Cradle Cap

Some babies, in the very first few months of life, may experience a general scaliness and redness around the scalp area. The scales may be oily and yellow in color. It may also appear as red or slightly pinkish crusted patches. This condition is known as "cradle cap" and is pretty common in brand new babies.

If the redness and scaliness also occurs on the baby's face, behind the ears, on the forehead or eyebrows and/or in the diaper area, the condition is labeled as seborrheic dermatitis. For most babies, cradle cap will heal by itself within a few months without any special treatments. Most experts believe that cradle cap does not cause any itching or discomfort to a baby.

Cradle cap is very common in babies younger than eight months. It is likely to appear during baby's first three months, and it can linger for weeks or months. The reason for this is that in babies the condition typically remits after 6-8 months, but in adults the problem is almost always chronic and will just tend to relapse and remit while it worsens over time. Older babies and toddlers can also get cradle cap. Although the condition can look unsightly. If the scaliness and redness spread to the face, neck or armpits, or even the diaper area, doctors call cradle cap "seborrheic dermatitis".

Cause

Cradle cap is the result of overactive glands in baby’s scalp – they secrete too much oily discharged, which accumulates into patchy areas and then flake off once it’s dried.

It’s caused by hormones that are passed from mother to baby during childbirth. Once the hormones level out, baby’s cradle cap will disappear.

Treatment

Most standard anti-fungal shampoos, topical steroids, and topical treatments such as selenium sulfide and pyrithione zinc typically only provide temporary relief because they are not addressing the root cause of the problem.

The scalp can be washed regularly with a mild baby shampoo - that is one with the least amount of potential irritants. Brushing with a soft brush can help to remove the scales.
Some people suggest the use of small amounts of baby oil which if rubbed on to the affected areas may help to soften the scales which can then be removed more easily with a fine toothed comb. This treatment needs to be done very gently otherwise it can worsen the condition and bring about temporary hair loss.

Applying Vaseline liberally overnight is another popular treatment. The softened scales either fall off during the night or can be brushed off in the morning.
Another suggestion is applying a paste made from sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) which is left on for 10 minutes.