Hetal, I am trying to pen down everything in detail...
As my baby was 2 months old she started having some dry skin on her thighs. I took it to be dryness n started applying oil ( more frequently). But later on it started appearing on the upper arms too. I went to doc immediately n he told it to be light Eczema. Slowly slowly she started having pimles like spots all over the body. I went again n he said it to be the same n gave vasline to be applied on. It helped a lot. In 15 days her body is free of that dry skin but on face ( on cheeks near to ears) she still has those pimples like things. During a day they sometime become red n white. I don’t know how to explain them if they r rashes or what. My ped took all this very lightly first but then asked me to make a exclude 5 foods when she turns 6 months but later on as this dry skin disappeard he asked me to be free of tension as he excluded the fear of dermatitis. I breastfed my baby till 3.5 months since last 13-14 days she is on formula. I really want to know the thing what exactly it is. Acc to him baby should be given a bath once a week. Which I do out of fear. I apply this vaslinen full wax mixture 2 times a day. Without that skin turns dry. He gave Triclosan too(which I earlier applied for Baby acne), which I can apply when these so called pimples turns red. I live in Europe n Winter here was very very dry …I would like to know if this baby eczema or whatever it is will appear next winter tooo. Because other doc meant that baby skin will be mature by the next winter so she will be normal by then… but I am really afraid …my baby had such a beautiful skin when she was born …sometimes I really wish to give her a bath 2-3 times a week…As I told my father in India about this eczema ..he meant this to DAAD n children don’t have that in India…Is it true???

Then sec problem is with craddle cap. I went to doc for that too. My baby had scratches on forhead n her hair are falling. He took this also lightly. I asked if it has something to do with Eczema. he meant skin on the head is not a good indicator of Eczema. He said it is craddle cap but my baby might be scratching only to get my attention which I really found funny because she scrahches her in day n night both..even whe she is really happy n playing… she will turn 4 months in 3 days n she was such a good kid she could play 1-2 hrs with mobile…her hair r falling n skin o head turns red 1-2 times a day n at some places it red still…these r red lines, bit hard running round like a cap on the head…please suggest me something…
I am flying to India on Monday…there I will get lactocalamin which I can’t get here…
Hetal please help me to come out of all this..its been days that I slept ..she scraches even with her hands in mittens….
Plese explina me the difference between eczema..dermatitis…etc etc……
I will be really thankful…
Will I be able to bathe my kid regularly…
regards,
FM FM replied. Thanks a lot everybody for your help. I am really grateful to everybody for their reply.
Hetal, Good to know that Samarth is doing better now. Get well soon!!! I really wonder, how you manage all this ....god bless you n your family!!


I am bit relaxed to read all this.
As I told earlier that I live in Europe. To be specific , in Germany. I have tried getting these Selsun blue n Lubriderm but in vain. tommorrow I will try for any of the other products mentioned by you. But I am skeptical for that too. Hetal, this Head n sch is normal anti dandruff or in USA you can buy anti craddle cap too.
As I wrote that I will be flying to India on Monday..Does anybody know if i will be able to get these products there..or here I can get antidandruff from Loreal with selenium ...could I use that...
Hetal, if I don' t get this lubriderm anywhere ..could I use baby body lotion from j&J available here in Germany. As I told about applying a mixture of vasline n full wax 95:5 here. won' t it be too fatty for indian hot weather??? I am afraid of stopping its use too as after applying this twice a day that dry skin got better by 95 percent..I am still applying twice a day...Now I am regretting my desicion to fly to India as it would be really hot there....
I am really surprised by the behaviour of my Ped acc to whom baby should be given a bath once a week....he didn' t talk about any bacterial infection or anything etc...please tell me about other precautions to be taken in India...I was planing to start solids in India ..I think now i will wait...
please tell me about the shampoo beacuse I would otherwise buy that from loreal tomm.
Thanks n regards,
FM Hetal replied. hi, thanks for your concerns..if i list my worries, you will be drowned in them ).

