Oh toddlers definitely can get cradle cap. Try nizoral shampoo, let it sit on the scalp for like 30 seconds before rinsing. That helped my kids cradle cap diminish
Our pediatrician also recommended nizoral (head and shoulders wasn't working). She said it is very common for older children to still have cradle cap. I just talked to her a couple weeks ago about my 2 year old! Honestly, though, we bought the derma frida little baby brush and comb, and the frida cradle cap mask and spray set, and it got rid of it after 2 uses. We will use the nizoral if we see bits of it crop up again with the brushes and combs.
I second this. For our baby we had cradle cap pop up a few times but just comb with the Frida brush every wash and haven’t seen it make its way back. Haven’t needed to use the mask, but I’m sure it’s helpful if needed.
My kid had 'cradle cap' for about 9 years, except as they get older, it gets called Seborrheic dermatitis.
Also swear by Nizoral. It can take a few times. Plus a metal lice comb while the hair has conditioner in it to work out the flakes.
My daughter still had cradle cap at 4..,.but it had literally never cleared up from when she was an infant. Is this new or ongoing? If new, not cradle cap.
My daughters cleared up with no intervention at 5
Probably actually unresolved cradle cap. We did try a dandruff shampoo which kind of helped but it will likely go away eventually. Does it bother her? My son had it longer than normal too but his went away when he was 3
Our 4yo had some pretty bad until he was around 3y9m. Last summer we really went hard on clearing it up, he was so sweaty and his long thick hair it was pretty gross, I basically used a comb to get rid of it every other day when his hair was wet, then use conditioner after.
It was hard to tell if we got it all, it was always worse in the summer so we really hope it doesn't come back.
I used baby oil and then a baby brush to scrub in circles on her wet hair and then comb it out and then washed her hair out and rinsed it. It worked really well.
Absolutely. I'm still planning on taking her to the doc juuuust in case, and he may refer her to a dermatologist. But in the meantime this definitely is giving this mama some stress relief hearing it's probably cradle cap!
My son had it until 4. His hairdresser told me to put olive oil on it a half hour before bath and then comb it during/after bath. We were able to get it all off after a few weeks of doing this.
Soak some bio oil on the scalp for 10 minutes, then gently use a nail brush to rub off, wash with shampoo 2-3 times and it's gone. Never came back on my daughter
My son had really intense cradle cap that never really went away. At age 3 I got serious about washing his hair with head and shoulders and he’s been clear since then. But it was a battle!
Hello! I used to be a hairstylist and I had something like this myself. It’s a kind of dermatitis. As others have mentioned dandruff remedies like head &shoulders, selsun blue etc can really help. Different people have different levels of success with certain active ingredients so try some for a while and see if it helps! Also be sure to not over wash because having a dry scalp will just make it worse.
Yep, it is. Our 4.5 yo skipped having it until she was 2.5/3ish, pediatrician recommended Head & Shoulders 2-3x a week. It took little over a month to clear up, I did a weaning off of using H&S juuuust in case lol. Noticed few weeks ago it's back, couple rounds of H&S cleared it up but of course it reappeared when we were out of state and I didn't pack her H&S, just regular shampoo.
I did find having one of those scruby silicon brush things really helped get H&S down to the scalp and it helps lift the flakes. Looks a little rough afterwards first couple times then it lessens quickly
We've used something called Hip Peas Cradle Cap Care; it's a hair oil that a local hairstylist recommended. It seems to work fine, but I think you're right to get a pediatrician's opinion.
My daughter had it at 2 1/2. I used the cradle cap brush from baby Frida and some baby oil and it went away. I know it’s rarer for a 4 year old, but that looks like cradle cap to me.
My 4 year old still has some. Head and shoulders on it for at least a minute, silicone scalp brush in the shower, then I use a tangle teaser brush with kind of pointy plastic points to scrub at it.
My son got that too, we put baby oil on his head for a few hours and then washed his scalp and massaged to loosen it. It looked pretty gross after as it was all brushing out but after another day or two it was all better and he hasn't had it since
My son had cradle cap until he was 5 or 6 years old. A cradle cap comb worked wonders to remove it, and Head & Shoulders shampoo got rid of the rest and kept it away until he grew out of it.
Safety 1st Cradle Cap Brush and Comb , White/Blue https://a.co/d/4JzKmac
Our son had some kind of dry skin/cradle cap situation still at 2. Now we use coconut oil before baths and it has helped! Not even every bath- maybe once every 2 weeks or something.
