3 Month Son Has Dry Flaky Scalp Since 1 Wk Old and Getting Worse

my son is the same age and has the same problems. we used California Baby "Calendula" lotion all over, even in his hair. that helped clear up the eczema. but it only comes in 2oz jars and is not cheap. so we switched to Eucerin (the one in the tub). it works really well on his eczema. and again his scalp is so flaky that we put the lotion on his head too.

Also, try putting some oil in his bath water so that his skin doesnt get too dry. Also, i find that my son's eczema is better when we keep the humidifier on. best of luck!

p.s. i use jojoba oil in his bath water.

It takes awhile-it was almost a year for my daughter-she had dry scalp and it is normal. You can use selson blue-that is what we did and it helped

Hi M.
My son also had a flaky scalp. I used baby oil and that helped get rid of it. I hope this helps you. L.

Hi M.,

Definitely don't use the Head and Shoulders. These are the top three ingredients besides water: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamide MEA. The first two are skin irritants, they are detergents, rather than soap, and may cause hair loss, dandruff, and itchy skin. The Cocamide MEA is a possible carcinogen.
Using a little olive oil, leaving it for an hour and then gently massaging will work for the cradle-cap.
Regarding the eczema, absolutely the best thing you can do is to get rid of the toxic chemicals in your home. Eczema is quite often a response to an overload of toxins in the system. Both my girls had eczema until last year when I decided to go green and switched to natural products to clean my house, wash the clothes etc and I have actually been able to throw out their eczema cremes because they don't need them anymore. Let me know if you would like some more information on using better and safer products in your home. I have been so excited with the results in my family and I'm always excited to help other people who's children are having the same problema that my girls used to have.

L. P

Hi, M., Has anyone spoken to you about Melaleuca? Their products are all manufactured with health, safety, and prevention in mind. Folks who switch to Melaleuca's bath, personal care, and laundry products hardly know they have eczema! Renew dry skin lotion has passed two double blind studies and surpassed Eucerin across the board. Their Herbals shampoo is excellent on dry scalp. This company can also save you time and money. Please let me know if you would like to hear more. Good luck!
N. B.

M.,

Sounds like this might be cradle cap. Try putting a thick layer of baby lotion all over his head. Let it sit for at least 10 min. Then, brush through his head with a toothbrush concentrating on the scaly areas, then wash head with baby shampoo and rinse. There may be a very slight amount of bleeding as you scrape these areas. May need to repeat this process a few times, but if it is cradle cap...this almost always works. He will not like it and will probably cry, but not from pain...more from being manipulated so much.

Good Luck!

The dry scalp thing sounds like Craddle Cap. My son is 6 months old and has had a mild case of it since about 8 weeks. I control it by rubbing baby oil (or I heard olive oil works)on his scalp and then combing the scally parts off. I've also used a thick loation instead of the oil. Combing it off is the key. I used the Dandruf shampoo and it did not help.

My daughter has had cradle cap (which is what this sounds like to me) since she was born and it finally got better this past month. Different things work for different babies but our doctor recommended rubbing olive oil onto the scalp and leaving on there for 10 minutes before a bath as well as dandruff shampoos. If one dandruff shampoo doesn't work for your baby you should try different ones until you find one that does. I never washed her hair with dandruff shampoo more than 1 or 2 times per week, and I also only washed her hair every other day which helped. Good luck, and definitely ask your doctor!

My son had the same thing. He is almost 8 months now and we JUST got rid of it. My pediatrician recommended a dandruff shampoo too, but in the end, i think it was too drying and made it worse. What worked was something called aquaphor (not sure of spelling?). It comes in a jar and is like a vaseline consistency. You can find it with all the lotions. Put a bunch on his head about 15 minutes before his bath and then use a comb with fine teeth to comb it through and loosen the dry stuff. Then wash his hair in the bath like usual, I use regular old johnsons baby shampoo. His hair will be kind of greasy for a few days, but it worked for me! We did it two times i think and it was gone! Every now and then, he starts getting flaky again and i just use the comb while he's in his bath and being shampooed to loosen the dry skin (without using the aquaphor). GOOD LUCK!

