Is cradle cap there for a reason?

[BedPig2013]

My 19 month old has been losing bits of cradle cap for the last few months but still has a lot on her head, is it there for a reason or should I help it off? I've heard people say that olive oil takes it off but is it beneficial to do that? Thanks

I haven't been able to get an answer to this either. DS is 2 and still has a bit in spite of mil hacking at his head whenever she can and when I asked the health nurse she just said "well, it's better not to have it, do the olive oil thing". She didn't explain why I needed to drive both of us bonkers to do it though, so I haven't really bothered...

Dentinox shampoo does the trick, slightly expensive for the size of the bottle. But worth it to get rid of it.

Thanks, I did see some dentinox while I was shopping so I'll have a look at that

I've heard of Dentinox for it too, but had forgotten about it! Still though, Sassysugarcane, do you know why we need to get rid of the cradle cap??

From what I've read on nhs choices it seems that it's down to over active sebaceous glands, but not harmless or itchy unless it gets infected which wouldn't happen unless you pick it

My dd had it when she was newborn. I was told it was unsightly but harmless unless you could see it was itchy. Baby oil on for 10 mins before a bath then massaging with a baby brush sorted it right out, but I was told in no uncertain not to pick it as it could get infected.

my son is 2.10 and still have a LOT of cradle cap. We tried detinox but he started itching his head so we stopped. Sometimes if a bit if flaking I'll pick it off.

I haven't found anything that says why it's a bad thing to have. My dh has really sensitive skin so we are loathe to start poking around and putting oil on his head. I'm sure at some point we might make an effort to get rid but he's not bothered, you normallycan't see it (he's got thick hair.. possibly because the cc stops his hair falling out) so it's staying where it is for now.

k

Mine has cradle cap until they were 3/4. I ignored it and it went away.

Mil though was constantly on about it. Apparently her dd had it and had to go to the hospital every day to get it washed and "treated".

It's likely one of those things that people thought unsightly back in the day, but never does any harm and is best left alone.