you are already in enough worries,,let me solve yours first :)..
we are ok,,we all are struck in strep throat infection so all of us, including samarth is on antibiotics...
he is been better since yesday so i could grab some time on net...
now about some points about cradle cap and my exp with it :

1.selsun blue for sensitive skin,everyday use, really works wonders ! worked great for both nirja and samarth.
also head and shoulders or ne special cradle cap shampoo that has selenium, salicylic acid, or tar as their active ingrediant should help ! also there is a seborrhea shampoo, that will help.
for samarth, selsun blue worked. for nirja head n shoulders was working but flakes used to return back..finally selsun eliminated the flakes permanently ! both of thr skins are diff, nirja was summer baby and is having normal to dry skin, we used to bathe her with dove extra moisturzng soap/bar, while samarth even being a winter baby doesnt need a single application of cream after a bath of j&j soap(is dry though gentle !), sometimes we bathe him with pears, he is fine !!

2. its a myth that it occurs only where winter is severe etc,,its actually caused by mothers hormones that crossed the placenta just few mins or hours before birth or when the first phase of labour starts..these hormones, irregulates or let me say makes them hyperactive and due to this, the sebaceous glands(the ones that control oil % in the skin) of the baby skin which causes cradle cap or infantile dandruff or seborrheic Dermatitis( which means in layman language \" severe dandruff\" ).
dandruff is nothing but a type of eczema !! that explains you all the terms your drs, others and myself are using..
hope your confusion is clear now !!!

the rashes that you are having is due to bacterial infection triggered by cradlecap or when cradle cap is not taken care of at once within first few weeks of its appearance..,

basically speaking of eczema the word that confuses you, is a general term referng to all the type of rashes that are of red, itchy nature or are caused by contact of some plants, or animals or ne other chemicals !!

3. things that help in treating the above all conditions are :
-1.avoid excessive overheating, temp should not be more thn 76f in your house.
-2.a good humidity level should be maitained. a humidifier or vaporisr oftn helps. also, keeping indoor plants or indoor water pools or indoor water showpiece regulates the humidity lost by the continuous use of ac or heater.
-3.avoid wool or artificial fabrics,,go cottons, the best.keep his bedding clean. keep one napkin, cotton under his head or upto the level of his body where ever it has spread and change it at every naptime ! it will reduce the chances of infection.and recovery is faster..
-4. change clothes 2-3times a day,,keep your baby clean and fresh.
-5. sometimes when baby gets too fussy, his rashes will increase..keep your baby gas free, colicfree, and first thing first, keep cleaning/wiping off the saliva, tears or ne mucus that comes out,,and keep his face clean..this will avoid ne further infection.
-6.most children outgrow this by 8-12months. my statistics for nirja and samarth are : nirja was out of it in 2months, while samarth has recovered from it ! he is 1.5months.he and its been a week,he is having cold and strep throat because all of us are having it, so i didnt wash his hair, he is fine ! selsun blue has worked for him, in just 3 washes, every 2days, 1drop. no other application after that. rub with your finger tips where the crust is there, and rub is gently,,massage it, dont scrap it,,let it rest for say a min and by then wash your baby, etc,,keep your baby warm enough otherwise he will catch cold and thn rinse it well. this shampoo doesnt have No TEAR factor so make sure to keep his eyes away while rinsing or washing..once you wash the hair, take a good fur towel and rub it in circular motion and dry it until its gone. comb with baby brush with soft brisels and gently remove the flakes..in the whole day, the flakes will keep coming back, keep removing them with furry towel. dont use the same towel again..buy those tiny fur napkins,,they are handy and can be thrown in the washing after each use !
no other application is required.
however, you will have to consider the skin type !!
you might have to switch the shampoo to head and shoulders or Sebulex.
also, if this shampoo trick doesnt work for your baby, because of skin type,then oil trick might work for you.
for a very thick cradle cap,apply the Baker' s P & S Liquid at night,comb through the scale with a fine-toothed comb or baby brush or tooth brush(the best) and wash it out in the morning with ne dandruff shampoo....it will work ! if you dont find this liquid, you can try the normal vegetable oil, apply a couple drops and rub it gently, and with toothbrush or baby brush, brush it off....
for the skin, keep her skin well hydrated. get a good moisterizer,lubiderm, vanicream(worked for nirja, samarth has a oil mill in his skin so we dont use nething ! ), or there is j&j sensitive skin should help.
over the counter cortizone, 0.5% or 1% helps but avoid using it. better use other alternatives thn using the steroid creams.

