How do you get rid of cradle cap on a baby?

Answer 1

Baby or olive oil. Gently rub it in then put a hat on until the next bath.

Answer 2

Probably. Cradle cap is very common. If your baby's scalp has flaky, dry skin that looks like dandruff, or even thick, oily, yellowish or brown scaling or crusting patches, it's most likely cradle cap.

Cradle cap isn't cute, but it's harmless. Most often it shows up in the first few months of life, and it usually clears up on its own in about six to 12 months — although some babies have it for several years.

You might notice the same condition around your baby's ears or eyebrows, or even in his armpits and other creases. When it's not on his scalp, it's called seborrheic dermatitis.

We don't know the cause but Some experts believe that the hormones a baby receives from his mother at the end of pregnancy overstimulate the baby's seborrheic (oil-producing) glands, resulting in cradle cap. But there's no consensus on the cause.

What we do know is that cradle cap isn't caused by poor hygiene or allergies. It's not contagious, and it probably doesn't bother your baby at all, although if it gets severe it might itch.

You don't really need to do anything to treat it, but if it bothers you, try shampooing more frequently and gently brushing your baby's scalp with a soft brush or a terrycloth towel.

For stubborn cases, some parents find an oil remedy helpful. (The oil helps to loosen dry flakes.) If you want to give it a try, rub just a small amount of a pure, natural oil — such as almond or olive oil — on your baby's scalp and leave it on for about 15 minutes. Then gently comb out the flakes with a fine-toothed comb or brush them out with a soft brush.

Be sure to follow up by washing your baby's scalp with a gentle baby shampoo — the last thing you want to do is leave oil on his head, which could clog the pores and cause the flakes to stick. You might try leaving the shampoo on for a few minutes before rinsing, to help cut the oil.

Talk with your baby's doctor if the cradle cap is severe or it spreads beyond your baby's scalp. She may suggest an over-the-counter or prescription seborrhea shampoo or, if the scalp is inflamed, a cortisone cream.

Once your baby's cradle cap is completely gone, it's unlikely to return, but to help remove dead skin while it's waning, you might want to give your baby more frequent shampoos. Don't overdo it, though, or you could further stimulate his oil-producing glands. A gentle wash two or three times a week with a mild shampoo should be plenty.

Answer 3

My son has this too. You really dont' have to do anything because it will eventually clear on its on. But to help it look better just rub a little bit of baby oil in your baby hair. Leave it in for about a half hour and then wash it out. Don't rub hard or try to flake off the peices, it should flake off on its own. They also have cradle cap kits you can buy but I wouldn't waste your money. They consist of oil, shampoo, a comb and lotion, all of which I'm sure you always have.

Good luck

Answer 4

To get rid of cradle cap I used baby oil.

Answer 5

Put Vaseline on the scalp. Use a baby brush to see if the Vaseline has loosened up the cradle cap, use shampoo to help remove the loosned cradle cap and Vaseline. After you get the cradle cap removed, the easiest way to prevent cradle cap is to wash the babies' head everyday, making sure to get the scalp clean.

Answer 6

A little bit of baby oil on the scalp, gently rub it in. The if you want to use a small baby comb you can comb some of it out. It does go away, thank goodness. Good Luck

Answer 7

My baby had cradle cap. Her doctor said to use a little bit of dandruff shampoo. You must be very careful not to get it in the baby's eyes.

Answer 8

My son was born almost 3 months early and he had horrible cradle cap from laying in the incubator and the crib for so long. One of the nurses at Children's Hospital told me to use Head & Shoulders (Just a tiny little bit) and to use the one for Sensitive skin. I put him in the baby bathtub so he was reclining and the soap would not run in his eyes. His was cleared up in less than a week.This nurse said she used it for all 4 of her kids.

Answer 9

My ped recommended P&S Liquid and Shampoo. The bottle says to leave on overnight, but it can be messy. I massage it into his scalp about 20 mins before bath time, then gently scrape his scalp with a fine tooth comb. Finish with shampoo. You can get this over the counter. I tried several home remedies and this was the only one that worked. Good Luck

Answer 10

While bathing baby, use a warm wash cloth and gently rub the cloth across the scalp, this will cause it to fall off!! Best of luck and Congrats!