Cradle cap - ignore or treat?

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

DD has a patch of scaly skin on her head which I presume is cradle cap. It is not thick, just normal skin thick IYSWIM.

It doesn't seem to be getting worse - should I just leave it alone, or should I go through the whole olive oil/ soft brush rigmarole? And how do you get the olive oil out?

When my DS had scaly skin, which I suppose was mild cradle cap, I didn't treat it.
I sometimes massaged some of the skin off with my fingers, but I never oiled it or anything.
It cleared up after a few weeks on its own.

DS2 had a patch on top of his head for a few months after his birth - I never treated it and it disappeared. If it was bothering him (itching etc) then I might have done something.

Neither. Pick it .

Well, you could leave it, and it could go on its own or it could stay there till you do something! DS2 got to the age of 4 and STILL had bad cradle cap (which didn't bother him, hence me having left it; also DS1's had cleared up gradually on its own by around 3).

I put some baby oil on it a few hours before he had his evening bath then washed it off (took a couple of goes with shampoo). Did that for about 3 nights running then noticed that it wasn't there any more!

That was about 4 months ago and I notice that his skin is getting dry again there so will put a bit of baby oil on it before next bathtime I think.

Nit combs get it off a treat.

I used to wash my DC's hair with that special cradle cap shampoo called Dentinol (I think?). That did the trick.

Really, sparkle? I went through bottles and bottles of that and it never really shifted it - just masked it really, so that it didnt' look quite so bad right after I'd shampooed his hair. Next day it looked like usual,though.

I'm not sure its bad enough to pick (what is this MN obsession with picking/squeezing?!) SI've picked a tiny bit, and I think it'll just make her sore. Ditto nit comb. She's 4 months - is that old enough for baby shampoo and I'll try the oil thing.

Would brushing her "hair" with a soft baby brush (or even baby toothbrush?) help?

Yeah, she's fine for baby shampoo.

God, no, don't start picking at it. That's what I did to DS2 to try and get the worst bits of him, and bits of his hair came off with it! (it grew back of course, but it was a bit disconcerting at the time)

There IS a MN obsession with picking and squeezing and I blame it for wrecking my leather sofa yesterday - I was cleaning it with a damp cloth and there was a sticky up bit of leather so I thought "I'll pick that off", and then it looked like a tiny bit of peeling, sunburnt skin, so I thought "I'll pick at it until it gets to an alright bit of leather" but it just got bigger and bigger and now looks hideous.....

Just a warning that some cradle cap is actually ezcema on the head, DS is 18 months has still has it sometimes I do pick when I'm bored and hair comes out and he hasn't got enough of it to lose alot. If it doesn't shift it may be ezcema - had it diagnosed by a consultant of course.

Well DS had terrible cradle cap for ages - I tried just using oil and brushing and that did naff all. It got to be a really thick disgusting crust all over his head. Eventually shifted it by using dentinox every night then oiling. I would let the oil soften it up nicely then pick it off.

however, I stopped using Dentinox a while back and he now seems to have cradle cap again :(

DD3 - 6 still gets it sometimes, and we've found that Oilatum shampoo, and a nit comb, really does the trick.

I did make it bleed once when I got a bit over enthusiastic though

Baby oil, rubbed in, then brushed against the direction of hair growth, then shampooed out with mild shampoo took care of my son's cradle cap.

And I did pick it a bit, but you're really not suppose to as it can bleed and get infected. But it is sooo tempting!

DS1 aged 7 still has it. I wouldn't pick it if I were you because apparently it's very sore. DS can tell me this in a way your baby can't.

If the stuff is off the scalp but still on hair I am allowed to tease it off. Obviously both of us have to be pretty bored for this to happen!

We have tried Detinox and oil without luck. The hairdresser says we are not rinsing his hair properly after we've washed it. All that helps is regular brushing, and that just keeps it under control, rather than getting rid of it. I can see that a nit comb would work but I can't see that I will be allowed to use it on DS.

Please don't pick it.

Some cradle cap never goes, I still have it at the age of 28. It's not called cradle cap but it is essentially the same thing. Watch it doesn't get infected and the best way to stop that is DON'T PICK IT!

Wouldn't use this on baby, but worked on my dd when she was 3 - bio oil on cotton wool rubbed onto area. Gone and not returned!

My daughter's has got infected a couple of times after attempting to use the nit comb to get it off. Think I will leave it now!

I used a cream with vitamin A on my 6 month old - worked overnight, just combed it off the next morning and it never came back. It's a generic protective cream I got abroad, but perhaps a pharmacist here could recommend something similar?

Just to echo Fiddledee

DS had what we thought was cradle cap. Turned out to be eczema, and because we didn't treat it as such early enough, it got infected and cause quite a lot of misery (for him and us)

if it gets worse, rather than stays the same, or if it really seems to be itchy, get it checked out

Blimey, here was me thinking it was an evolutionary adaptation to stop breastfeeding mothers getting bored!