Cradle cap

[happygolucky94]

Hello, my baby has just turned 10 weeks now and has awful cradle cap like huge huge flakes so I saw a video that they put coconut oil on it and the combed through straight away with a baby comb and it was all gone so I’ve just tried that now and I used the baby comb and the flakes were coming away bit by bit but there was the huge ones and I went over those ones a good couple of times to see if they loosened and I did this for about 10 mins and most have gone but still some patches of cradle cap left, her scalp started to look really red so I thought maybe I’m doing this wrong and looked it up and I’ve read that to leave it on over night, I feel like the worlds worst mother now and I feel like maybe I’ve hurt her and being stupid by watching one video and doing it that way, I feel like maybe I’ve been a bit rough I didn’t think I was at all but her scalp has gone red and I feel like what if I’ve gone over her soft spot too much, has anyone done this and their baby has been fine? Honestly I can’t stop crying and I can’t feel more awful if I tried than what I do now I feel like I’ve hurt her 😔

Oh OP don’t worry it’ll be fine! Just leave it for now.

I’ve been very slowly picking my nine week old’s off, the GP said get a soft baby brush and slowly flake it off.

When I was a baby my aunt picked all my cradle cap off while I was sitting on her knee, can guarantee no coconut oil was involved nor a comb. It didn't do me any harm. Your baby will be fine. Make yourself a cup of tea and try not to be so hard on yourself! Babies are so resilient and you are doing an excellent job 💖

Don’t cry for goodness sake you won’t have done any damage at all.

Oh please don't feel awful! Being a mum is so hard and you were just doing what you thought was best.
Call your hv or doctor if you are worried but I'm sure it'll be fine. The skin will be red from the combing and lots of people do the coconut oil thing - maybe just leave it from now on!
Congratulations on your lovely baby 🎉

Just wanted to add too she didn’t cry at all she literally was just chilling and babbling to me while I sang to her but I can’t stop crying now because I feel like I’ve hurt her or went over her soft spot too much and just been stupid trying to get it off and watching one blinking video 😩

Stop worrying! The skins just a bit red where you've been touching it but it'll calm down in no time. Unless she was crying while you were doing it you haven't hurt her. Honestly I rub some baby oil on my babies cradle cap, leave it an hour, bath her then scrub her scalp with a towel which is a lot less gentle than you were doing and she just laughs lol. They're not made of glass, they can cope with having their hair combed

Thank you so much everyone, she’s just the most precious thing ever and the thought that I could have hurt makes my heart break! Yeah I’ve left it alone now and she’s had a bath! I’ll ring the HV in the morn for peace of mind, by the sounds though she’s okay! Thanks everyone ❤️

If she was happy and cooing away you've not hurt her! Please dont stress, there will be many more moments like this or worse on your parenting journey. We've all been there and the babies have all been fine!

@Gem176 I picked both of my boys cradle cap off, just the bits that were looking ready mind. Did it over a period of time whilst they were b feeding. Oh the satisfaction! 🤣🤦‍♀️

I’m having the same issue just now, hes 14 weeks and it’s so bad. I’ve tried my little coco balm because that’s pretty much coconut oil. He has it on every night and I brush and comb it in the morning but hardly any of it is coming off 🙄

Your baby will be fine, it will be momentarily ted, check her out in the morning, I'm sure her scalp will look much better

@sarah13xx

I’m having the same issue just now, hes 14 weeks and it’s so bad. I’ve tried my little coco balm because that’s pretty much coconut oil. He has it on every night and I brush and comb it in the morning but hardly any of it is coming off 🙄

Try olive oil

Breast milk is amazing for cradle cap. Lifted everything bit off in one sitting and it was really quite bad for her.

Try butter it's amazing put it on and leave it prop a few hours then bath and wash off.

I’ve checked her scalp again this morn now and it’s still red like it was last night 😩 is that normal for it still to be red? Feeling awful all over again here!

Try Aveeno wash to wash it and the cream left on. That should help clear it up.
Don't worry though

My midwife recommended coconut oil - I'm sure all will be well.

@Opalfeet I'm a picker too.... it's so satisfying!! OH thinks I'm a combination of slightly mad and completely gross 🤣 slather my 12 week old in coconut oil before bed then pick off the ready looking flakes in the morning 😁

@happygolucky94 to put your mind at ease about the fontanelles, it's not just normal skin that covers them. It's an incredibly tough membrane that can easily cope with normal handling such as washing and brushing/combing their hair. They don't close properly for around a year so it really is a tough membrane.

My little one had it really bad! It was awful, but the doctor and HVs all kept saying it would go in its own time. They just recommended coconut oil and a soft brush to loosen it. I would leave it on and put his hat on for a few hours before his bath. It seemed to help but it kept coming back, he lost most of his hair because of it. The doctors weren’t worried about it though. I wouldn’t worry, it will sort itself out eventually you just take care of you 😊

We were always told to warm the oil in the microwave first (defrost setting or similar) and the flakes would loosen within a few minutes. Comb off gently. If stubborn repeat later. Obviously test the oil first!

@happygolucky94 as long as it's just red and not scabby you should be fine. How's the head looking now.

And ditto previous comments about fontanelle, you won't have done any damage. Their heads get red easily too, I'm sure you weren't as vigorous as you think.

@Gem176 ooh yummy. Makes me want another just so I can pick their cradle cap again 🤦‍♀️

You won’t have hurt her, as pp have said, if there’s no crying it’s fine.
I would stop trying to get it all off in one go as however you do it it’s a lot for their delicate skin. I was told by the doctor not to pick in case of causing an infection but perhaps advice has changed if so many people are picking. We used a natural sponge on their heads every time we bathed them and it was much better in a week and completely gone in a few weeks.
It’s only aesthetic, it doesn’t hurt them to have it and it goes away eventually on its own.

No @CherryRedDMs advice has not changed, picking is not a good idea. We are just irresponsible mothers horribly tempted by the picking. In my defence I did just go for the loose bits and it didn't cause an infection.

My baby had this and I found that oil and combing never really got rid of it. So when he was a little older (5-6 months I think) I tried washing his hair with the tiniest bit of head and shoulders, leave the bubbles on his head for a few minutes then comb with a nit comb. It worked brilliantly.

@Opalfeet the GP told me to pick