When my kids where that little I use baby oil on their heads to loosen up the dry flack stuff then washed it with baby shampo. You don't really want to use adult shampo on a baby it is too harsh for them and if it gets in their eyes it is going to burn like crazy.

My children also have eczema; we use a Mary Kay product called Extra Emollient Night Creme. It has a vaseline consistency and it holds in moisture. It's very concentrated, so you just use a bit and mix it w/ water. If your interested in trying it, I'll let you know how to get it.
Blessings,
L.

my son had the same problem. try rubbing a few drops of olive oil into his scalp and let it absorb for few hours or overnight and then shampoo. I have also found that Paul Mitchell's Baby Don't Cry shampoo helps keep it at bay. good luck!

i know you've gotten so many responses you probably don't know what to do! i agree with laura r.: too many chemicals on your little one.

if he has excema and cradle cap, he's too dry. don't bathe him so much. the one lady who said once a week is onto something.

and i would not put tea tree oil on your son's head. it mocks human hormones that can interfere with little boys' reproductive development. i highly recommend burts' bees. stay away from sodium laureth sulfate, sodium laurel sulfate, and any kind of alcohol in your baby's products.

This may sound strange but it works wonders...rub some olive oil into his scalp and then 'scrub' it with a wash cloth and/or brush. Try to let the oil stay in for several hours then wash with shampoo in the bath. You may to do that a few times but it worked great for a friend and I know and her son. Good luck!
S.

M.,
Stop the head and shoulders!!!!! This is not good. Your son sounds like my daughter, they told me cradle cap. I got the same line "it will go away". It will but it may take a long time. My daughter had a full head of hair and it was a nightmare looking at those flakes--I felt like a neglectful parent. I tried everything on the market for cradle cap and it really didn't work. If your son has a lot of hair (or even just a little) just take a fine tooth combe and gently combe his hair after bath while it's wet. Because shampoo seemed to dry things out more, I eventually went to using shampoo once a week for her hair and just used water the rest of the week for bath. Don't be discouraged, It took most of her first year to have it completely resolve.
I don't know if babies with eczema commonly have this scalp condition but my daughter has eczema too. She is very mild with hers <starts in the folds of her arms and legs>. I started putting a teaspoon of bleach in my daughter's full tub bath--this was at the recommendation of a pediatric allergist I work with and it took him months to convince me to try it. If your leery of the bleach, try the swimming pool this summer and see if his skin gets better.
Good luck.

our oldest daughter had it for a while when she was first born. I believe we used baby oil on her in the tub once or twice (then shampooed it out). As she got a bit older, she outgrew out so I am sure your son will too! Good luck!

It sounds like he has cradle cap...very common in babies. Both of my kids have had it. With my daughter, it went away after we used selsun blue...my son's was a little more resilient so the dr. prescribed a special shampoo. I don't recall the name of it, but I'm sure your doc will know. Just give them a call. No need to worry :) Good luck!

Hi M.
It's probably what the used to call craddle cap. My son had it & I used to glob baby lotion on his head, rub it in then use a baby's brush & gently brush it backwards. It was really kind of gross & sometimes where the skin came up, the scalp would be pink, but the next day it was fine. It didn't hurt my Son because he never cried. Depending on how long your Sons hair is, you might have the slide the loose pieces off his hair. Then just use the baby shampoo like you regularly would.
Good luck!!

My daughter had cradle cap also. I rubbed olive oil on her scalp and throughout her hair , then I combed out all the flakes.Then washed with baby shampoo to remove the oily residue. The treatment worked so well. I repeated it twice and the cradle cap did not return. I would not use dandruff shampoo again. Good luck!!

Cradel cap - it's normal!
I found that normal hair conditioner works great!! The same stuff you use on your hair use on your baby.
Or you can use a litte baby oil on their head. It's just plain 'ol dry scalp.
good luck
-N.

Gerber makes a cradle cap kit that comes with oil, shampoo, lotion and a comb. I used it on my son, who also had the scaly scalp problem, and it worked great! Head & Shoulders may be too harsh for his skin??? Hope that helps!

