Cradle Cap

Has your baby been plagued with annoying, yellowish, crusty, dandruff-looking scales on his head?

Not to worry, he probably has something commonly known as “cradle cap.”

Cradle cap, a.k.a. neonatal seborrhoeic dermatitis is not a result of poor hygiene and has not occurred through any fault of yours – it just happens.

All of my babies got it at some point or another. It's yucky...and annoying.

As far as I’m aware, there is no way to “cure” this. You have to wait for the baby to grow out of it. And they usually do before they are a year old.

In the meantime, you can keep it under control using this method:

While your baby is in the bath, wet his scalp and gently massage a small amount of olive oil into the affected area.

If you use too much oil, his head will probably remain really oily after the bath – less is more.

After you’ve finished washing the rest of the baby, shampoo his hair/scalp using regular baby shampoo. Rinse well and dry.

Like I said, this doesn’t seem to be a definite cure this condition, but it does help keep it under control and keep it from looking so scaly all the time.

If your baby’s head seems to get worse or looks really red and the area looks enflamed, ask your doctor if the baby may have a more serious condition.

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