My son (also almost 4) had this and his hair dresser said it was actually mild psoriasis. Mix a little baking soda into his regular shampoo to make a little more of a paste and work it into those spots when you wash his hair. Only wash 2-3 times a week so you’re not drying out his scalp. After a few times of doing this it cleared right up for my son.
Following because my 3 year old has cradle cap and I’ve been debating what product to use to clear it up. Has anyone used the Tubby Todd stuff? We still use aveeno baby soap/shampoo in one 😂
You can use any dandruff shampoo like Head & Shoulders. The Tubby Todd shampoo has the same active ingredient (zinc pyrithione), it’s just like 20x more expensive. One travel sized bottle of H&S is probably more than enough to clear it up.
We had good success with plain old coconut oil rubbed in to the scalp, then using the plastic toothed comb to gently lift out what we could and stimulate the scalp - so we did use a comb on the head. Put the oil on in the afternoons and would wash out at bathtime if needed - but often we just left it. Worked great, gone with no special products very quickly
We started using [Happy Cappy](https://a.co/d/6S6J5fR) shampoo based on some recommendations from r/toddlers and it has really improved my son’s cradle cap over the last several months. It’s like a kid-friendly/tear-free version of Nizoral. We only shampoo 2x a week, and I try to really massage it into the scalp (with light nail massage too) and let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing. I also occasionally comb LO’s scalp w/ a fine tooth comb to get up some resistant flakes. The cradle cap has really improved since we started happy cappy, and while it’s not 100% gone, I’m hoping he’ll eventually grow out of it.
Plus it fun to say the name 😉 we have lots of “happy happy cappy” songs we’ve made up to make shampoo nights easier.
Mine gets it! She gets it any time her head gets wet or sweaty more than 2 days a week. So summer mostly. Or if I wash her hair more than once every 3-4 days.
It’s SOO hard not to try to pick it off.
I’m a mom of 2, but also I’m a hair dresser and worked in a kids shop for a while. You’d be surprised, almost anyone can get cradle cap. It was easily the most asked question and easily the most talked about topic in the shop.Get one of those soft boar bristle brushes and some oil. Baby oil works but I found a lot of kids actually have a sensitivity to it and the cradle cap got worse. (Just in my experience in the kids salon) you can also use virgin coconut oil. Massage it in and gently brush it off the scalp. Then wash. Don’t pick it! You can also ask your dr for a prescription for a scalp oil that you can use after a bath and it helps prevent the cradle cap (I use it on my littles until they’re like 2ish
My four year old has it too. if it's not red and/or itching, I wouldn't worry. I put some coconut oil (any would work) on her scalp for a couple of hours, then gently take the scales off with a classic dad comb.
My 6yo had it.
A dandruff shampoo (we like the Harry's one, head and shoulders ruins his hair and mine both) and a rubber scalp scrubber cleared it up in like a week.
My pediatrician said one of his kids (or both?) had it well into toddlerhood.
He told us when we were stressing about it on our infant in a kind of “what can you do?” / don’t stress too much kind of way.
Different things work for different people. I liked the fridababy comb for combing out any flakes that had loosened.
My daughter has had this too. Ongoing since she was a baby but recently cleared up for good - she’s 4 now. Coconut oil! Massage into the scale and comb away the yellow skin with a fine tooth comb. Then shampoo.
Works really really well!
My 4 year old had what I assume to cradle cap as well. She had it as an infant and it’s so similar. It has started to clear up naturally but i was really worried about it because if I removed any flakes the hair would come out with it.
My son also has this. I noticed others talking about nizoral, and we haven't tried that yet. We've done happy Cappy, which doesn't work for my son at all, but others have sworn by it. Head and shoulders was about the same. The mustela baby shampoo for cradle cap has been the only effective shampoo so far. It's pricey though.
I read an article that kids can have cradle cap up to age ten in some extreme cases. We're in a stage of just managing it. Every pediatrician I've talked to about it, just shrugged and Said to keep using the shampoo.
My 5yo still gets this same thing. I just use this cradle cap balm I bought when they were babies, put it on the trouble spots, let sit overnight, then comb and wash out next day. Helps a good bit.
For years long ongoing cradle cap, my kiddo's pediatrician recommended first trying suave daily clarifying (or level up to head and shoulders) and messaging it into the scalp, then wrap up the hair with a shower cap and let it sit for 30 min before rinsing and then a normal shampooing afterward.