My daughter had eczema and a dry, flaky scalp when she was little and our pediatric dermatologist recommended bathing her every day with Cetaphil soap, followed by Cetaphil lotion and washing her hair every other day with Head and Shoulders. It took about a month but it totally cleared up. Good luck finding something that works for you.

Baby oil and a fine tooth comb. It could take some time to get it all out but just do a little bit every time you give a bath.

My 3 year old daughter used to get that all the time. I used to just comb a little baby oil in her hair and loosen it up with a comb. Don't worry the baby oil might make his hair look a little greasy but it washes right out with baby shampoo.

Hope this helps
L. S.

Hi M.-

Have you tried the olive oil? My family has used it on our babies for generations to remove and prevent cradle cap. Once the oil loosens the dry dead skin gently massage it off the scalp. Has worked wounderfully.

L.

I used the baby oil (or olive oil) on the scalp and it worked wonders. Definitely limit the bathing if your son has eczema. I know they say no vaseline for eczema but my pediatrician told me to try it and it went right away. Just a very small amount on the spots. I also used Dove Nutrium soap as opposed to the baby wash - it helped to keep his skin from drying out as much. They also told me to make sure that I completely washed the shampoo out of his hair as any remaining on the scalp will make it appear worse.

Good luck!

i cant believe all the chemicals your putting on your baby...use organic virgin coconut oil on his eczema and flaky scalp-(craddle cap)...its just his skin getting use to being in air...for nine months he's been in amniotic fluid...leave it alone..it will clear up on its own...the coconut oil will also cover it up so it wont look so noticeable...and quit using all those shampoos...it is being absorbed into your babys skin....find a natural food store or just use the burtsbee's products. you can find that at target.
i have a three year old a 1 and a half year old and a three month old...I'm going through the same thing with my youngest and my others had it too....

Sounds like your son has "cradle cap". Talk to your ped again. There are oils that you can message into his scalp that will take care of it. Good luck.

Dear M.,
Your son has cradle cap. This is due to overactive sweat glandson his scalp.
Use any type of oil on his scalp at night and leave it on there.It will loosen the flakes, and then wash off the next day.
There are other natural herbal remedies that I can offer. If you are interested, please feel free to email me.
The eczema has to do with toxins that are working their way out from the inside. This can be helped by seeing an acupuncturist that will see children. There are rarely needles involved. I have worked with mom's that have babies with eczema, and have gotten rid of it with success.
I would also suggest using products that are as natural as possible, without chemicals, artificial additives etc. such as those at MOM's or Whole Foods or any Coop.
Good luck,
L.

Hi~
They call it"cradle cap" The health food store carries an oil called tea tree oil. I would massage a few drops in the scalp and use a MUCH gentler shampoo then Johnson's(very drying) or Head & Shoulders. It isn't dandruff. It's when the sebum in the scalp is overactive.
The Best!
L.

Try using baby oil on his head, make sure it gets to the scalp. Then use a fine tooth comb and comb back. This should loosen the dry scalp and remove the pesky stuff. Worked for my childrens cradle cap. Hope it helps. Good luck!

M.,
Yea my daughter got cradle cap also, and a girlfriend recommened gentle naturals and it has pooh and tiger on the bottle it worked great we only had to treat her 3 times and it was gone! hope this helps

My 4 month old daughter had the same problem. Our pediatrican gave us a cream for her eczema and told me to use the same thing on her scalp. Every morning I use olive oil on the scalp to get the flakes off the surface and use a comb to comb them out...disgusting. My daughter's hair would be full of flakes. Then I would wash it with "moisterizing" head and shoulders. I keep her scalp moisterized during the day with the cream and repeat the olive oil steps every morning.

Her skin is much better (with the eczema cream) and so is her scalp.

Sounds like a bad case of Craddle Cap. My son had it all over the top of his head too. I massaged a little olive oil into his scalp and scrubbed his scalp with a soft plastic/rubber infant hair brush. It must've itched because at times he would push his head against the brush (like a dog getting scratched :D). I followed that with baby shampoo. Sometimes though, the scrubbing wasn't the most comfortable thing for him (I'd expose raw skin underneath) so I did this in small doses for a couple weeks and eventually the Craddle Cap was completely gone.
Good luck to you and your little one.

