How I Dealt With My Baby’s Cradle Cap

My first-born had a severe case of cradle cap, in fact it got so bad she ended up getting bleeding scabs throughout her head. When I took my daughter to the doctor, he was speechless. He said he had never seen a case of cradle cap get this bad. My heart sunk. I felt like the WORST mother out there. I thought cradle cap was normal and that it would eventually disappear on its own. Sitting at the doctor’s office, all I could think to myself was ‘why did I let it get so bad?’

My doctor assured me that the cradle cap would get better, and he prescribed my daughter a hydrocortisone cream for treatment, and suggested I use Head & Shoulders shampoo on her. He also suggested that thoroughly drying her hair after her baths would help. Combing your baby’s hair often with a fine toothed comb is also essential, for it gently loosens and lifts the flakes! After trying all the above for a week, I began to notice improvement to her scalp, and her scabs began to heal!

My other three children did not experience cradle cap to that degree, here are some things I did with them:

1. I didn’t wash their hair every day. I found that the more I washed my babies scalp, the more dry the scalps would get, so I washed their hair only 2-3 times a week max.
2. I avoided using shampoos loaded with chemicals and went for more natural options. 
3. If I did notice my babies scalp getting dry, I would rub some coconut oil or olive oil into their hair and leave it for about an hour then wash the oil out. 

With that said, I would suggest keeping a close eye on your baby’s scalp, drying your baby’s hair thoroughly after bath time, and using a fine tooth comb to loose the flakes. In most cases, if you take these steps mentioned, the cradles cap will eventually go away; however, some babies produce an excess amount of oil in their scalps making it more difficult for curing the cradle cap without the intervention of a doctor. Therefore, if you do feel your baby’s cradle cap is getting worse, then visiting a doctor would be best.

Sumaira Zaheer is a Canadian born mom of four beautiful children that keep her on her toes! Sumaira is also a chocoholic, a chai drinker, maxi dress wearer, and is a huge believer in peace, positivity, and prayer!