# On toddlers: is it dandruff or cradle cap



## Ponoma (Jan 11, 2002)

Please help solve a difference of opinion:
my dd has a section of her scalp with
what I call cradle cap (white scaly scalp).
My husband says she's too old for cradle cap and its dandruff. Is there a difference?

Also, does straight olive oil work to
soften and loosen up the area?
As a toddler she won't let me scrub
at it as when she was a mere babe!

Does your shampoo make a difference?
I have been using Calidfornia Baby
religioulsy but maybe this is a time for a change.

Does the legnth of her hair make a
difference? Does longer hair make
one more prone to if?

Thanks!


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## *Erin* (Mar 18, 2002)

nope it's cradle cap-and it can be cradle cap until they're 6!! my little sister had the most insane cradle cap you ever saw until she was 5 and it just went away by itself. my own 19 month old dd has it, from the time she was about 6 mo. i've tried olive oil, dandruff shampoo (which does get a bit of it off, but is so strong i dont like to use it on her often), baby oil, berts bees apricot oil, peeling it off, brushing it off, nothing really has made a difference in it.

so,

instead of continuing to drive her nuts peeling her head i just dont mess with it. unless it starts to pull off on its own, and i gently brush it out. i noticed the spots where i peeled it off seemed a little raw, owwww, so that made me stop peeling. you can't see it unless her hair is pulled back off of it, and it doesnt seem to really bother her. maybe there's some biological reason that it's there. i heard there was an "old wives tale" (hate that term) that babies with cradle cap were certain to live thru infancy (grim, but those were tough times to be a baby when that was said!) dunno...
i use either weleda calendula soap or j&j lavender shampoo on her hair now. neither seems to help or hurt.
i don't see how hair length would or could have any bearing on it, since it's the scalp that's affected, not the actual hair.

i know, great advice


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## mommajubilee (Jan 9, 2004)

no advice for you, but just wanted to say that it sounds like cradle cap. my ds still has it - he's 2.5. i've wondered if i should be doing anything about it either, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal so i've just left it alone. i also use california baby on his hair.

sorry i'm not more help!


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## jenaniah (Nov 23, 2003)

Try the Gently Natural Cradle Cap shampoo. We used it on Haley and her Cradle Cap was gone after the second time using it and never came back. It doesn't smell great but it works.


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## JanB (Mar 4, 2004)

I agree, it's cradle cap. (Almost just typed "cradle crap"... which is actually a little more descriptive, wouldn't you say?







) Anyway, our ped told us we shouldn't worry about it unless it starts to get infected, which apparently can happen with really bad cases.

My husband took it upon himself to solve the problem, though, and started using his Neutrogena T-Gel dandruff shampoo on Zeke once a week. This stuff has coal tar in it!







I admit I was really not fully on board with this plan, but it does seem to be helping.


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## Mamma2Addison (Jul 3, 2002)

Sounds like cradle cap, too. Ds didn't get it until he was 19 mos. We tried everything for it, but the only thing that worked was some 3-step stuff we found at Babies R Us, can't remember the brand. Cleared it up after two applications.


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## ebethmom (Jan 29, 2002)

My son has this problem, too. My Mom (the nurse) recommended that we try Selsun Blue. I wasn't crazy about the idea, but we did try it, and his scalp is clearing up.

I got tired of seeing giant white flakes in his hair. And he got tired of me messing with him. "No mommy! You not pick my head!"


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## Celtain (Mar 10, 2004)

I swear this is what the pediatrician recomended to my mom for my brother's cradle cap. If she didn't use this on his hair it would come right back, until he was 7!!!!!

I have used it on my kids. They didn't have severe cases, so one or two applications and it was gone for good.

Amway L.O.C.® Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Amway's first product is still unique today. Its concentrated formula cleans floors, countertops, and practically any hard surface in your home. It is also biodegradable to be gentle to the environment.

You dip your finger in the liquid, and just rub it over the cradle cap. It feels and looks like dish soap. Then rinse it out.

Just for everyone's info, I do not sell Amway. I have only used this one product.


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## momoftristan (Aug 11, 2002)

My son suffered from severe cradlecap. I was told not to scrub or pick it off. I used baby oil and brushed his hair everyday. It works really well. After every bath rinse your childs head with fresh water, then rub some baby oil on the head and make sure to brush hair. I have also found that when my son has a bubble bath and his head is not rinsed with fresh water he tends to get a really dry scalp and I think it's a build up of shampoo.
Hope this helps a bit.


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## homebirthx2 (Jan 3, 2004)

My little one has this sometimes. Only it is pale yellow and if I try to scratch it off, he will cry. I have tried using pure olive oil on him, it works only I have a hard time getting the darn stuff out of his hair, since he hates (has hated since birth) hair washing. If I don't get it all out his hair looks greasey.


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## *solsticemama* (Feb 8, 2003)

My ds has had it since birth. He's 15 mos now. I left it alone till he was about 6 mos then I massaged in some warm calendual oil, left it over night and brushed it out with a baby toothbrush. I did this twice and it got rid of most of it. I never got around to doing it again to get the final bit off so it's still there under his hair. Occasionally bits come off on their own. I'm not going to do anything about it at this point.


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