With our grandkids we've always used babyoil to massage into their scalp .. you do that and I know its kinda messy but it helps then u gently take a lil comb n comb thru to the scalp to pull this loose..
it will clear up quicker then you think.. I would try it about 2x a day plus the baby will like the massage. Also u can use the baby oil on the skin. baby's love massages just the same as us.
I'll check with my daughter her son has eczema also and her peds. dr gave her a medicine to use on him. it worked great. He's now goin on 8 and he has just about outgrown it..
Ill get back to you as soon as I find out the name of the cream
take care .
Amy

Hi M., my son had the same thing until he was about a year old. It is kind of weird looking but doesn't hurt them and is totally normal. You can use olive oil and just rub the scalp with that to remove the flakes if they really bother you. I wouldn't use shampoo for adults, especially medicated ones like H&S as that is very harsh and drying for such young skin. But the olive oil does work. It may still come back but you can always treat it again. Some babies just get cradle cap. We never bothered much to treat my son's and i just had to keep from picking at it, which isn't good for his skin either, of course. And he may have dry skin if you are washing him too frequently. At that age we would wash our son's hair about once a week and he only got a full bath maybe twice a week. They just don't get dirty enough at that age to warrant the drying effects of soap and tap water, which has chlorine in it and can be very drying.

I also suggest aquaphor. It is a really great lotion and good for chapped cheeks when they get dry skin in the winter...

No worries, your son has cradle cap which is VERY common. It can last for a couple weeks or several months. There is nothing you are doing wrong and your son is perfectly normal and healthy. My oldest had it pretty bad and if you use just plain baby oil and gently rub his head with a baby wash cloth and then try to comb it you should be able to get most, if not all, of it out within a few days. Good luck and congratulations!

hello! my name is L.. after reading your story, it sounds like it could be craddle cap which happens with babies from birth to about 6 months. my youngest daughter had it when she was about 3 months. vitamin e may work. it has been so long ago. check with your doc. but it sounds like craddle cap. take care. L.

My daughter had it really bad...and like the other ladies, I used baby oil and then used the soft brush to brush her head. It cleared up (with just a little dryness) within weeks. She also had eczema on her little belly pretty bad. I give her a bath everynight with baby oil in the water. I only use the baby soap once a week. The other nights I just rinse her off. Then as soon as she gets out I use Avenno lotion all over her and I put it on her in the morning as well. I don't think I'd use the dandruff shampoo...its got to be to strong for there little bodies.

As a side note, I saw on TV a women who started using only natural cleaning products becuase her sons eczema was so bad. I haven't tried it yet but she wrote a book called Green up your clean up." If you try it let me know how it works.

Hello there. I have eczema also and so do my children ... we use Renew cream it is WONDERFUL ... I have NEVER had an other flare up since I started using this cream ... I could give you more information on where to get it if you are interested ... as far as the scalp is concerened the company that I purchase the cream from also has a few things that could clear it up ... what ytpe of laundry soap do you use? I found that when I stopped using Sunlight and started using a product for the same company my sons head cleared up ...
Hope that helps!
Talk to you soon
D.

I have a friend with a daughter wiht eczema and they only give her a bath once a week because daily bathing and head washes only make it worse. They purchased a scrub from one of those Dead Sea kiosks at the mall that are suppose to really help with ecxema and her condition is much improved. Also you can try rubbing olive oil on the eczema and dry and flaky areas. Olive oil is very healing for the skin. Good Luck.

Hi M.,

Check the web at:

http://www.bonnybabies.com/babyeczema-cradlecap-oil.htm

Hope this helps. D.

