# cradle cap in 9 month old?



## amore74 (Nov 8, 2006)

I'm not sure when cradle cap disappears on babies but my 9 month old Ds still has it. I'm not worried about it or anything and until now, I have not done anything to get rid of it. I only shampoo his hair about once a week and I use gentle shampoo (California Baby). So should I use oil or anything like that? Will it go away on its own?


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## boscopup (Jul 15, 2005)

My DS#1 (who will be *3* in June) still has cradle cap. I actually wish I'd done something when he was younger and had very little hair, as it'd be easier to get rid of it. For DS#2, I actually used head and shoulders, per doctor's instructions, and it did work (although I didn't use it exactly like she said - she told me "head to toe", and I just do it on his hair once every 2-3 weeks or so). DS#1 still has the cradle cap, and I haven't used H&S on him because he won't tip his head back to keep stuff from going in his eyes, so I *have* to use a shampoo that's tear-free. We're getting a removeable shower head soon, so hopefully that will help.

In *most* kids, cradle cap supposedly goes away by 1 year old, but my kid still has it, and my nephew even still has a bit at age 8!

Do NOT put oil on it, or if you do, make sure you wash the oil out afterward. Cradle cap is caused by an excess of oil, so oiling and leaving it on will just make it worse. I also found that I had to use a non-natural shampoo on DS#1 (the kind that strips the oils), which is what I have to use on my own hair too. I have natural shampoo bars that work great on alot of friends' hair, but in mine, my hair is just too oily and needs the oil stripped. I end up looking like I haven't washed my hair. I suspect my sons have inherited that aspect of my hair. They get all the bad stuff from me!









ETA: You can use oil to loosen it, then 15 minutes later, do a bath and scrub the cradle cap with a brush (I use a potato brush), and the oil should have loosened it up enough to scrub alot of it off. Then make sure you wash the oil out really good. I've done this once with DS#1 and it got about half of it out, but his is just so bad that it will take alot more than that.


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## marnie (Jul 13, 2004)

i generally use no shampoo at all on a baby but when cradle cap creeps in i use mustela newborn shampoo - one wash and it's gone. it's not a very natural alternative.


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## witchbaby (Apr 17, 2003)

my 3 year old still has it. i think it runs in the family-- both a and i have flaky scalp issues.


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## katheek77 (Mar 13, 2007)

My 9 mos (almost 10) has had it since the beginning.

She had Donald Trump hair, so, it doesn't really show unless we're ruffling her hair from some reason.

I have pretty bad dandruff, so I think it's one of those unfortunate things she's inherited.

We don't do anything for it, and her hair is washed 1-2 times/week


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## clemrose (Dec 20, 2006)

I've read that cradle cap can be caused by either too much oil or not enough. I tried almond oil on my daughter (she's now ten weeks) but it didn't help get it all off. My mom told me to try Vaseline--I did and it works.

It took me about three applications before all of her cradle cap was gone. I rubbed a lot of vaseline on her head (it now comes in a squeeze bottle which made it easier), massaging it in with a washcloth. She has a lot of hair so I also used a soft brush to rub it in. Then I combed the cradle cap flakes off with a baby comb. Once I got as much off as I could I washed her hair, but it still had some vaseline in it, which I think just helped the cradle cap stay soft enough to come off easier the next time. The third and final application was just on two little spots that were easy to get off. Granted, it's only been five days, but I've inspected and there is no sign of it returning.

If it isn't treated it can move off the top of the head and onto face and upper chest. If you get every bit off, according to my midwife, you should be fine. However, any little bit left can cause it to flare up again.


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## illinoismommy (Apr 14, 2006)

I'm confused about the no shampooing thing, I thought cradle cap was some oily gunk? My daughter has this and I was told to shampoo her hair first when I give her a bath and let it soak while I clean the rest of her and then rinse it at the end. Since I have been doing this its a lot better, as a presventative measure. If its built up you might have to try to remove some of it first.


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## JeanineTheOT (Sep 25, 2006)

Ive read that cradle cap can be caused by a yeast overgrowth. My dd has is still, and he is almost 10 monthhs. We also went to the pedicatrican and she said (without my bringing up the yeast thing) that it is caused by yeast and we should give dd large doses (10billion a day) of probiotics to get rid of it. I also tried olive oil, but I dont think it worked too good, she is just real greasy now. Ill post the link about the yeast thing if I can find it again.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

My DD is almost 3, and she still gets the occasional patch. I rub in olive oil, comb out the flakes-- really hard once they have a lot of hair-- and then shampoo. It always comes back, though.


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## Kajira (May 23, 2006)

max green alchemy scalp rescue shampoo, it's pricey but I use it for my hair and my dd's and I can't stop praising it.


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