter's eyes but it might help. We also used neopsorin and that seemed to help as well. Good Luck!!

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S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

It is most likely yeast/fungal related. I would try maybe something with tea tree oil in it and put her on some acidophilus (maybe ask at a health food store for recommendations). Try to keep her off sugar and other foods that encourage yeast. Look at a yeast elimination diet. If you don't deal with the fungal probs it will just keep coming up no matter how much you scrape/pick it off...

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M.L.

answers from Austin on

There is some great advice here, but there are just too many things it could be and you wouldn't want to aggravate the condition by doing the wrong thing. If I were you I would take her to see a dermatologist. They specialize in skin, nails and hair/scalp. My daughter also has sensitive skin and the regular dr.s only guess, but the derm diagnoses it every time. They always give us samples if something is needed. If you are in the Austin area, I can recommend a good one to you if you want to send me a pm. good luck!

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A.S.

answers from San Antonio on

You may want to try using Neutrogena T-gel shampoo, once or twice a week as needed. It smells gross, but usually works. Good Luck! Also on the same note you want to make sure that it is indeed cradle cap and not scalp psoriasis---T-gel is made for scalp psoriasis so it should work regardless but if it does come back you may want to take her to a dermatologist.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

berts bees makes a natural dandruf shampooh. i used a scrubby brush to get my sons out. we did this durring shower time. so the oil gets washed out.

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N.K.

answers from Houston on

A.,
Poor Baby!!!! I would definetly take her to the Dr. there are TONS of stuff they can give her, and some are cheap. And the products that they can offer can clear this up quickly. I would stop using the stuff you are using because it could be something besides cradle cap, like she is allergic to the products. Hope this helps.
God Bless you!!!

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C.B.

answers from Austin on

It definitely sounds Doctor worthy. It sounds like Psorasis (sp?) with red scaly spots. Neutragena has a shampoo that is for this type of scalp condition. It is a dark color and smells medicinal but it worked for us. My son had horrible psorasis as a toddler (from 8 months to 3 1/2 years.) Don't get it in the eyes.

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R.L.

answers from Houston on

At 3 and 1/2 it's no longer cradle cap. It's probably another scalp condition, possibly eczema or psoriasis. I would suggest to check with your pediatrician before using any over the counter remedies. Most over the counter products are made for adults and can do more damage than good.

My son and I both have extremely sensitive skin and eczema. You should be able to call your peds office and speak with the nurse for reccomendations on what products to use.

Also since she has sensitive skin it could be a reaction to something you are using. You may want to change your soap and/or shampoo.

Hope you find something that works!

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J.S.

answers from San Antonio on

my daughter is the same age and has the same problem. I used the cradle cap shampoo (found in the baby product aisle) once and it got rid of most of the problem. Now when it starts to come back I use head and shoulders. The scent of the cradle cap stuff was not pleasant to me so I prefer the head and shoulders. best of luck.

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A.C.

answers from Houston on

Take her to the doctor...along with the previous advice, it could be ringworm.

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S.O.

answers from San Antonio on

Put a couple of drops of tea tree oil in her shampoo in your hand before washing her hair. (Or buy Paul Mitchell's tea tree oil shampoo.)

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M.G.

answers from Richmond on

Make sure it's not ringworm. Ringworm shows up on the scalp in dry patches to start, then moves to red and puss like. Can show as flaky, and not always in a perfect circle. Usually accompanied by hair loss. Could just be cradle cap, then use selsun blue, be careful of her eyes. I say to have a pediatrician look at it- just to be sure. Good luck and I hope you figure out what it is.

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J.K.

answers from Austin on

Our pediatrician told us to use Selsun Blue (the active ingredient in that is better than Head and Shoulders) even when they were little babies. Not sure how that might affect sensitive skin, though. I'm actually just trying to rid my 2 year old of his cradle cap that I ignored for so long. Good luck!

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

My 5yo still gets cradle cap.

Try some dandruff shampoo.

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J.C.

answers from Houston on

Hi A.,

I too have a scalp condition that I've been neglecting for a long time. I've had it in the past and my best results were gotten by going to a dermatologist. That is what you'll probably end up doing. Don't know on a child so young if you should try medicated shampoos such as Selsun Blue, etc. I went to get my hair cut the other day and the beautician remarked about my cradle cap. It was rather embarassing to me, so I'm going to keep using Selsun Blue and see if I can clear it up myself. If not, I'm going to dermatologist. When I went for this years ago, the doctor put a certain type of heat lamp on my head to dry up this condition. There are several of these conditions - seborrhea, psorasisis (spelling?), etc. I know how embarassing this has to be for you. If you can afford it, take her to specialist and get the results you need. Good luck, JC in Katy, TX

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K.C.

answers from San Antonio on

My 1 year old son just got this again and his Pedi said to use a little head and shoulders and a soft brush. I only had to do it twice and it's gone! If you don't want to buy a big bottle, try looking for a small bottle where the travel size items are. Good luck!

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