Hello M.! My name is T. M. I have a 7 week old and I had the same problem with him I tried everything and nothing worked (he had it on his legs arms and in his hair also) So I was giving him his nitely bath and looked over and saw the baby oil that came in a set of Johnson and Johnson bath stuff someone got for the baby shower. I thaught to myself well I havnt tried that yet! So I put the oil on my sons head took his baby brush and kinda worked it in his scalp and then washed his hair with the johnsons shampoo took about a week or so but it worked like a dream! And the best part was it got rid of the dry skin on the rest of his body too! So now my sisters son is 11days younger than my son and he is getting the same problem and I told her to do it and its working for her as well! Good luck!!

Sounds like cradle cap to me. It's nothing bad--my son has it too. Dr. said it will go away on its own by one year if not before then. Just use regular baby wash/shampoo. You can put baby oil on it and rub it off but that is uncomfortable for baby and it's not really worth it. I know it looks sad, but don't worry.

My oldest son had seborrheic dermititis as a baby as well as eczema. To combat the dermatitis, I washed his hair every two days with either a shampoo like Neutrogena T-Gel or with regular baby shampoo. This was trying as he hated getting his hair washed, but, after at most one month, I saw improvement. He's seven now and I believe the dermatitis was cured or controlled before he turned one. As far as his eczema, I found that minimizing skin irritants (itchy fabrics, fabric softeners or detergents with heavy scents), soaking him in the tub at least 15 minutes a night (no traditional bath bubbles) and changing his washcloth daily, and using over-the-counter hydrocortizone creams when a break-out occurred, drastically reduced the number and severity of break-outs. He now has very rare break-outs. His skin is still sensitive to various irritants, but we don't usually have too many eczema episodes. I still wash all of our clothes in dye-free and perfume-free detergents and I don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets with heavy perfumes. Also changing linens at least weekly and spraying Lysol all over bare bed and pillows before putting on new linens is also part of my routine to minimize skin irritants.

My son had some cradle cap around that time. Our pediatrician recommended coating the affected area with baby oil and let it sit about 20 minutes before a bath. Don't use shampoo, just baby wash and don't wash the hair more than three times a week. And no vigorous rubbing or scrubbing. Baby's head is still so delicate. It helps, but will still take some time to go away completely.

Hi M.,

It sounds like cradle cap. My daughter went through the same thing. She still has a little bit left and she's 11 mos. What I did to get a lot of it off was I rubbed olive oil into her scalp and let it soak in for a little bit then I used one of those fine tooth baby combs (or any fine tooth comb will do) and gently combed her hair back away from her face and that got a LOT of it off. Then I washed her hair. It took a couple of washings to get the oil out but at least I didn't feel like I was drying out her scalp during the process or worry about any harsh soaps or shampoos. Don't worry, it will eventually flake off. :-)

N.

I think your infants eczema is related to the cradle cap.

I noticed that when I was washing too lightly on my infants head, that he was getting cradle cap... When I scrub his head gently with my fingernails (not too hard, obviously) then he has no trouble with cradle cap. He would typically get the cradle cap underneath the area where his hair was thick (it seemed like the grease from everyone's hands groping his thick hair would grease his hair down and resulted in cradle cap, coupled with me not wanting to hurt his soft spot!)

I got rid of the cradle cap by wetting his scalp in the tub (I went in with him and laid him in my lap to have both hands free) and then I sort of picked, combed and scrubbed his scalp until it was gone. Then from there on out, I made sure to give his head a good washing (not just a rinse like everyone says babies need...)

With that said, each infant is different!
I know it is hard to look at and you don't want people to think that you don't bath your child, but know that most babies go through this at some point.
I hope all goes well.

My daughter had the same problem. Her pediatrician suggested I use a very mild dandruff shampoo called "Sebulex." You won't find it on the shelf, but the pharmacist at your drug store can order it for you. It was h*** o* her hair so I would also use her regular baby shampoo occasionally. The flakes cleared up completely at around 6 months of age.

Hi M., try putting the shampoo in.. try baby shampoo first.. let it soak for a minute or two... then take one of his baby combs and comb is scalp gently.. this worked for my little baby (she is 3 now) but -- if that doesn't work.. there is a shampoo that my kids doc suggested with my first-- 12 years ago.. he had cradle cap-- man, i forgot the name of the shampoo.. but Im sure someone else suggested it.. well hope my little bit helps.. take care and don't worry!!

