Hats

C.L. Hendricks asked:


Have you ever wondered how to treat that crusty cradle cap? When you were a new mother and suddenly noticed a scabby, crusty patch in your baby’s soft hair, how did you react? Did you experience a moment of panic at seeing a yellow scaly substance on your baby’s head, or even on the ears, eyebrows or eyelids?

No need to worry. Cradle cap isn’t harmful to the baby, and is actually thought to be caused by the oil glands reacting to the remaining mother’s hormones in the body. Usually a simple treatment will get rid of the problem very easily. 

In an effort to reassure new mothers that cradle cap is not something to get upset about, we asked a few experienced mothers to share their solutions for cradle cap.

1. I used baby oil and a soft brush to try and break up the thicker areas. I found this helps the appearance in a way that it doesn’t look as bad, however it wasn’t a cure.

2. My son had cradle cap real bad but within a week of doing what the doctor said, it was gone. Take a soft baby brush and as you wash their hair, start gently brushing from the front toward the back in small circles. Afterwards wash the hair out and next bath time repeat until it’s gone. If there is a spot that that is more resistant, you might want to spend more time on that area. Make sure not to push to hard on their head and before you know it, it’ll be gone.

3. Each of my three children had a bout of cradle cap. This is probably due to my being extra gentle with them when washing them as newborns. I found the best way to get rid of cradle cap was get baby oil and rub it into the scalp. I would then take a big tooth comb and gently comb their hair. The dry skin would loosen and be caught in the comb. After combing out a majority of the dead skin, I would then wash the baby’s hair. This would take care of the cradle cap problem and usually it didn’t return.

4. My daughter had bad cradle cap and very little hair. When she was in the bath and her hair was wet I would gently rub her head with baby oil (not too much or the hair will look very greasy) and gentle comb her hair to get rid of the dry skin. It worked and eventually her hair grew and the cradle cap stopped.

5. My baby did experience a bout of cradle cap, and we firstly contacted our pediatrician, and also asked friends and family for great tips on how to clear it. We ended up using a mild baby shampoo, and only washed our baby’s hair every other day to prevent it from further drying out. We also used baby oil, and applied it to the area to keep it moisturized. Eventually, the cradle cap went away, and all was well!

6. Use a little bit of baby oil and massage into baby’s head. Than take a comb and comb “against the grain”, than wash hair.

7. When my first son had cradle cap, his doctor said to just make sure to clean his head well during his bath. It worked, but it took a while to go away.  Then when my youngest was in daycare, and they said to use baby oil and wipe it off. That was much faster.

8. I Used Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo. My pedestrian recommended it. It worked great.

Now you know how to treat that crusty cradle cap and realize it’s not something to panic about, and that there are a few different remedies that have been proven to work beautifully. So get out the baby oil, the soft brush or comb and get ready to spend a little quality time with your baby.



FELIPE

Margaret Tye asked:


Infantile seborrheic dermatitis or cradle cap is a common ailment affecting many babies to some degree. Seborrhea is a condition where the sebaceous glands produced too much oil. One theory put forward as to the cause of cradle cap is that the some hormones from the mother may remain in the newborn baby and that given time the cradle cap will disappear.

Cradle cap appears as a flaky dandruff that can build up into a thick crust on the scalp. Mild cases will not cause the baby any distress, it does not itch and is non-contagious, so parents need not worry.However severe cases may itch and feel sore. It can spread to other parts of the body, for example, around the neck, on the face, in the arm pits and ******* areas. It is unsightly and there is a risk of a secondary infection, so it is wise to treat it in its early stages rather than allow a thick crust to form.

Early cradle cap can be treated by daily shampooing. Many parents think that shampoos may worsen the condition, but gentle brushing with a soft brush to loosen the flakes followed by shampooing to remove them is often all that is needed.

If cradle cap is a problem with an older child, an anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner will often remove it. Sadly some children who suffer with cradle cap later develop atropic dermatitis or eczema. If this happens a physician should be consulted, eczema is a very itchy, uncomfortable condition made worse by scratching. Seborrheic dermatitis may also occur during the teenage years when hormone changes are taking place and re-occur again during adulthood, particularly when the patient is under stress.

If the cradle cap is particularly unsightly and shampooing does not remove it, there are a number of creams on the market that may help. A herbal remedy such as Clearskin-E Cream from Native Remedies is designed to treat eczema as well as cradle cap and is a save choice to use with babies.

While cradle cap is a very common ailment it should not be allowed to worsen, any condition affecting a young baby needs to be dealt with. If the condition does not respond to daily shampooing or an over the counter medication, you should seek help from your doctor. Severe cradle cap may be treated by a prescription shampoo or lotion. These may contain selenium, ketoconazole or corticosteroids.

This article is for information only and the author accepts no liability for any action taken. All health issues should be discussed with a physician.



LANE