my 4 month old grandaughter has cradle cap.?

Question

What causes it and what is the best way to get rid of it

Answer 1

Ignore 'lovely' above, it got nothing to do with a dirty baby at all. Most babies have cradle cap. Its completly natural. My son whos 3 still has it slightly now. No one really knows what causes it, but theres nothing to worry about, just massage in some baby oil after their bath, helps to lift it a little but it willl just return!Just enjoy your grandduaghter, cradle cap and all!!!

Answer 2

Cradle cap is basically baby dandruff and it's harmless. To get it out, put baby oil on the baby's head for about ten minutes before the bath. Then, wash the baby's hair with baby shampoo. Afterward, you can comb her hair in the opposite direction and it lifts right off. It will probably come back if you don't keep up this treatment but it will eventually go away completely on it's own. My children all had the same issue. My 7 and 4 year olds don't have it anymore at all. My 18 month old is still getting rid of hers. It's not too bad anymore, just a spot here and there.

Answer 3

Here's an answer from www.drgreene.com

What is it?
Cradle cap is a crusting and scaling rash found on the scalps of many healthy babies. The sebaceous glands in their skin are hyperactivated often because of mom’s hormones that crossed the placenta just before birth. These glands pump out a greasy substance that keeps the old skin cells attached as it dries.

Cradle cap is a specific timing and location of seborrhea.

Who gets it?
Cradle cap can occur in any baby, and most commonly begins sometime in the first 3 months.

It is not common after the first year of life until the teen years when hormone levels rise and exuberant growth returns. Teens often have a similar scalp condition, but for them we call it seborrhea (though I think “cradle cap” when I see it, remembering how far they have come).

What are the symptoms?
Your adorable baby develops patchy scales and redness on the scalp, even though the early baby pictures showed beautiful baby skin. The scales may appear cracked, greasy, or even weeping.

The same rash is often prominent around the ear or the eyebrows. It may appear in other locations as well, where it is called seborrheic dermatitis rather than cradle cap.

Is it contagious?
No

How long does it last?
In most children, cradle cap is gone by 8 to 12 months and often long before that.

How is it treated?
Generally, cradle cap does not need to be treated as long as it doesn’t bother you or the baby. Sometimes it itches.

The gentlest treatment is to simply rub a small amount of baby oil or olive oil onto your baby's scalp. Wait several minutes for the oil to soften and loosen the scales, and brush them away with a soft brush or a dry terry-cloth washcloth.

If the cradle cap is especially pronounced, or if your baby is over six months old, you could also wash the hair with a seborrhea shampoo, such as those containing selenium, salicylic acid, or tar. These shampoos don’t have the "no tears" factor, so be careful or your child may not like bath time as much as they usually do.

If the cradle cap is especially reddened or inflamed, a small amount of over-the-counter cortisone cream may help.

These measures may be needed, off and on, until your baby outgrows the condition. Nevertheless, if the cradle cap does not respond rapidly to these treatments, be sure to inform your pediatrician.

Answer 4

I have a 6 month old that had cradle cap also ,, what I did was a put vaseline on the scalp and brushed his hair the opposite way and it is all gone now... It is very hard getting the vasaline out of the babies head but just keep washing it and it will come out after 2 or 3 times...
Now what I do is keep baby oil in his hair so it doesn't come back so far it hasn't
Good Luck

Answer 5

The cause of cradle cap is not clearly defined but it is not caused by infection, allergy or poor hygiene. Possibly it has to do with overactive sebaceous glands in the skin of newborn babies, due to the mother's hormones still in the baby's circulation. The glands release a greasy substance that makes old skin cells attach to the scalp as they try to dry and fall off. There may be a relationship with skin yeasts


^ http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/cradle-cap.html

I used Dentinox cradle cap shampoo for my daughter. It worked really well and was mild enough to use for every wash. I highly recommend it!

Answer 6

Cradle cap is dandruff. My oldest (now 10 yrs.) struggled with this as a baby, and still does now. After taking her to several different pediatricians (due to moving), I found a doctor who suggested using Selsun Blue. Just a small amount with a bit of water, but still a thick consistency. Rub that into the scalp really well and rinse. But be sure not to get it in Baby's eyes (or mouth!) as it isn't tear-free. It was the only thing we tried that worked.

Another bit of advice: our first pediatrician suggested using baby lotion or baby oil and all that did was cause it to get much worse. :o( Her hair eventually started to fall out from that treatement and her scalp was all red & irritated looking.

Answer 7

my first daughter had it and I did nothing and it cleared up on its own at about 8 months old, but she didn't have it very badly. My 5 month old has it a bit too, and again i haven't been doing anything, but thought I might try the baby oil and brush mentioned here, as it doesn't look very nice and as it's not really supposed to be there, thought I might have a go at getting rid of it!

it's definitely NOT a dirty baby condition! My babies have both been lovely and clean, even though i don't bath them every day - that just made their skin really dry! So they are washed and lotioned occcasionally but mostly I leave their skin to do its thing as long as it is clean - I mean, how dirty does a baby get???

Answer 8

It's basically dandruff - just dry, flakey skin that usually goes away on it's own. If you want to treat it, you can use baby oil to moisten her scalp, then use a soft comb to loosen the scales and thoroughly wash her hair. Doing this for a few days or weeks should take care of all of it. There are also prescription creams you can use if it's severe, but this isn't usually necessary. My daughter's pediatrician also said that you could use Head and Shoulders shampoo, just be VERY careful not to get this in her eyes.

Answer 9

From what I understand, cradle cap is caused by the baby being in the womb (wet all the time), then comes out and has "dry head". It's nothing to worry about. My son also had it. I took a wash cloth during bath time and gently scrubbed it off. You can also use baby oil, or vaseline. You can also just pick it off with your fingernails while she sleeps in your lap. Once you get it all off, it normally doesn't come back.

And ignore comments about being dirty, this absolutely has nothing to do with being dirty.

Answer 10

It will need to take it's course, but my mom who was a hairdresser told me the safest way is to use a small amount of baby oil and rub into the scalp, then carefully as the clumps begin to soften you can remove them by using you fingernailsI also would recomend using those extra soft bristle baby brushes and lightly brush the hair after the oil is applies, just don't start pulling on them as they could still be attached. This may take a couple of weeks depending on the amount. I