Cradle Cap in Babies

Cradle cap is a form of dermatitis, caused by inflammation of the oil glands in the skin. This results in a build-up of natural oils and dry scaly skin, which can cause redness and form a yellow/brown crust on baby’s head, eyebrows or behind the ears. It most commonly affects babies under 3 months. However it is not infectious.

Note: Scaly patches on baby’s face or other parts of the body are not cradle cap and should be checked by a health professional (see ‘Eczema’).

Every day, wash and massage your baby’s scalp and gently brush their head, even if they don’t have much hair.

Young father playing with his daughter inside with toys

What to do

To remove the crusts, you could massage sorbolene and glycerine lotion or olive oil into the affected area twice a day for a few days.
Then gently wash the affected area with warm water to remove any loose scales (do not pick them off). Use a soft towel to dry baby’s head (this helps loosen the scales too).
Consult your Child and Family Health Nurse or pharmacist if it doesn’t clear after a few weeks, if the skin under the scales is red and weeping, if it seems to be spreading to other areas of the body, or if it continues after the age of 3 months.