and yes, this can happen in ne healthy baby,, it doesnt affect baby health or development..it doesnt have a def cure for it and itz expected to go off on its own. in severe weather conditions like severe cold or severe hot, this prob will be at its peak !! so when during such weather conditions,protect your baby well and judge what he needs at that time, a good wash or a good oil!!
this has nothing to do with food, so carry on your regular diet, but when baby starts on solids, go slow when it comes to citrus fruits or vegetables. also go slow on dairy or ne foods that might cause fussiness/gas or severe constipation and might lead to severe outbreak due to high blood circulation that is caused when baby cries !!!
give lots of fluids to your baby, esp water and give him a good fibr diet.
take care, good luck...
Smitha replied. Hi,

My 3 months old daugher has the same problem of cradle cap. She has dry scalp and this has spreaded to her forehead and ears. She also gets acnes on face and other different parts.

Just today I visited a dermetologist at Kaya Skin Clinic. She prescribed cetaphil cream which is suppose to be a good one for dry skin and told me to apply all over the body and face.

She has prescribed another skin cream called cutisoft and told me to apply on her acnes and affected areas on her scalp.

She also prescribed Kaya anti-dandruff lotion and told me to apply on her scalp overnight and give a good shampoo bath in the morning. I have been using Jhonson' s baby shampoo and she told me to continue with that.

Hopefull with these, the problem has to get solved.

Let me know if anybody else tried any of these and it worked.

Thanks in advance !

Regards,
Smitha Aparna replied. FM,

Eczema is a very very common problem - even in India. Both my sons have had it. It occurs in people with family history of asthma (my father-in-law is asthmatic).

First point - please DO NOT worry, it will disappear with time. Your baby will have glowing skin in some time.

Second point - the general prescription for it is - a topical steroid cream used sparingly/carefully (please be cautious, the baby should not ingest/eat it) on the red places for 4/5 days. This cures like magic. Once cured, some good liquid paraffin cream - like Oilatum/Emoderm - applied twice or more times to prevent it happening again.

My 3-month old son is suffering from eczema right now and Im using these magic creams. My 5-year old boy has been completely eczema free for 2/3 years. But, I don' t encourage swimming, cos water increases dryness of skin and chances of eczema.

Bathing - Completely harmless liquid paraffin soaps (Oilatum) are available. My baby bathes atleast 3 times a week with this soap.

Hope this helps!

suba replied. hi there..
Though this question was addressed to hetal...just thought would share my experience
My baby had cradle cap when she was 1 and half month old..she would scratch her face and hair badly..and she had these pimples all over..her hair has these flaky things...and the pimples were all over the face, back and arms and shooulder..
my doc said when cradle cap spereads it becomes eczema..she wasnt sure whthr it was dermatitis thogh...im telling cause i have hread all these terms..
now doc suggested that i wash my babys hair twice a week with this dandruff shampoo called selsun blue...and keep her skin hydreated with a moisturiser called lubriderm..both worked wonders for me...within two weeks the flakes vanished and in another week the pimples also did..I still continue to wash her hair with dandruff shampoo once a week...
i give my baby a bath everyday...that is she loves to sit in her hot water tub for 5 mins...thats how she would sleep...i gave her a bath and then kept her skin hydrated...but my doc told me that this happens in cold countries only...and i live in one of the coldest parts of US...
hope this helps...just felt like sharing..can understand ur stress...please relax...everything will be fine..take care dks replied. hi fm,
Just thought i would reply to a part of this email. If your baby has cradle cap r sure, then use this product egozyte cradle cap remover. Its excellent. My son had a bad case of it and he too wouldnt stop scratching it. It was all crusty and itchy. This product is steroid free whereas most of the other products recommended contain steroid.

Good luck.