Cradle cap

[inmypjs]

Hello, my son is 11 weeks old and has a terrible case of cradle cap. He has dry skin on his scalp and ears plus yellow scales in places. I read the previous messages and have used baby oil then a fine tooth comb. This works a little, but it is back the next day. I did buy some anti-dandruff shampoo but am a little nervous about using it. I guess I am afraid it might hurt his scalp. Is there anything else I can do? How long does this usually last? I would appreciate any information and advice.

[NewGrandma]

My grandson is almost 3 months old and has had dry spots on his scalp for at least a month. They appeared to be normal old cradle cap. Last week one of the patches (about the size of a dime) was orange colored. Yesterday there was a new one (just dry and flaky) near the front hairline almost on his forehead. My daughter had tried using the dandruff shampoo and brushing his hair with the shampoo. She took him to the pediatrician yesterday since things seem to be progressing instead of going away like normal cradle cap does. The doctor said that he has eczema and prescribed a prescription ointment to use for a few days. He also said she could use baby oil on his scalp and to brush it in. From what I have read of eczema the orange crusty appearance, or in your baby's case yellow scales is typical of eczema. You might want to let your pediatrician look at your son's scalp and ears. Eczema can be caused by many things such as being allergic to foods or even baby products. My daughter and her husband are very much allergy prone so it is very likely that their baby will be too. My suggestion to my daughter is to stop using his J&J products (and the dandruff shampoo) and switch to a product such as Mustela. We recently purchased some of their products and they work great for him. I just got on the message boards to see if anyone else had posted any info about eczema and saw your post...........I hope this helps you.
Linda
NewGrandma

[inmypjs]

Thank you! My pediatrician actually diagnosed my son with eczema and we are using a hydrocortisone cream as she directs. It has helped a lot. Can you tell me more about the Mustela product you mentioned? My son mostly has the eczema on his head and hairline and I wonder if the J & J head to toe body wash could be part of it? Katie

[NewGrandma]

We use several of the Mustela products and plan on buying some others. The lotion that we use ALL OVER his little body is the Moisturising and Softening Body Lotion. My daughter has been covering his body in the a.m. and p.m. with the lotion and the eczema has improved some. He has had new spots periodically appear but they are not progressing to anything more than a little rough, slightly red spot. They are using Dove unscented soap to bathe him, which is what I had read about in several places. I do think we will try some of the Mustela bath products. We bought our Mustela products from www.babyandmeboutique.com You can do a search on www.mustela.com and if you don't have local stores that sell it there is a link for online stores. That is where we got this store's name from. They are several dollars per item less expensive than our local store and always have free shipping. Most of the time they have a freebie with a purchase. I have done quite a few online searches for info on eczema that have given us some valuable info. I hope this too helps you.
Linda

[ladidy]

Had one infant in my care that had the worst case of cradle cap I had ever seen....I had taken him to get his hair cut and the hairdresser told me to never use baby shampoo or those baby washes. Just use adult shampoo....any kind. While shampoo is foamed up on head...use an infant brush to lightly scrub foam around on head.....rinse really well and you can comb the scales out or wait till hair is dry and briskly shake scabs out. Great results. I have used this method with each child that comes into my care and the continued use of adult shampoo has resulted in no return symptoms. Such an easy remedy. who knew?

[Ubermomma]

Hi there -
I have 3 boys and all three of them had cradle cap at some point. The best way I've found to get rid of it is to wet their head and put a large amount of shampoo on (about a dime size or more). Rub it in well with your fingers until their scalp is really foamy. Then leave it in for about 5 - 10 minutes, depending on how bad the case is. This part seems to be the key to breaking down the oily build up. Before rinsing it out, rewet the head and scrub lightly with a brush. Rinse & towel dry! It usually gets most of it out the first time, but may need to be reapplied the next day. I've found MOP's Pear Shampoo (Modern Organic Products) and Mustella's Foaming Infant Shampoo to work the best. Neither should irritate your little one's scalp. Good Luck!

[Wnderlnd]

Our daughter had the same thing. She is now 10 weeks old and still has bouts of the rash. For the rash and cradle cap in her eyebrows the doc told us to use 1% hyrdocortisone one to two times a day. It worked in 24 hours for the rash. The cradle caps still appears but is getting less. I dont' like to use the steriod cream too often so I am might not be treating it aggressively, but it doens't hurt her.

For the cradle cap...it completely covered her entire head with a thick coat of scales. We tried olive oil and a toothbrush per a neighbors suggestins and it did nothing. (Athough it smelled yummy!) We then tried the Pure NAturals by Baby Orajel for cradle cap treatment and it did the trick! It completely softened the scales and I easily combed them out. The toothbrush didn't work, but GENTLY rubbed the comb through and they lifted. Her hair (she has a ton) was a wreck and looked like none of it would come out, but when she washed and dired it it was fine. It did take 4 shampooings (3 with baby wash and one with head and shoulders) to get teh oiliness out.) It hasn't returned in two weeks.

As for the dryness...now she has majar dry skin...doc said no more baby soaps. Only cetaphil, even for her hair and Lubriderm lotion at every diaper change...thank goodness she loves massages with lotion. I also rubbed her up this AM with A&D ointment before dressing her and it really helped soften her skin.

Hope this helps.

[danagee]

I tried a couple things for cradle cap, but the only thing that finally got rid of it was when shampooing, I just rubbed his head with a washcloth each time. It seemed to slough off the scales like even a comb couldn't do.

[daisy1234]

Julia is 4 months now and we had the same thing! Behind her ears got gross...scaly and smelly even though I had washed them. My pediatrican said it was cradle cap but called it sebborhea. My pediatrican recommended putting aquaphor on her brows abd behind her ears and behind her knees...it woked really well. We use baby oil and a cetaphil cleanser and scrub her head with a little brush. It also helps to let the oil soak in for about 15 minutes! then wash. I Don't recommend ANY of the baby products out there if your baby has bad skin...which both of my kids have. I've tried many creams including Mustela...The only cream that has worked for my kids and my hubby...who has bad dry skin as well...IS CETAPHIL CREAM! not the lotion. As far as soaps and cleansers for excema skin...I like Cetiphil soap or cleanser...the soap has a nice light scent. Lady Emily Olive Oil Soap is also great...it is a new company that is run like MAry KAy. Emily is the womans daughter who had excema...her mom tried everything and all the products bothered Emily's skin...so she started making her own all natural products in her kithen....and her friends wanted to try them....they were hooked...now her products are in over 18 states in less then 2-3 years! I think they have a website. I know I sound like a commercial...but I hope I can be of some help!!!

LAura