Cradle Cap 101

After nine long months of waiting for your bundle of joy to arrive they are finally here. Absolutely beautiful! Ten fingers, ten toes, perfect little face, perfect little nose....and the top of their head looks like a snake trying to shed its skin.

Don't panic. Your baby is not going to morph into a mini Godzilla and try to climb tall buildings.  This is perfectly normal.  It is called cradle cap.

Cradle cap, otherwise known as infantile seborrheic dermatitis, is very common in newborn babies.  Sometimes it can last for a few weeks, others it can last up to a year or more.  Its harmless and is not contagious.  Also, it is not a sign of poor hygiene, so don't go crazy with the bathing.

The exact cause for cradle cap is unknown but it is believed that it is hormone related from the mother during pregnancy.

There are a TON of methods for getting rid of cradle cap.  It seems that every mom I asked had a different answer.  Everything from olive oil to special shampoo, even baking soda!  Yikes!  However, I found that the easiest method is just using a brush.  When bathing, be sure to rinse out all the shampoo, then gently brush your's baby's head with a towel or SOFT brush while it is still damp.  This will help loosen the scales and allow you to brush them off.  It might take a few weeks, but eventually it gets it all.  You don't want to brush too hard or too often as it might irritate it and hurt your baby.  But a little patience and a light touch goes a long way.

Now if you notice any bleeding, or if it starts to spread to other areas of the body or becomes itchy and red, you will want to go to your doctor to get it checked out.  But in most cases it is completely harmless and will go away over time.

I hope you found this post helpful!  :-)