Cradle Cap

[jenny]

My DD is now 5 months old and she had really bad crade cap early on, which we thought we treated by rubbing olive oil on her head and combing it away. But now it seems to have reared its ugly head again. We can't really get to it that well b/c it's underneath a tuft of thick hair.

My question is, do we have to constantly put oil on her head every time we give her a bath to get at the cradle cap or does it just go away on its own eventually?

[misshollygolightly]

DS had bad cradle cap and our pediatrician said that while it was a purely cosmetic issue (cradle cap wouldn't hurt him), we could wash his hair/scalp with some regular (adult) anti-dandruff shampoo and then brush the flakes out to clear it up. We were skeptical, but after a few shampoos it went away! The ped said cradle cap is actually caused by excess oil production, so using olive oil won't help in the long term (but I'm not 100% convinced, as I know lots of folks recommend it). Anyway, we wash DS's hair every other day, so we started switching his baby shampoo for anti-dandruff shampoo once or twice a week. The one trick is to keep the shampoo well out of your baby's eyes, as it isn't tearless.

Our ped also said that cradle cap nearly always goes away on its own even if left untreated, so I suppose it's possible that DS's would have cleared up when it did anyway...you just never know! Hope that helps!

[jenny]

it does. thanks!

[shoxie]

My DD had a lot of cradle cap as well, and I just never treated it other than washing. It eventually went away - it took a while. She had it even at a year old, but it wasn't even really noticeable by then unless you really, really looked. So, it does go away on its own. :)

[amldaley]

DS had bad cradle cap and our pediatrician said that while it was a purely cosmetic issue (cradle cap wouldn't hurt him), we could wash his hair/scalp with some regular (adult) anti-dandruff shampoo and then brush the flakes out to clear it up. We were skeptical, but after a few shampoos it went away! The ped said cradle cap is actually caused by excess oil production, so using olive oil won't help in the long term (but I'm not 100% convinced, as I know lots of folks recommend it). Anyway, we wash DS's hair every other day, so we started switching his baby shampoo for anti-dandruff shampoo once or twice a week. The one trick is to keep the shampoo well out of your baby's eyes, as it isn't tearless.

Our ped also said that cradle cap nearly always goes away on its own even if left untreated, so I suppose it's possible that DS's would have cleared up when it did anyway...you just never know! Hope that helps!


HA! My Ped said it was lack of oil production!!!!!!!! What do they know, anyway?

I use Vitamin E oil, rub it in and let it sit for at least 10 minutes, sometimes even an hour. Then I wash with her regular Aveeno shampoo and rub the scalp with a wash cloth or her soft baby hairbrush. Rinse thoroughly, then co0mb flakes out.

[veronica]

I didn't have a problem with this when DD was an infant-we always used Mustela newborn foam shampoo and then moved on to the mustela regular kid shampoo when the foam one ran out. Well, at 2, I decided to experiement with less expensive shampoos and within 3 days, my 2 year old DD had cradle cap. Needless to say, I went right back to Mustela shampoo and it cleared up. Mustela also makes a product called "stelaker" or something that I picked up at babiesrus that is specifically made for cradle cap. we did use the cream for the few of cradle cap we had and liked it-better than oil .
HTH-besides, expensive shampoo for a baby can last more than 6 months!

[tmonroe]

Are you using the body wash for baby stuff that says you can wash the hair with it too or reguarl shampoo? We used the Johnsons head to toe wash for her but she stopped getting cradle cap when we used just the shampoo to wash her hair. Maybe that would help? It sure helped for her.

[jenny]

Well DD has dry skin so we use dove soap to wash her body and use aveeno body/hair wash for her head. But I'm going to try the mustela recommendation and give it a try. thanks!

[amldaley]

Well DD has dry skin so we use dove soap to wash her body and use aveeno body/hair wash for her head. But I'm going to try the mustela recommendation and give it a try. thanks!

Try Cetaphil soap for her body and the Aveeno Baby Shampoo. We have dry skin here, too.

We're lucky, the Dr wrote a prescription for the Cetaphil, but I have seen it at Costco, too.

We also rub her really dry spots with Vitamin E oil.

[jenny]

Try Cetaphil soap for her body and the Aveeno Baby Shampoo. We have dry skin here, too.

We're lucky, the Dr wrote a prescription for the Cetaphil, but I have seen it at Costco, too.

We also rub her really dry spots with Vitamin E oil.

what kind of cetaphil soap is it, specifically for baby's body??

[ahrimie]

we have dry skin too... dove was the only thing that would help, plus hydro cortisone cream with aquaphore. for scalp, we use head and shoulders for when it gets bad. if it's not, we use water, dove, or aveeno.. whatever we have on hand.

our cradle cap was AWFUL in the beginning, went away.. and now at 7 months, i see a little of it coming back again. head and shoulders really works well for us... but please keep it out of their eyes... mine's screamed a few times :(

[amldaley]

what kind of cetaphil soap is it, specifically for baby's body??

No, just regular Cetaphil... the bottle reads:

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
For All Skin Types

The back of the bottle specifically says it is safe to use on babies. It is actually a "soap-free" cleanser. You don't have to rinse it off thoroughly - it acts as a moisturizer, too. It is often used in hospitals for people who can't get out of bed to bathe.

While we have a 'script for it, it is not any different than the kind you would buy OTC. My only gripe with it is that it contains SLS, but we use so little and there are so many worse things out there.

Just don't get it confused with Cetaphil moisture lotion, make sure it says Cleanser.

[daisyd]

How frequently do you use shampoo? DC has cradle cap too and we use shampoo once a week. Is that too infrequent?
TIA
Daisy

[amldaley]

We wash DD's hair with shampoo once per week. Cradle Cap is not a hygeine issue and it is not dandruff. And shampooing TOO frequently can make it worse.

[daisyd]

Thanks almdaley, that helps!

Daisy