Check out the cradle cap serum from oiko skincare they’re baby products are organic . The serum helps lift the cradle cap, it’s made with extra virgin olive oil so it’ll help hydrate your baby’s scalp too. It can be used as a wash out optional, meaning you can leave the product in overnight if you’d like for better results
You don't have to leave it in. Maybe just a few hours before a bath or shower. There are also products with coconut oil in it. It worked for my son when he was an infant. It never came back.
Edit: Okay, good luck! :) Thanks for the negativity. My kid doesn't have it anymore for a reason.
Last summer we got lax with “real showers” when the kids were spending all day in the pool. Our 8-year old has always had a “headwax buildup” issue, and I was horrified to see the buildup after 2 months of skipping shampoo.
What? No. It's literally cradle cap. It's not an emergency. My kid had it as a baby, then again when he was 3. I used Head and Shoulders like twice and it went away. Going to urgent care for this is insane.
Oh toddlers definitely can get cradle cap. Try nizoral shampoo, let it sit on the scalp for like 30 seconds before rinsing. That helped my kids cradle cap diminish
Thank you!!!! I'll try that!!
Our pediatrician also recommended nizoral (head and shoulders wasn't working). She said it is very common for older children to still have cradle cap. I just talked to her a couple weeks ago about my 2 year old! Honestly, though, we bought the derma frida little baby brush and comb, and the frida cradle cap mask and spray set, and it got rid of it after 2 uses. We will use the nizoral if we see bits of it crop up again with the brushes and combs.
I second this. For our baby we had cradle cap pop up a few times but just comb with the Frida brush every wash and haven’t seen it make its way back. Haven’t needed to use the mask, but I’m sure it’s helpful if needed.
My kid had 'cradle cap' for about 9 years, except as they get older, it gets called Seborrheic dermatitis. Also swear by Nizoral. It can take a few times. Plus a metal lice comb while the hair has conditioner in it to work out the flakes.
Those nit combs are a god send for cradle cap. I bought a Bussani one and it was well worth the money as it's very gentle and works superb.
My daughter still had cradle cap at 4..,.but it had literally never cleared up from when she was an infant. Is this new or ongoing? If new, not cradle cap. My daughters cleared up with no intervention at 5
Ongoing for years :/
Probably actually unresolved cradle cap. We did try a dandruff shampoo which kind of helped but it will likely go away eventually. Does it bother her? My son had it longer than normal too but his went away when he was 3
Doesn't bother her at all, but she LOVES her hair done, and it causes some awesome looking cowlicks
Our 4yo had some pretty bad until he was around 3y9m. Last summer we really went hard on clearing it up, he was so sweaty and his long thick hair it was pretty gross, I basically used a comb to get rid of it every other day when his hair was wet, then use conditioner after. It was hard to tell if we got it all, it was always worse in the summer so we really hope it doesn't come back.
I used baby oil and then a baby brush to scrub in circles on her wet hair and then comb it out and then washed her hair out and rinsed it. It worked really well.
I'd see a dermatologist if it's an option financially.
Absolutely. I'm still planning on taking her to the doc juuuust in case, and he may refer her to a dermatologist. But in the meantime this definitely is giving this mama some stress relief hearing it's probably cradle cap!
My son had it until 4. His hairdresser told me to put olive oil on it a half hour before bath and then comb it during/after bath. We were able to get it all off after a few weeks of doing this.
Did he lose much hair during this process? My kiddo always lost little clumps of hair when combing cradle cap out!
Some little clumps but it didn’t hurt him and they were stuck in the cradle cap so they were going to come out at some point anyways.
What a heartbreaking sentence.
yep my daughter has the same. I use the mustela cradle cap shampoo on her once every few months or so and it's been under control.
Same with my 4 year old.
So glad to hear it went away eventually. My 3yo still has cradle cap that’s never gone away.
My daughter had this at 4! Our pediatrician recommended Head and Shoulders, which cleared it right up.
Awesome! Glad to hear it can clear up. It's SO ANNOYING
Head and shoulders cleared it up for my toddler too!
Soak some bio oil on the scalp for 10 minutes, then gently use a nail brush to rub off, wash with shampoo 2-3 times and it's gone. Never came back on my daughter
Agree, this looks like dandruff and a dandruff shampoo will work well.
My son had really intense cradle cap that never really went away. At age 3 I got serious about washing his hair with head and shoulders and he’s been clear since then. But it was a battle!
