Help with Cradle Cap on a 3 Month Old

My son had cradle cap and dry skin called dermatitis. I took him to see the dermatologist, they gave him a cream called Desonide. It worked great on his skin and they told me to put it on his head too. It was a very think cream and my son had a ton of hair, to they gave he a thinner version of it and it worked great. It was gone in no time. I also tried everything, including selsun blue and this is the only thing that worked.

Hi!

When my daughter was an infant she had cradle cap severely and I tried everything until one day I was talking to my hairdresser about it. She suggested when I washed her hair, sprinkle baking soda in with the shampoo on her head. After the first time it was noticably better. I continued and it really got rid of it over a short period of time. It's natural and very gentle for baby's skin.......

Try Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 100% Organic - this can be purchased from www.appleadayandbeyond.com - the oil is not only great for the scalp - but the hair too and it is a natural sunscreen - and the best oil to cook with. Check out www.westonaprice.org for all kinds of healthy information for you and your baby.

Hi J.,
This is N., and my niece had cradle cap as a baby and my sister used T-Gel shampoo which did wonders for her, and no it didn't dry out her scalp. I hope this helps.

my daughter also had cradle cap and my pediatrician recommended using neutragena t-gel that you can purchase at any store in the haircare isle. i know i was afraid to scrub her little head but he assured me that it would not hurt her to "scratch" the dead skin off of her head while shampooing her. the shampoo worked like a charm and i saw results after the first wash!

good luck and hope this helps!

My little one also developed this with exczema, baby acne, and heat rash. My ped told me to use Cetaphil cleanser and lotion. The cleanser soften and hydrates the skin. Her's cleared up in just a couple of days. He also told me to use baby oil on her head, but put the lotion on first. You have alot of suggestions here from everyone, I hope you find something that works.

Hi J.,
I was advised by my ped doctor to use Neutrogena dandruff shampoo and put some lotion on my daugther scalp if it gets too dry. Try that I might not be as strongh as selsun blue but just was effective.

My son had cradle cap as well. I applied olive oil to his head and let it soak in for about 10 minutes. Then I took one of those soft baby brushes and gently combed his head. The flakes came off on the brush and the olive oil conditioned the dry skin on his head. It eventually went away. Good Luck!

Both of my boys had cradle cap. After a bath, I would slather on very heavily Johnson's baby oil. Make sure you just use the oil. Then I would massage it in and take a baby comb (the one we got from the hospital) and carefully comb out the pieces. Everynight before bed, we did this. After a couple weeks, it would all be out.

You probably already tried it, but Head & Shoulders worked for my daughter. Another little tool is a special "brush" my sister gave me. It was gentle on the scalp, yet brushed the loose flakes out wonderfully. Maybe Babies R Us would have something.

Hi, I used head and shoulders. They have a senstive skin formula that was easy on the baby. I used a soft brush and brushed her hair while the shampoo was in it. Afterwards I put tons of babyoil in her hair. My advice is get your baby a hat to wear for a couple of weeks, and keep her hair very oily and wash often.

What always seemed to work for my two children was at bath time a little lather and a nice scrub with your hand(nail) gently of course. I would also use baby oil for a real bad case of cradle cap. The only problem is the skin that is flakey is holding babies hair, and once that is gone so is her hair.

use baby oil, and always wash the scalp the next day. it has worked on my three kids.

J.~
2 of my 4 boys had cradle cap real bad. The only thing that worked was genlty rubbing a fine tooth come back and forth over it to loosen it up then just comb it out. Their scalp will get a little red from the constant combing but it doesn't hurt. I usually did it around nap and bed time and it relaxed them and they almost always fell asleep! Just do that everyday and it'll be gone before you know it.
~H.

I also have a 3 month old with cradle cap. What I do is put baby oil or olive oil on her head about 1/2 hour before a bath. Allow it to soften the cradle cap. Then I comb through her hair to try to scrap off any loose spots. Then in the bath I shampoo up her hair washing off all of the oil Rinse shampoo again, and comb it again (while still in the tub) and let the shampoo sit on her head while I wash the rest of her body. You need to let the shampoo sit there for a bit or reapply it to get the oil out of her hair. That usually does the trick for us. It will stay clear for about 2 or three days and then it comes back. I have found that if I stay on top of it it does better. Be careful not to comb too much and irritate the healthy skin. You may not get it all off but just keep doing it every other day or every two days.
If you find that the baby's head is itchy, my Ped said you can apply anti-itch hydrocortizone to the cradle cap.

