Cradle Cap in a 3 year old

[humptynumpty]

My ds is 3 1/2. He has very short fine hair, which is very blonde. He has it cut short and washed but I never brush it, it just lies flat. Today I noticed something on his head and looked closer and see he has quite bad what looks like cradle cap, it looks exactly the same as in a baby. When I brushed his hair a little, it started to come off in big flakes, but his hair has come away too. It didn't hurt him or anything, it must be the dead hair that would fall out naturally, but where his hair is so fine, now he has a thin bit. I am reluctant to brush the rest out because I don't want him to have a noticable bald spot!!!
My mother said put olive oil on his scalp, which I have done, She says, get it brushed off, so that the new hair can grow underneath again. Then make sure you brush his hair every day gently to get rid of any new flakes.
Please help, I feel terrible, has anyone else got any experience???

Sorry I don't know the answer but am very keen to find out. My DS who is also 3 has exactly the same!

Yup - I found a patch on my older daughter and she's the same age. We just washed her hair every couple of days with Dentinox and it all flaked away in a week or so.

am off now to buy dentinox before chemist shuts, is that it, it will loosen the scales so they wash away without taking the hair with it?
Poor wee thing is sitting here now and all i can see is this bald bit!!!

I use olive oil regulary. Put a few drops and rub in gently. Leave overnight and then you can pick it off in the morning.

My problem is that it keeps coming back, and I've tried all the lotions and potions you can buy. I'm hoping someone will come along and tell me how to prevent it in the first place! Ds is 4!

My son had this and it needed treatment from GP - it was Sebhorraic dermatitis

Middleaged...hmmmm that does sound a lot like ds' 'cradle cap'...perhaps I might try an appointment with the gp. Dentinox made no difference whatsoever. Thank you.

My DD (3) had it very badly, thick yellow flakes that you could pick off, but there was so much of it that this wasn't keeping it under control at all. Dentinox didn't seem to be helping. About 3 months ago I massaged in a lot of olive oil, then (yuck alert) scraped it all of very carefully with a nit comb (holding the prongs flat against her head). She didn't mind at all (was watching telly at the time). And sitting on a very big towel.

We are using a shampoo called Dandrazol as a preventative measure, this was recommended by a pharmacist. She did lose quite a bit of hair, so I was but it was generalised, no bald patches. You can see very thin flakes starting to form again, but nothing like what it was like before.

middleaged, isn't that basically the same thing as cradle cap, but worse, I read some info saying it can be similar, but the dermatitis you linked to sounds much worse. My ds doesn't have any other symptoms, like MrsDingDong says, it can be removed and caused him no discomfort at all. I am just if he gets bald patches, but if his hair is stuck in the scaly bits, there's not much that I can do, so I guess better to get it over with so it can start growing back soon.

Hi my son (nearly 4) has this sometimes. I tried all the special shampoos but they didnt do much. I put baby oil on his head about 20 mins before his bath and then when I wash his hair most of it comes out or I just pick it out!

Both of my children have had this from birth. My 4 year old doesn't have it any more. I just ignored it because it didn't seem to bother them. I have never used shampoo on my children, only water and their hair is lovely, soft & clean so I can say catagorically that it isn't being caused by shampoos or similiar.

humptynumpty DS's head looked just like cradle cap to me but was very persistent and became difficult to remove with olive oil alone. I guess that the condition will vary enormously in severity, though - could be a lot worse. He had to have something called Cocois ointment, which is stinky and horrid as it contains coal tar. But after a few traetments his scalp cleared up. He's 14 now and doesn't even get dandruff.

humptynumpty.... olive oil is absolutely fine. Or cradlecap cream.
Quite often the hair disappears whilst DC has this condition. Once it has cleared up the hair will grow back normally.

Sometimes they can get it in their eyebrows too and eyelashes.
As middleage says ,it is seborrheic eczema and it is very common

you can buy (or get on prescription ) a shampoo called T gel which helps...this contains tar and doesnt smell horrible

My DD still had cradle cap when she went to school. I didn't realise until she said that she wanted her hair in bucnhes instead of one plait and when I combed in a centre parting I could see it, (she has very thick, curly hair).

My DS is 3 and he still has cradle cap. I've been told that coconut oil, (which you can get very cheaply from chemist), is the best thing. He is such a baby though that I keep putting it off.

nit comb is fantastic at shifting it. we haven't had it on dd since I stopped using shampoo and now just use conditioner instead

Don't be putting lotions and potions on his head... olive oil could be good, I hadn't ttried that, and just use a gentle muslin cloth that is naturally exfoliating (e.g. safai-skin) - let me know how you get on.

I'd forgotten, when DS had it very badly at 18 months, the health visitor recommended Daktacort, which you have to get on prescription, as she said it was probably a fungal infection. His was really, really bad, it came back as fast as you removed it with olive oil. The Daktacort cleared it in a few days, it never came back apart from a tiny bit which persists to this day (he is 5 now) but is not at all troublesome so we ignore it.