'Cradle Cap' in toddlers

[Fluffymelon]

Hi
I'm hoping someone can help as am at my wits' end although also keep reminding myself that this is a small problem in the grand scheme of things...Anyway, I realised four months ago that my daughter, who was then 2 and a half, had a really thick crusty scalp. I just hadn't noticed it as it was hidden under her hair. I blamed myself for not washing out shampoo properly but four months later the problem has not gone away. Once every two weeks we spend about two hours going through it with a nit comb, literally scraping off crusts of scalp. Following lots of research and a doctors visit I have tried the following to no avail:
Dentinox (sp?) shampoo for cradle cap
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Less frequent hair washing
T gel shampoo
Dandruff shampoo
Salicylic acid cream (given by doctor)
Special shampoo containing salicylic acid

I was unhappy about using the last two as they seem a bit invasive but as we had no luck with the rest I have tried. The salicylic acid cream is the most effective at 'lifting' the crusts from the scalp but we still then spend a couple of hours combing flakes out. It also takes at least eight washes to get the cream out so as you can imagine I have a very unhappy toddler by wash 7 or 8.

She has also developed some eczema inside her ear and has cracking behind her ears - although I wash and dry them thoroughly. Not sure if this is related at all?

Any ideas what the problem could be or solutions please? Everything I have read says that cradle cap in toddlers is rare and only lasts a couple of months. This is now 4 months with no sign of getting better.

My doctor didn't really help although I haven't been back for 2 months.

I am wondering if it could be allergy related although feel a bit cautious of this as we have no family history of allergies. My daughter does drink a lot of cow's milk. It's always her drink of choice over water/juice etc at meal times and any time in between.

Sorry for rambling but really need to get some ideas and am hoping someone can help.

Thanks in advance!

Hello

Both of my children had cradle cap for years, particularly my DS. It didn't bother him and you could only see it if you looked for it - so I decided to leave it. It's gone now, I can't say when, but he had it as a toddler and still had it at aged around 4...he's 7 now and it's gone. There has never been a change in how I car for my sons hair & skin so it did just resolve on its own.

My friend's son also had cradle cap, but she was determined to get rid of it. She tried everything to no avail. As a last resort she used something called 'coal tar shampoo' (or similar). She found it at Boots and I have seen it there before. She said it smelled FOUL, but it cleared the cradle cap.

So two totally different options for you to try there!

Try not to worry, it's very normal. x x

Also, I just use water to clean my children. Their hair cleans itself naturally and is lovely, clean and healthy. So shampoo couldn't have caused it. I think it's natural and their are processes in the skin that take time to mature, hence children growing out of it.

My ds has this, and has always had it. We tried the oil thing, didn't work, neither did Dentinox. It has never bothered him, so now i just leave it (he's approaching 2).

Unless it bothers them, I say just leave it.

This is something all 5 of my children have had and myself.
Its a form of ezcema. Nothing to worry over. I wouldn't comb it with a harsh comb as it will make it sore for the little one but. A soft bristles brush well help. I find using Johnsons leave in conditioner helps as it really softens it and makes it easier to come off with a soft brush

Thank you. I might try and sit on my hands and ignore it then as it really doesn't seem to bother her, it just looks a bit unsightly. I have a feeling the shampoo we got from the doctors is similar to the coal tar shampoo but as I said this didn't seem to work. Thank you for your responses!

My DS had cradle cap and the eczema-type cracking in and behind the ears too. At the time I learned from our GP, who has a special interest in skin conditions in children, that cradle cap is associated with a certain type of fungus (forget the name). There is a special shampoo you can get on prescription which apparently deals with this particular fungus but I'm really sorry that I can't remember the name (I know you've already tried lots of different shampoos but you didn't mention this particular one). The cracking behind the ears is probably related and also caused by a yeast infection. Keeping it dry helps, but you would probably need to treat it with a special anti-fungus cream such as Daktacort to actually get rid of it.
My son has multiple allergies and eczema, and it doesn't sound to me as though your DD is allergic (if she were, it would be a delayed allergy and you would probably notice other symptoms such as stomach pain and eczema in other areas such as behind the knees and inside elbows). HTH