Cradle Cap?

1019 Views 22 Replies 19 Participants Last post by Attached Mama, Mar 28, 2006

mama23boys

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2006

hello
i was just wonderig what other mamas do for craddle cap. the doc said to use baby oil and leave it on for 20min,brush then wash his hair. well it works OK but i HATE that it leaves his hair oilly even after the bath. i also switched the baby soap to baby aveeno for dry skin. any suggestions or whats worked for others would be greatly appricated.

tks

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

liberal_chick

· #2 · Mar 27, 2006

One of my friends said she used regular Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo (not the all in one stuff) and left it on his hair for 10-15 minutes in the bath. I tried with my ds and it works great. Just soap baby up, leave it for a while, then rinse. You should see an improvement soon.

M.

mothragirl

· #3 · Mar 27, 2006

i used olive oil and then the bar shampoo from burt's bees. it worked great.

alicia622

· #4 · Mar 27, 2006

G's mother used to put babyoil in his hair during visits. She never washed it out either! It worked fine but he had very greasy hair till we shampooed. You might also try using a soft toothbrush on it to scrub it off.

lilsishomemade

· #5 · Mar 27, 2006

I gently scrub with the pads of my fingers to help loosen it, then let the shampoo sit for a bit, like a pp suggested. Cradle cap is a build-up of oil and skin cells.

ETA: If it's a problem for your lil' guy, take one of those baby brushes and just brush his hair/head gently every day. This helps keep the oils and skin cells from building up.

ellacy

· #6 · Mar 27, 2006

My babe had a small spot of this on the top-back of her head. At the start of a bath, I would put a tiny amt. of olive oil on the spot & gently massage it w/ my fingers. After about 10 min. I would wash her hair twice w/ baby shampoo. The flakes would be gone for nearly two days, when we had another bath (we do baths every other night). We did this for about 6 weeks. At that time, the cradle cap had gone away. She did smell a little olive-oily, but it was only when you smelled right at the top of her head!

Bridie's Mama

· #7 · Mar 27, 2006

We used regular baby oil on our dd's head until we realized that she has reactions on other parts of her body from the mineral oil in regular baby oil & vaseline, so now we just Burt's Bees Baby Oil & it works great. We just put a little on the affected area, brush it in and let it sit for 30 or so minutes, then bathe her & we do actually wash & rinse her hair twice (she has a lot of hair!) to get it out.

Gitti

· #8 · Mar 27, 2006

I am just wondering, does cradle cap have to be removed? I never bothered to do anything about it with my kids, bathed them and washed their hair normally and in time it came off all by itself.

I am wondering whether it has some protective benefits to the soft spots or ... gosh, I don't know, I am just thinking out loud.

Maybe it has a real purpose? Why would every baby have it? Just like smegma under the foreskin - people think it's dirty and yet, it is antibacterial and anti fungal and even beneficial.

Any thoughts?

Avena

· #9 · Mar 27, 2006

Plain ol' Organic olive oil works great..I'd stay away from Johnson & Johnson products..These are soo unnatural and LOADED W/CRAP!

emma_goldman

· #10 · Mar 27, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gitti
I am just wondering, does cradle cap have to be removed? I never bothered to do anything about it with my kids, bathed them and washed their hair normally and in time it came off all by itself.

I am wondering whether it has some protective benefits to the soft spots or ... gosh, I don't know, I am just thinking out loud.

Maybe it has a real purpose? Why would every baby have it? Just like smegma under the foreskin - people think it's dirty and yet, it is antibacterial and anti fungal and even beneficial.

Any thoughts?

I was wondering the same thing! Maybe it's just that mom will stop and stare extra long at her baby every once-in-awhile to look at and scratch at it!! And isn't it true that serotonins get released when you are groomed and also when you are grooming someone (like monkeys!)? So...

or it could keep scalps from getting too sunburned or from lice or ???

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Gitti

· #11 · Mar 28, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Djwratha
... or it could keep scalps from getting too sunburned or from lice or ???

YOU ARE SOOO RIGHT! MY KIDS NEVER HAD EITHER.

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2

southernmama

· #12 · Mar 28, 2006

Dr. Broners Tea tree works like a charm

raversangel

· #13 · Mar 28, 2006

i just leave it, i figure it will come off on its own...it doesn't bother him, i think its just more something i want to pick when i'm breastfeeding

so i would just leave it

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cj'smommy

· #14 · Mar 28, 2006

As long as it's not bothering them you can leave it alone.

My DS gets spots on his forehead and around his ears, more dry than the scaly stuff though, I moisturize that so it doesn't get bad otherwise I leave his head alone.

mythreesuns

· #15 · Mar 28, 2006

I always left ti alone, and let their natural oils work it off. I never gave baths more than a couple times a week..well, not full baths, I would just wash their little bums daily. I think sometimes soaps can actually prolong cradle cap.

aisraeltax

· #16 · Mar 28, 2006

i just went through this...weeks and weeks of horrible cradle cap. yes, its not that big of a deal, but his looked really horrible..big yellow flakes on his head that were still attached so i couldnt get them off.
2 things helped. after doing the babyoil thing (i used burt's bees apricot oil instead) and combing/brushing his hair, i put a hat on him. that helped keep the moisture against his head.
2. probiotics. really, within 4 days, it has almost all cleared up. his head is still a bit dry, but nothing like hwat it was. the probiotics i am on is by megagenics (i think) and it has the highest content (something like 15 billion) that i could find.
good luck
rach

BensMom

· #17 · Mar 28, 2006

So you took the probiotics not the baby? I might try that. Elly has CC on her head and the nastiest ear crud behind her ears. I do olive oil and CA baby shampoo twice a week (when she gets her shower) but I would like it gone.

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Nosy

· #18 · Mar 28, 2006

Gitti, I think you are probably right that it naturally protects the child from lice or something later on. The grooming idea is also intriguing. My older DS and I both like to have our heads scratched, and I scratched his cradle cap and my mom has admitting to scratching mine. I've wondered if that early touch stayed with us.

However, my 3 mo old's cradle cap recently morphed into a smelly yeast infection and his little head (we've been fighting thrush on and off for about 6 weeks). Yeast would go from mouth to neck to diaper area...so frustrating. Finally after the olive oil didn't work, we just shampooed with California Baby Calming Wash and it seems to be getting better. I am not a big fan of soap & shampoo on babies. In fact my 2 year old has never had a shampoo, water does just fine. But I was desperate to stop the yeast cycle!

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Gitti

· #19 · Mar 28, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nosy
But I was desperate to stop the yeast cycle!

What works really well for yeast is grape seed oil. (NOT grapefruit, grape seed oil.) You dilute it with a bit of warm water (directions are on there) and wash the affected area. It is great for mom's breasts-nipples, baby's mouth, I would try it on yeast in any place on the body. And you can drink it. Although it tastes very bitter.

aisraeltax

· #20 · Mar 28, 2006

yep, i took the probiotics. started last Wed. at his ped. appt. (she recommended it) and by Friday i saw a difference...by Sunday it was a substantial difference. he still have a bit of dryness, but the huge yellow flakes are gone.
i started one probiotic a day, went to 2 a day on day 3 and am staying there until i order more.
ill try to find a link and post it here to the ones i get. like i said, i havent found any others that are of a higher potency.

rach

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