L.

Hi M.;
I went through the same thing with my son when he was an infant. What the ladies have told you is correct. It is related to his eczema. Norma mentioned the Melaleuca products which I have found from personal use that they do work. You want to get in the habit of putting an oil on his scalp as a preventative measure as he gets older. This will help alleviate many flare ups. Absolutely do not use Head and Shoulders, Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo, or anything with perfumes/scents. These will only make his situation worse. Also, whichever shampoo you do decide to use, make sure you don't wash his hair too frequently as this will only contribute to the overdrying of his scalp also.

All the best.
C.R.

M., sorry I'm getting this in a little late. Have you heard of Melaleuca? My 2yr old had what sounds like the same thing in his head. But now it's gone. Their products have tea tree oil (that's Melaleuca oil) in them and it really works! Works great on my eczema too. And all of their products are non-toxic. Email me at ____@____.com and I'll be glad to share more with you. You can also check out their website at www.melaleuca.com for some info although they do not go into as much detail. I loved their policy that if it doesn't work and you use the whole bottle you can still get all of your money back!

Good luck and keep me posted! N. =) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 12, 7 & 2 yrs old and married for almost 15yrs to my Mr. Wonderful!

My son had the same problem. I used an infant shampoo called Mestela Foam Shampoo. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Mustela-Foam-Shampoo-For-Newborns/d...

Also, when you child has eczema you are to bathe him EVERYDAY! It's an old wives tale to do so just once a week like other moms mentioned here. You don't have to put soap on him but dip him into the water and just pat dry. While he's skin is still we cover him in Aquaphor. The Aquahphor will trap the mositure and you'll see a huge improvement in dryness. I have two boys that have both had severe eczema and this worked for both of them. It got worse when I skipped dipping them into the water everyday.

At that age, its ounds like cradle cap. Totally harmless. There is a cradle cap shampoo out there. I'm not sure of the brand name but it has Winnie the Pooh on the bottle. Or you could use a bit of olive oil, rub it into the scalp, then comb out. Then rinse & use regular shampoo. It took awhile for my daughter's to go away.

my son had that problem with the scaley flakey scalp, it was that way until 9-10 month,he grew out of it,he is now 2.oh, we used a special shampoo for cradle cap, which helped get rid of most of it before he grew out of it.

definately DO NOT wash his hair everyday. my sister-in-law told me to go atleast 4-5 days without washing my little girls hair (also 3 months) and hers is completely gone. stick with the baby shampoos though.

Hello, It sounds like you son has cradle cap. My 8 mo. old daughter had it. It took all of her hair out except a small patch on the top... basically she had a mohawk. It went away eventually and her hair is growing back. I don't know if it will help but I'll tell you what I did. but first what ever you do, DON'T scratch it. That only makes it worse and it can scratch his scalp and mess up his hair folics if your too rough. for my daughter, every other night I oiled her scalp with olive oil and rubbed it with my finger tips. Then I washed the oil out with baby shampoo first and then orinigal Head & shoulders. I followed up with a little (dime size) drop of olive oil. When I was consistent, the cradle cap went away, but if not it came back. Since my daughter also has eczema, I didn't give her a bath everytime I washed her hair. I used the sink to wash her hair. As far as treating the eczema, I bathe her 2-3 times a week and I use Cetaphil cleanser b/c it's lotion based and not harsh like soap. I also use the lotion. My daughter's dermatologist prescribed this. Oh and I DON'T use a wash cloth b/c it's too abrasive. I rub her down with my hands. I hope that helps. good luck!

Hey M.

My son who is not 20 suffered from the same thing. I tried so many things, but what worked over time, (massaging his head with olive oil to moisten his skin, without drying) I also nursed him and changed my diet, as dairy, meat, white flour, white sugar, wheat, etc. tends to affect eczema, although most doctors would tell you that it doesn't. M., begin to look into health. (Most doctors do not have to take classes in real "diet and nutrition", only medications, surgeries, etc.) www.hacres.com is a good resource. Norman W. Walker's Books are great. Back to Eden is also wonderful. God Bless you and your family.