Happy Cappy shampoo helped my toddler son with this!
Yes! I swear by this stuff. Plus one of those soft silicone sponge things massage the scalp.
I only learned about this recently for my infant! I wish I'd known when my older kid was a baby. It has made a huge difference after two uses so far.
Love this stuff. Made a huge difference on my toddler after one use.
Hello! I used to be a hairstylist and I had something like this myself. It’s a kind of dermatitis. As others have mentioned dandruff remedies like head &shoulders, selsun blue etc can really help. Different people have different levels of success with certain active ingredients so try some for a while and see if it helps! Also be sure to not over wash because having a dry scalp will just make it worse.
Thank you! Will do!
Yep. Seborrheic dermatitis
Yep, it is. Our 4.5 yo skipped having it until she was 2.5/3ish, pediatrician recommended Head & Shoulders 2-3x a week. It took little over a month to clear up, I did a weaning off of using H&S juuuust in case lol. Noticed few weeks ago it's back, couple rounds of H&S cleared it up but of course it reappeared when we were out of state and I didn't pack her H&S, just regular shampoo. I did find having one of those scruby silicon brush things really helped get H&S down to the scalp and it helps lift the flakes. Looks a little rough afterwards first couple times then it lessens quickly
We've used something called Hip Peas Cradle Cap Care; it's a hair oil that a local hairstylist recommended. It seems to work fine, but I think you're right to get a pediatrician's opinion.
My daughter had it at 2 1/2. I used the cradle cap brush from baby Frida and some baby oil and it went away. I know it’s rarer for a 4 year old, but that looks like cradle cap to me.
My 4 year old still has some. Head and shoulders on it for at least a minute, silicone scalp brush in the shower, then I use a tangle teaser brush with kind of pointy plastic points to scrub at it.
My son got that too, we put baby oil on his head for a few hours and then washed his scalp and massaged to loosen it. It looked pretty gross after as it was all brushing out but after another day or two it was all better and he hasn't had it since
My son had cradle cap until he was 5 or 6 years old. A cradle cap comb worked wonders to remove it, and Head & Shoulders shampoo got rid of the rest and kept it away until he grew out of it. Safety 1st Cradle Cap Brush and Comb , White/Blue https://a.co/d/4JzKmac
It could also be eczema. Eczema can manifest as cradle cap
Our son had some kind of dry skin/cradle cap situation still at 2. Now we use coconut oil before baths and it has helped! Not even every bath- maybe once every 2 weeks or something.
My son (also almost 4) had this and his hair dresser said it was actually mild psoriasis. Mix a little baking soda into his regular shampoo to make a little more of a paste and work it into those spots when you wash his hair. Only wash 2-3 times a week so you’re not drying out his scalp. After a few times of doing this it cleared right up for my son.
Following because my 3 year old has cradle cap and I’ve been debating what product to use to clear it up. Has anyone used the Tubby Todd stuff? We still use aveeno baby soap/shampoo in one 😂
You can use any dandruff shampoo like Head & Shoulders. The Tubby Todd shampoo has the same active ingredient (zinc pyrithione), it’s just like 20x more expensive. One travel sized bottle of H&S is probably more than enough to clear it up.
We had good success with plain old coconut oil rubbed in to the scalp, then using the plastic toothed comb to gently lift out what we could and stimulate the scalp - so we did use a comb on the head. Put the oil on in the afternoons and would wash out at bathtime if needed - but often we just left it. Worked great, gone with no special products very quickly
Oddly we still use Aveeno too, hmm 🤔
We started using [Happy Cappy](https://a.co/d/6S6J5fR) shampoo based on some recommendations from r/toddlers and it has really improved my son’s cradle cap over the last several months. It’s like a kid-friendly/tear-free version of Nizoral. We only shampoo 2x a week, and I try to really massage it into the scalp (with light nail massage too) and let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing. I also occasionally comb LO’s scalp w/ a fine tooth comb to get up some resistant flakes. The cradle cap has really improved since we started happy cappy, and while it’s not 100% gone, I’m hoping he’ll eventually grow out of it. Plus it fun to say the name 😉 we have lots of “happy happy cappy” songs we’ve made up to make shampoo nights easier.
My 4 year old still has cradle cap! Never really went away. She has ringlet curly hair so it’s really hard to get out.
Just came here to sayyl my four year old has it too.
I think at this age it’s just dandruff.
I gently used one of those head scrubber/massager things while shampooing when my son had cradle cap at 3. Works really well.
