When babies are very young they sometimes develop cradle cap which is a yellow flaky crust on their scalp. This is a harmless skin condition that is a product of the over production f the oil glands on their head. This flaky condition can also develop on other parts of the body and is also harmless. Although embarrassing for mum as it looks like the baby’s hair hasn’t been washed, a lot of mums know of this condition and it can also be cleared up quite easily.


Using a fine tooth comb to gently brush away the flakes from the baby’s hair is very effective. Make sure that you brush from front to back as to avoid getting flaks in the baby’s eyes. Also you must be very gentle as to not put pressure on the soft spot of the baby’s head. Using a few drops of baby oil will help loosen patches where the dry scalp is thick gently rub the oil into the dry area and eave to work its way in breaking up the patch of skin. After the skin has loosened then gently comb out with a fine tooth comb using the same method as above.



When washing the baby’s hair use some anti dandruff shampoo on the scalp to help clear the scalp completely. Position the baby’s head in our hands and gently massage a tine drop of dandruff shampoo onto the wet scalp rubbing gently for a minute or two and then rinsing thoroughly as not to leave any shampoo on the scalp as it may cause irritation to sensitive skin. After brushing and washing the baby’s head it is a good idea to dab on some cortisone cream to keep the scalp moisturized and soothe any inflammation of the skin.


Do this before bedtime and let the cortisone treatment work over night to obtain best results. Also the messaging motions of the head rub will help soothe the baby off into a relaxed state and hopefully will sleep through the night. Repeat a couple of times per week but not too often as you don’t want to aggravate the area and cause irritation to the baby’s head. Cradle cap is a very normal occurrence among young babies an should clear up in a couple of months naturally and if not you can obtain advise from your local pharmacist.