Kiddie Wellness: Cradle Cap

August 5, 2008

Cradle cap isn't just for infants. The crusting on a babe's head that is caused by buildup of skin oils and cells can also be found on older children. And, while you wash and comb your wee one's hair repeatedly, it may do lil to remove the flakes.

Long hair not only disguises the harmless condition, but makes it it harder to remove. If you are looking to rid your youngster's scalp of the scales, try massaging it with a natural oil or cream prior to washing her hair or building up a soapy lather with a soft mit or toothbrush and shampoo. If your tot has long tresses, a nitpicking comb might also do the trick.

9 Comments

macgirl 4 years 41 weeks

When my mother in law got my husband from the hospital at 3 weeks of age (he's adopted) he had a bad case of cradle cap and she was so furious as she thought he had been neglected and not bathed. ;-) I was prepared for this with the new baby but he never got it (the first one had it pretty bad for the first year).

macgirl 4 years 41 weeks

Greggie 4 years 41 weeks

We've done Head and Shoulders with my son, but only when he was older. First you put on some olive oil, let it soak for about ten minutes, then follow it with H&S which also sits for a few minutes.

rgrl 4 years 41 weeks

My son had it. I heard using Head and Shoulders shampoo helps, but I couldn't bring myself to use that on a baby. So I tried anything from olive oil, to a cradle cap solution by Johnson and Johnson. I think it just went away on its own.

SweetnLow 4 years 41 weeks

My DD had it so badly that she had to use an Adult's Psoriasis (hope I spelled that correctly) shampoo.

Greggie 4 years 41 weeks

My 5-year-old still has it and it's sooo hard to maintain. We do stuff like this, but it only solves it momentarily, it doesn't keep it under control. Not even if I use it every washing.