Cradle cap treatments/remedies for your baby

Cradle cap is very common in babies. You might have seen many newborns with dry, flaky, crusty patches of skin, sometimes yellowish or brownish in color, then its most likely to be cradle cap. Don't interfere with it at all unless severe, like applying oil, trying to rub or scrub it off. It may not look cute but it also isn't harmful and might clear off within 6 to 12 months. This condition might also show up on your baby's ears, eyebrows, armpits and folds but it's then called seborrheic dermatitis unless on his scalp. It's quite common. In fact, should you walk about the hospital beds and cribs in the nursery you'll notice how common this condition is.

It does cause worries to parents but let me tell you cradle cap is not caused by poor hygiene or allergies, but some experts believed it to caused by the hormones a baby receives from his mother at the end of pregnancy. Those hormones overstimulate the baby's seborrheic (oil-producing) glands resulting in this condition. It isn't contagious and would hardly bother baby but would however, itch, if it got severe.

As for the scalp, not necessary you really have to do something but you could try gently brushing baby's scalp with a soft brush or soft towel. You could rub on some pure almond or olive oil and let it soap for few minutes until the flakes loosen, and very gently scrape it out with a fine tooth comb or a soft brush.


Photo courtesy: iStockphoto.com/rbvThe final step would be to shampoo his hair/scalp thoroughly leaving no traces of oil which would clog the pores. Also never keep oil on his head for long.

A recommendation would be to check with your doctor before you do anything, if at all you aren't experienced with babies. Your doctor might find a solution if the above don't work for the baby :-)

I'll update this post once i find more remedies.. :-)