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ds still has a lot of dry skin on his scalp. the only thing i've really tried is rubbing oil into his scalp while it's still dry before i washed his hair, it didn't seem to help much. does anyone have any good suggestions?
20 mo still has cradle cap
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Have you checked into food allergies or sensitivities? DS had bad cradle cap as a newborn, along with some other symptoms. I cut out wheat and 6 days later everything cleared including the cradle cap.
Not sure if ALL cradle cap is caused by food, but with his and my food journey (and allergies/sensitivities) I'm finding this more and more to be the case.
Not sure if ALL cradle cap is caused by food, but with his and my food journey (and allergies/sensitivities) I'm finding this more and more to be the case.
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I had the same problem with my 15 month old and our pediatrician recommended Selson Blue...and it works!
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You might try California Baby's Tea Tree oil shampoo.
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question for ophelia -what other symptoms did your LO have along with the dry scalp? Our dd has dry scalp and some dry patches on her legs. I hadn't considered that it could be related to a food allergy or sensitivity.
If the dry patches are eczema or psoriasis-like, then yes it can be food related. For years, on and off, I would get eczema (didn't know what it was at the time) on the back of my neck. Finally not until this year did I connect it to the times when my sugar intake increased.
I'm doing an elimination diet right now, and was fine until about 4-5 days after eating soy and got a bit of psoriasis type dry skin on my neck and arm.
With DS, he had bad cradle cap, eczema spots, red ring rash (burn rash around anus), mucousy poohs, lots of poohs, and productive toots. These were all signs that is body was rejecting the wheat and trying to get it out. Remember, the skin is the largest organ so the body will also try to purge toxins/rejects out through the skin.
Head on over to the Allergy forum!
I'm doing an elimination diet right now, and was fine until about 4-5 days after eating soy and got a bit of psoriasis type dry skin on my neck and arm.
With DS, he had bad cradle cap, eczema spots, red ring rash (burn rash around anus), mucousy poohs, lots of poohs, and productive toots. These were all signs that is body was rejecting the wheat and trying to get it out. Remember, the skin is the largest organ so the body will also try to purge toxins/rejects out through the skin.
Head on over to the Allergy forum!
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We had cradle cap related to food allergies as well. It came on suddenly when DD was a couple months old, and then spread into eczema all over her face and head. When I cut dairy, soy, and eggs it suddenly disappeared... even though the ped said there was no way it was related to my diet.
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(We've cut a lot more foods since then, but those were the biggies that affected her cradle cap.)
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What works for us when DD gets dry scalp is California Baby's Tea Tree Shampoo & Bodywash.
Works like a charm!
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Works like a charm!
My little one had a big patch of cradle cap until he was 3. He was really sensetive about it too. He didn't want me messing with it. Then one day after I had my 2nd and I was washing off some cradle cap with a toothbrush and my older one let me do it to him too. I haven't seen any more since and that has been 5 months.
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thanx for the ideas, i already use some california baby products that i love, so i will have to try their tea tree shampoo & the toothbrush idea is a great one! i have to say, for my ds i really don't feel it's an allergy thing as he hasn't shown any other signs whatsoever and his scalp is not sensitive to him at all. also, dh & i have no allergies at all.
i hopped on this thread because my ds is 20 months old and also has dry skin on his scalp... and is prone to eczema flare ups... and seems to have a stuffy nose all the time. it sounds like it could be a food allergy based on what i've read here. he LOVES to eat anything with cheese and his dad likes to give him sugary things (and tell me later about it). ugh. the thought of an elimination diet with a toddler who doesn't each much does not sound fun. any ideas from mom's who've doen this?
jessa810, I would suggest heading on over to the Allergy forum. It should be possible for you to cut out the main allergens for at LEAST 2 weeks. If you have a co-op or natural foods store by you, you should be able to find enough substitutes (like rice pasta instead of wheat).
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DD was born with a crazy amount of hair & it just kept getting longer & longer. At almost 19 months, she has the hair of a 3 year old! While it helps disguise the problem, it made dealing with the long term cradle cap issue really difficult. And I hated that when I put her hair up, you could really see it bad.
I sat her in her high chair recently, took a bottle of olive oil & a comb & just kept working olive oil into her scalp (which is really tough with all that hair!) and then combed sections over & over again, allowing the comb to really "rake" her scalp without hurting her. She had some crayons & snacks in front of her so she let me do it & then we did a nice long tubby & I washed with her normal California Baby shampoo & noticed a major improvement immediately. MAJOR stuff finally gone.
I will probably need to do this one more time to get the rest.
She does have an egg allergy, but even after I stopped eating eggs (she is BF), the cradle cap never subsided. I think I probably just never really addressed it aggressively enough early on.
I sat her in her high chair recently, took a bottle of olive oil & a comb & just kept working olive oil into her scalp (which is really tough with all that hair!) and then combed sections over & over again, allowing the comb to really "rake" her scalp without hurting her. She had some crayons & snacks in front of her so she let me do it & then we did a nice long tubby & I washed with her normal California Baby shampoo & noticed a major improvement immediately. MAJOR stuff finally gone.
I will probably need to do this one more time to get the rest.
She does have an egg allergy, but even after I stopped eating eggs (she is BF), the cradle cap never subsided. I think I probably just never really addressed it aggressively enough early on.
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This is what I did with my DD at age 1. Now at 2 we need to do it again.
I would not recommend Selsun Blue for the same reason I wouldn't use it as an adult. It is extremely drying to the skin - so it will work initially to get rid of the flakiness but it will not help the problem in the long run. Plus, it is full of chemicals that I don't want near my babies skin.
Originally Posted by ellairiesmom  I sat her in her high chair recently, took a bottle of olive oil & a comb & just kept working olive oil into her scalp (which is really tough with all that hair!) and then combed sections over & over again, allowing the comb to really "rake" her scalp without hurting her. She had some crayons & snacks in front of her so she let me do it & then we did a nice long tubby & I washed with her normal California Baby shampoo & noticed a major improvement immediately. MAJOR stuff finally gone. I will probably need to do this one more time to get the rest. |
I would not recommend Selsun Blue for the same reason I wouldn't use it as an adult. It is extremely drying to the skin - so it will work initially to get rid of the flakiness but it will not help the problem in the long run. Plus, it is full of chemicals that I don't want near my babies skin.
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Oh, man! My dd would never stand for anything like this. She is 26 months and still has cradle cap. It does seem to get better when I shampoo and condition (I use Giovanni) her hair, but I don't do that often. Fortunately she is really into wearing pigtails, so I get to comb her hair regularly, and I work on it with the comb.
It could be allergies with her, but I don't know what to try next. She is already off gluten, and almost never has dairy or sugar. I guess if it isn't bothering her I'll just keep doing my best.
Originally Posted by ellairiesmom I sat her in her high chair recently, took a bottle of olive oil & a comb & just kept working olive oil into her scalp (which is really tough with all that hair!) and then combed sections over & over again, allowing the comb to really "rake" her scalp without hurting her. She had some crayons & snacks in front of her so she let me do it & then we did a nice long tubby & I washed with her normal California Baby shampoo & noticed a major improvement immediately. MAJOR stuff finally gone. |
It could be allergies with her, but I don't know what to try next. She is already off gluten, and almost never has dairy or sugar. I guess if it isn't bothering her I'll just keep doing my best.
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