Good luck!

My daughter had cradle cap pretty bad, and my doctor told me to use plain Johnson & Johnson brand baby shampoo, let it sit on her head for a few minutes, then VERY LIGHTLY scratch her scalp with your finger nails. If you do this, check your nails and make sure there are no tears in you nails before starting. Johnsons is made expecially for a baby, I would have been very aprehensive about using an adult product on a baby.

By the way, it worked great. It wasn't an overnight thing, it did take a few washings, but the cradle cap was gone.

I didn't change her shampoo but I did rub baby oil on it 2-3 times a day and then at bathtime the scales just rinsed right off.

I'm not sure why, but Dial soap. My mother told me and it worked. Also, for baby acne.

My daughter had cradle cap for a while. I put baby lotion or baby oil on her head twice a day and then at nap time I would scratch her head lightly with my fingernails and physically pick off the scales that were starting to come off. Also, she had baths in the kitchen sink still at that point and I would fill one side with clean water and the other side I would put the soap/shampoo directly in the water and wash her with that and then put her in the clean side to rinse off. It seemed to help that the shampoo wasn't directly applied to her scalp/skin.

Good luck!

Apply baby oil with a cotton ball. This helped with my children when they were babies.

I used olive oil. Just massage it in a little then comb to bust up some of the flakes. After this you wash the hair. It moisturizes and naturally cleans the scalp. Work like a charm for me.

My doctor told me to use Head and Shoulders shampoo. Also, I have been instructed to use hydrocortisone cream as well. Hope this helps.

HI! My daughter had craddle cap for the longest time. I also tried dandruff shampoo with the same results. The only thing that seemed to work was before her bath I would rub grapeseed oil on her scalp and then gently comb her hair. This lifted some of the scales but patience is probably the best remedy. It just seemed to go away one day.

Good luck and congratulations on your new baby.

A little about me. I am 34, married and have one daughter who is 21 months old. I work part time.

I agree with the very first mom...use a soft baby brush. I didn't use any special shampoo, just the baby stuff. Use light pressure and srub in circular motions. It will be gone after a few baths. Also, too many baths with soap will dry out baby's skin quickly. Try just rinsing with plain water to prolong the time between soap baths.

Jojoba oil works great....
olive oil or sesame oil will also work...
use organic, unrefined
can find at a health food store. nutri foods, natural food patch, whole foods etc.
warm up slightly and rub in...use up to several times a day.
it worked great for my son.

good luck

I'm not exactly sure i have a 4 month old with cradle cap and i tried baby oil and lots of lotion if you find out what helps please let me know
D.

When I had my son three years ago, my mother was obsessive about preventing cradle cap. She seemed to think that it was caused by lack of stimulation to the scalp, so she insisted that I brush the baby's nonexistent hair (i.e. his scalp) vigorously a few times a day. I don't know if it was her advice, but neither of my children developed cradle cap. Hope this helps!

I was told to put baby oil on the scalp and use a soft brush to brush the cradle cap off........

I was told the same thing, baby oil with a comb to try and lightly scratch it off. I was also told about Selsun Blue, and although it seemed to help a little, I was worried about it being to harsh. I went through cradle cap with both of my daughters and found the best thing to be the baby oil. It does seem to leave the hair oily so I would do it every other day, and on the opposite day I would wash their hair. Sometimes it would take two washings to get rid of the oiliness, but it was the best in the long run. Good luck to you.

Olive oil also works...my ped gave that suggestion because I didn't have baby oil on hand at the time. I also used the comb quite a bit. Good Luck!

My son had that and I bought a travel size of Head and Shoulders (you're only out $1.00 if it doesn't work). It worked well for him. It still took a little while for it to go away completely. When I washed his hair I used a very, very soft baby brush to help massage the shampoo in and to help break up the cradle cap. I hope this helps. Good luck.