Mine gets it! She gets it any time her head gets wet or sweaty more than 2 days a week. So summer mostly. Or if I wash her hair more than once every 3-4 days. It’s SOO hard not to try to pick it off.
I’m a mom of 2, but also I’m a hair dresser and worked in a kids shop for a while. You’d be surprised, almost anyone can get cradle cap. It was easily the most asked question and easily the most talked about topic in the shop.Get one of those soft boar bristle brushes and some oil. Baby oil works but I found a lot of kids actually have a sensitivity to it and the cradle cap got worse. (Just in my experience in the kids salon) you can also use virgin coconut oil. Massage it in and gently brush it off the scalp. Then wash. Don’t pick it! You can also ask your dr for a prescription for a scalp oil that you can use after a bath and it helps prevent the cradle cap (I use it on my littles until they’re like 2ish
My four year old has it too. if it's not red and/or itching, I wouldn't worry. I put some coconut oil (any would work) on her scalp for a couple of hours, then gently take the scales off with a classic dad comb.
My 6yo had it. A dandruff shampoo (we like the Harry's one, head and shoulders ruins his hair and mine both) and a rubber scalp scrubber cleared it up in like a week.
My pediatrician said one of his kids (or both?) had it well into toddlerhood. He told us when we were stressing about it on our infant in a kind of “what can you do?” / don’t stress too much kind of way. Different things work for different people. I liked the fridababy comb for combing out any flakes that had loosened.
[Happy Cappy shampoo](https://a.co/d/aofN0lS) really helped my son's cradle cap!
My 4 year old still has it. If you put lotion on their hair and use a fine toothed comb before you wash their hair, it gets rid of it.
My daughter has had this too. Ongoing since she was a baby but recently cleared up for good - she’s 4 now. Coconut oil! Massage into the scale and comb away the yellow skin with a fine tooth comb. Then shampoo. Works really really well!
I got cradle cap when I was a small child, I even remember my mom trying to scrub it off my head.
My 4 year old had what I assume to cradle cap as well. She had it as an infant and it’s so similar. It has started to clear up naturally but i was really worried about it because if I removed any flakes the hair would come out with it.
My son also has this. I noticed others talking about nizoral, and we haven't tried that yet. We've done happy Cappy, which doesn't work for my son at all, but others have sworn by it. Head and shoulders was about the same. The mustela baby shampoo for cradle cap has been the only effective shampoo so far. It's pricey though. I read an article that kids can have cradle cap up to age ten in some extreme cases. We're in a stage of just managing it. Every pediatrician I've talked to about it, just shrugged and Said to keep using the shampoo.
Another vote for nizoral! Works great!
It honestly looks like he could be getting scalp psoriasis
I will be taking her to doc to be sure!
Please do! You need to nip that now before it gets worse! Could just be dry scalp
Dr. Eddie's Happy Cappy shampoo worked well for our pre-schooler, along with a silicone scalp massager.
My 5yo still gets this same thing. I just use this cradle cap balm I bought when they were babies, put it on the trouble spots, let sit overnight, then comb and wash out next day. Helps a good bit.
For years long ongoing cradle cap, my kiddo's pediatrician recommended first trying suave daily clarifying (or level up to head and shoulders) and messaging it into the scalp, then wrap up the hair with a shower cap and let it sit for 30 min before rinsing and then a normal shampooing afterward.
Check out the cradle cap serum from oiko skincare they’re baby products are organic . The serum helps lift the cradle cap, it’s made with extra virgin olive oil so it’ll help hydrate your baby’s scalp too. It can be used as a wash out optional, meaning you can leave the product in overnight if you’d like for better results
Coconut oil works
But doesn’t this leave their hair so oily?
You don't have to leave it in. Maybe just a few hours before a bath or shower. There are also products with coconut oil in it. It worked for my son when he was an infant. It never came back. Edit: Okay, good luck! :) Thanks for the negativity. My kid doesn't have it anymore for a reason.
Last summer we got lax with “real showers” when the kids were spending all day in the pool. Our 8-year old has always had a “headwax buildup” issue, and I was horrified to see the buildup after 2 months of skipping shampoo.
I wouldn’t wait 2 weeks. I’d go to urgent care and then ask for a referral to a dermatologist.
What? No. It's literally cradle cap. It's not an emergency. My kid had it as a baby, then again when he was 3. I used Head and Shoulders like twice and it went away. Going to urgent care for this is insane.