Scabby headed son!

[CarrieG]

Not sure if it's eczema or just cradle cap, bt he has scaly, flaky scalp & keeps scratching at it.

Tried bepantene, organic baby cream, & bog standard zinc cream from Wilkos! Also daily nail trimming - he won't keep mitts on.

Off to baby clinic this afternoon but our hv is a bit daffy - can anyone suggest any miracle brainwaves? It looks like i've sanded his head & then set the cat on him!

Olive oil really helps. Leave it on over night and then wash off in the morning

yes put oil on his head (leave for an hour or so .. or overnight.. then wash off with dentinox cradle cap shampoo .. rinse and repeat

get a baby brush (the soft ones) and rub it a little when the oils on that'll help lift the scales

BTW don't use virgin / extra virgin oil .. use any vegetable oil .. olive / sunflower etc

how old?

Thanks both of you, I'll try that - is there any reason why not e.v olive oil or just because it's expensive?

He's 5 months.

if it is cradle cap I found that vaseline worked a treat, slather is on, leave overnight, then it kind of rolls/picks off the next day - the scaly/flaky bits kinda stick to the vaseline (if that makes sense?)

Yes, I've found zinc cream does the same, but unfortunately he's taken to clawing at it & leaving deep scratches - so it obviously itches - & I've got asthsma, hay fever & dry skin so it wouldn't surprise me if it were eczema on top of the cradle cap iyswim!

I just can't seem to put anything on it which is soothing enough for him to leave it alone so it has a chance to heal...

dd had cradle cap from infancy and it developed into infected eczema at about a year, looking much in the way you describe. We had a number of creams and a shampoo to help at the time but she still has cradle cap at 3. Dentinox helped a bit .

Baby oil gel is a really thick version of normal baby oil. Much easier to apply than olive oil etc as it doesn't run down nippers face. It's best left on overnight and then the cradle cap is easy to remove. All of that said though, cradle cap isn't usually itchy so perhaps its eczema in which case oil might irritate already inflamed skin. Perhaps wait for hv to diagnose before slathering!

virgin oils are thicker and not as easily absorbed by baby's skin .. that's the only reason AFAIK

I see...thanks for that! HV (not the usual dappy one, fortunately) took one look & grabbed the nearest GP, who has prescribed Epaderm & hydrocortisone. He's definitely got eczema - just hope the poor mite hasn't inherited my asthma, migraines & crap eyesight too!

Going to try to clear it up with the hydrocortisone, then keep it at bay with olive oil...? Poor little sausage, it does look sore.

If it's itchy it's certainly eczema not cradle cap so olive oil won't really help and you shouldn't try to pick/lift it off the way you do with cradle cap. Has he got much/ any hair? If not stick to emollients on the head (aqueous cream) once you've cleared up the current problem. There are tons of threads on here about eczema and good products for treating it.

Definitely not proposing to pick at it - ds does quite enough of that without my help.

The doctor's advice was pretty much to blitz the affected area with a thin layer of hydrocortisone, then, once it's cleared up, to discontinue it & use a moisturising/emollient agent instead - he suggested trying olive oil because I've already used E45, bepantene, & an 'organic' baby cream without them doing much good.

i've got dry sensitive skin myself, & I find the only thing that keeps it in good nick is being very wary of what I put on it - I like the idea of using oil because it should be fairly non-allergenic, surely?

i used vsene 2n1 shampoo on my little ine it cleared it up a treat & it has never come back

I also like/used Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil